« February 5, 2008 | Today | February 7, 2008 »

February 6, 2008

Tonight: Catch Richard III at Trinity Rep at 7

If you hurry now, you might catch a performance of Richard III, one more great work by Shakespeare, tonight at 7 at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence.

Or you can catch 8 p.m. performances over the next several days.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:39 PM | Comment

Navy plans investments at Newport Naval Station

NEWPORT – Naval Station Newport plans to spend about $111 million on new buildings and infrastructure improvements over the next two years, largely as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure project (known as BRAC) that shifts several Navy operations to Newport.

The improvements to the 1,503-acre base are needed to handle the expected influx in the next three years of an additional 6,800 Navy personnel, most of will come to Newport for training, said Capt. Michel Poirier, commander of Naval Station Newport. That represents a 74 percent increase from the current level.

Those investments are on top of $46.3 million in contracts already awarded over the past two years.

Poirier discussed the changes and investments planned for the Navy base yesterday at a luncheon hosted by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. Among the 200 people in attendance was Governor Carcieri, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, as well as Aquidneck Island business owners, town officials and real estate developers.

-- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann

Three years after the Navy examined its bases across the United States to determine which ones to keep and which ones to close, it has become more evident that the Navy base in Newport has emerged as one of the winners.

That influx of new personnel, as well as the new spending on development projects, will have a positive economic impact on the Newport area and on Rhode Island in general, Poirier said.

Poirier, a former submarine commander, took charge of the Newport Naval Station at the end of September. He asked for this post, he said, because of his fondness for Rhode Island. He said his parents were from Woonsocket. Although he grew up in Virginia, he would come to Rhode Island each summer to visit his extended family, he said.

The projects for which contracts recently been award are:

• A $4.8-million combat training pool, which the Navy plans to begin construction on next month.


• Renovation of several buildings, including a dental clinic and two officer training command halls, for $17 million.


• The construction of the Naval Supply Corps School, which provides logistics, administrative and media training, at a cost of $24.5 million.

And, $15.8 million has been appropriated to replace one of two automobile bridges connecting the Navy base on Coasters Harbor Island to Aquidneck Island.

The Navy base has proposed building a new fitness center at $26.2 million, a maritime subsurface facility for $13.6 million, a new Army Reserve Center, and a new building to replace one currently used for Nimitz training, at a cost of $40.4 million.

Poirier said that the proposed projects have yet to be approved, and his job will be to persuade Navy officials to move forward with them.

“The hard part will be working within the Navy to advocate for those particular projects against, frankly, a crush of other projects.”

There not enough money to fund all the improvements requested by Navy bases around the country, he said.

“I think Newport is well positioned,” he said, because of its importance to the Navy, and because of the commitment to keep the base open.

There will likely be more development proposals as a “master plan” for the Navy base is developed, he said. Even so, he said he anticipates that there will still not be enough space to house the 16,000 students that will be on base in coming years.

The Navy will probably look to local hotels for space during peak times.
“If you’re a local businessman, invest in hotels,” he joked.

Posted by Tim Barmann at 6:35 PM | Comment

Toll debate pits commuters in Newport, Bristol

PROVIDENCE -- Legislators from the areas that would be affected by a change in the toll policies on the Mount Hope and Pell bridges made their cases before the House Finance Committee today, arguing for conflicting bills that could significantly alter their constituents’ cost of getting to work.

The intense interest in tolls was prompted by a study by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority saying that it will probably run a $223-million budget deficit over the next 20 years as its maintenance costs far outstrip its revenue, and that it needs to do something -- perhaps a toll increase -- to make up the difference.

The authority maintains two bridges, both from the mainland to Aquidneck Island: the Pell Bridge, from Jamestown to Newport, and the Mount Hope Bridge, from Bristol to Portsmouth. The Pell Bridge has tolls, which pay for the upkeep of both that bridge and the Mount Hope Bridge, which is free.

The study suggested several scenarios, including one where the Pell Bridge cash toll for cars would rise to $3 from $2 and a $1 toll would be charged at the Mount Hope Bridge.

The authority held a series of hearings last month in the areas served by both bridges, where testimony made two things clear:

• The people who depend on the Pell Bridge don’t want that toll to increase, especially to help pay for repairs to the Mount Hope Bridge.

• The people who use the Mount Hope Bridge don’t want to pay tolls and would prefer an alternative plan.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Rep. Raymond Gallison, D-Bristol, representing the users of the Mount Hope Bridge, pushed a bill that would maintain the status quo by amending state law with a brief sentence banning tolls on that bridge. Unless something changes, that would leave the authority to continue paying to maintain the Mount Hope Bridge from the Pell Bridge tolls, while the users of the Mount Hope Bridge continued to pay no tolls.

Gallison argued that the authority said in 1998 that the Pell Bridge tolls could support both bridges, that rebuilding the toll booths that once stood at the north end of Mount Hope Bridge would cause a safety hazard, and that imposing tolls on Mount Hope Bridge users would amount to "a disproportionate tax" on them. He also said that tolls would threaten the area’s important defense industry and might cause the Defense Department to take away Naval Station Newport in some future round of base-closings.

Gallison’s solutions: either keep the status quo, with the Mount Hope Bridge continuing to be supported with Pell Bridge tolls, or divert about $4 million per year from the state gasoline tax. The 30-cent gasoline tax revenue is already fully committed to other state programs, notably at the state Department of Transportation and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

Rep. Bruce Long, R-Jamestown, represented the Pell Bridge users. His bill would restrict the use of Pell Bridge toll revenue to maintaining only that bridge. That would reflect his constituents’ desires by taking back the tolls they pay that are now maintaining the Mount Hope Bridge.

How would the Mount Hope Bridge be maintained?

"It’s got to be covered through the state budget, or its own tolls," Long said.

The state’s other bridges are maintained mostly with federal highway aid funneled through the state Department of Transportation. That’s how the state is paying for its current construction program, including the relocation of Route 195 in Providence, the new Washington Bridge, and the new Sakonnet River Bridge it plans to build.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:20 PM | Comment

Four charged after police find 2,600-plus heroin bags

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The police have charged four people with a variety of drug offenses after finding more than 2,600 bags of heroin and $52,289 in cash during a search of a Cherry Street apartment Tuesday.

Nicholas Stephen Denardo, 27, and Ashley Cierra Bright, 20, were both charged with one count each of trafficking in heroin, over 28 grams, trafficking in a Class A drug in a school zone, and conspiracy. Carlos Jose Alomar, 36, was charged with possession of a Class A drug. Jared J. Mello, 24, was charged with possession and intent to distribute a Class A drug, possession and intent to distribute in a school zone, conspiracy, and resisting arrest.

On Tuesday, vice detectives executed a search warrant at a first-floor apartment at 843 Cherry St., occupied by Denardo and Bright. The police said no one answered when they knocked on the door, but they could hear someone inside. They said when they forcefully entered the apartment, they found Bright, along with 150 small bags of heroin.

The police said a further search of the apartment yielded a drug ledger and $2,200 in cash. While the police were inside, Alomar knocked on the door. The police said they found two bags of heroin in his possession and he was taken into custody.

Denardo arrived by car shortly afterward with a plastic bag containing another 2,000 bags of heroin, the police said.

A man later identified as Mello accompanied him but fled the scene upon encountering the detectives. He was pursued on foot and arrested after falling from a wall at Ruggles Park.

A search of the Nissan the men arrived in turned up an additional 450 bags of heroin, according to the police.

Denardo was out on bail after a Sept. 11, 2007 arrest on drug charges. In that incident, vice detectives raided an apartment he had been renting on Whipple Street and discovered nearly 5,000 bags of heroin and $11,000 in cash, according to the police.

“The seizure of this quantity of heroin along with the substantial amount of proceeds from the illicit sale of drugs in our city is of significant proportions,” said Police Chief John M. Souza. “The message should be loud and it should be clear. Individuals who elect to become involved in the illegal distribution of dangerous drugs in this city will be discovered. They will be arrested, and they will be vigorously prosecuted.”

Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment

Oster trial: Political fund-raising tickets at the playground

PROVIDENCE -- Today's testimony in the trial of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster closed with another account of what it was like to do business with Robert R. Picerno, the former Lincoln planning official who the state says was engaged in a bribery/conspiracy scheme with Oster.

The state called David Wayne Daniel, a contractor who was hired by the town in summer 2001 to do improvements, including building a bathhouse and concession stand at the town’s Fairlawn playground.

Under questioning by prosecutor William Ferland, Daniel testified that shortly after his company, Major Construction Associates, got the approximately $150,000 contract, the work site was visited daily by an assortment of town officials.

He mentioned Stephen Balestra, whose office oversaw the federal money used to pay for the project and whom Daniel said would stay at the site for entire days; Parks and Recreation director Paul Prachniak and then-public works director David T. Harrison.

“It made everyone nervous,” Daniel said of the visits. “This was a small project.”

He said the three officials were constantly criticizing the pace of the work and ordering changes. The situation developed to where Daniel said he had three Friday morning meetings in a row with Oster and others in Town Hall. He described the purpose of the meetings as “jumping on my back.”

The Monday after the third such meeting in Oster’s office Daniel testified that Picerno showed up at the job site.

“He asked me how things were going and I told him they’re busting my ... balls and he started to laugh a little slyly,” Daniel said.

Daniel said Picerno then took out a stack of 100 Oster fundraiser tickets worth $50 a piece -- $5,000 total -- and asked if he could take care of them.

“I said ‘If you can get those ... guys off my back,’ ” Daniel said he told Picerno. “He said `No problem.’ ”

Daniel testified he had his office cut a check for $4,750, because he had already donated $250 to the Oster campaign, and he didn’t want to double pay; but Picerno turned down the check.

“He said `I’m going to need it in a nicer way,’ ” Daniel quoted Picerno as telling him. He said he understood that to mean Picerno wanted the tickets paid for in cash. Daniel said he accommodated him.

Daniel was scheduled to resume testifying tomorrow

-- Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment

Sakonnet Vineyards will be preserved for agriculture

LITTLE COMPTON -- Sakonnet Vineyards will be preserved for agricultural use forever. The preservation deal was announced today by the Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust.

The trust spearheaded the purchase of the development rights to the 94-acre vineyard for $2.225 million from owners Earl and Susan Samson, ending several years of uncertainty about the future of the property.

“Had the vineyard not been protected in this manner, it would easily have been converted into nine buildable house lots. Back in 1968, a prior owner had a nine-lot subdivision that was accepted,” said George Mason, the trust’s chairman. “This special place could have been lost.”

Mason said people have always seen the vineyard as not only a place to enjoy wine, but as a beautiful place for locals and tourists to visit. It also hosts a number of community events, including the annual Sakonnet Rhythm & Blues Festival.

-- Journal staff writer Richard Salit

“It’s not only a working vineyard or farm, but it also plays a very important role in the social fabric of Little Compton and our part of the state,” said Mason. “Were it ever sold to a developer…we would have lost the vineyard and the whole cultural aesthetic of it.”

The Samsons will still pursue the sale and development of 70 acres surrounding the vineyard. But they plan only five lots with development restrictions, which will be marketed to people who want to live next to a farm.

The Samsons plan on their family continuing to operate the vineyard. But if the vineyard were to cease operating, the land would still have to be used for farming, according to the agreement with the land trust.

“The Samsons have agreed to keep the land in permanent agricultural use,” said Mason, saying an area farmer or the town could be entrusted to keep the land active if the vineyard were to go out of business.

The trust acquired grants of $500,000 from the state Agricultural Land Preservation Commission, which is connected to the Department of Environmental Management, and $1.1 million from the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. The trust contributed the remainder, about $612,000, much of which comes to the trust through a fee collected on certain land transactions in town.

“A lot of these deals can only happen through partnerships,” said Mason, who was thankful for the assistance of the state and federal governments as well as the generosity of the Samsons.

The state Properties Committee unanimously approved the use of the $500,000 at a meeting in December.

“This has been a priority for us for many years,” Mary Kay, a DEM lawyer, told the committee members.

The couple also agreed in the transaction to continue allowing community events on the property each year.

“That shows the kind of people they are,” said Mason. “This is the consummation of close to four years worth of work between the Little Compton Conservancy Agricultural Trust and [the Samsons]…For the trust, it adds to a continuous greenway that we’ve been building for the last 12 to 15 years.”

According to the trust announcement, the vineyards constitute important watersheds for the adjacent Watson Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to Newport, and Dundery Brook, which flows into Briggs Marsh and helps replenish wells for Little Compton residents.

The brook also helps support migratory waterfowl such as the rare marsh wren and piping plover.

“The preservation of Sakonnet Vineyards ensures continued agricultural use of this prime farmland as well as the protection of an important watershed and scene area,” said W. Michael Sullivan, DEM director.

The land trust, created by town voters in 1986, has helped protect 1,650 acres of agricultural land and open spaces in Little Compton from development.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:42 PM | Comment

Freddie Bishop is indicted on new murder charge

Alfred "Freddie" Bishop, the convicted killer who spent 33 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions for murdering a close friend, has been indicted today on a new charge of murder, one count of burglary and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Bishop, 65, of 61 Hollywood Ave., Warwick, is accused of murdering Gabriel Medeiros, 35, in Warwick on June 28 last year. He was also indicted with burglarizing a house and assaulting two people using a handgun with intent to commit murder and/or robbery.

Authorities now accuse Bishop of fatally shooting Medeiros and wounding Medeiros' brother and sister-in-law during a late-night burglary in June. Police have said family attempted to fight off their intruder, and the intruder then opened fire.

Documents disclosed that DNA from a bloody ski mask matched a sample taken from Bishop.

Bishop, who had been released from the Adult Correctional Institutions, had been out of prison for a little more than 10 months when police charged him in the Medeiros case.

The Statewide Grand Jury handed up the indictment today naming Bishop, who is slated for arraignment in Kent County Superior Court on Feb. 22.

Bishop was sent to prison for the December 1973 shotgun death of a friend, James Dunn.

In a 1993 Journal profile of Bishop, it said Warwick police found him a couple of hours later and that the next day he was taken to maximum security prison. The profile also said Bishop controlled a wing of the prison as a "heavy" and that he'd once been a partner of a mobster who was at that time in controlling another wing of the prison.

Another profile reported that corrections officials in 1978 sent Bishop and 14 other inmates deemed to be wielding control inside the prison out of state. Then-Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy said at the time that “guards and inmates live in constant mortal fear for their lives.”

Bishop was in prisons in Pennsylvania, Maine and New Hampshire over the next several years. He returned to the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston, in 1989 from Pennsylvania. In 1993 various officials and law enforcers presented a unified front in trying to block plans to parole Bishop.

In 2005, the Parole Board recommended releasing Bishop and he was eventually released.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Comment

Will Rhode Island continue to be Clinton country?

Now that Super Tuesday is over, campaigns are focusing on the remaining primaries – including the increasingly relevant March 4 Rhode Island primary.

The Clintons are well known here. Bill Clinton and Hillary came to the state more than a dozen times during the eight years of the Clinton presidency. Bill Clinton raised money at Mark and Susan Weiner's house in East Greenwich. He campaigned for Myrth York, Jack Reed and Patrick Kennedy.

In turn, Rhode Island voters delivered big numbers to Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

Thursday in projo.com and in print, staff writers Scott MacKay and Mark Arsenault will talk to the Clinton and Obama campaigns about their plans for Rhode Island. The story will also catch up with the Romney and McCain organizations.

Posted by Peter Phipps at 4:19 PM | Comment

Pawtucket man indicted for murder, arson

A Pawtucket man serving time in Florida was indicted by a statewide grand jury today on first-degree murder and arson charges in connection with the slayings of Heather V. Jesus and Amanda L. Sousa last June. He was also indicted today by the state grand jury on six robbery counts, and indicted on robbery charges with an accused conspirator by a Providence County grand jury.

Anthony J. Carter, 23, whose last known address was 13 Busby St., is accused of conspiring with Raymond Clements of Pawtucket to commit murder.

In June, firefighters responded to a blaze at Jesus’ 375 Plainfield St. apartment in Silver Lake and found the two women inside. The police later determined the women had been killed before the fire began -- and investigators have said the fire was arson with the goal of to destroying evidence.

In another statewide grand jury indictment handed up today, Carter is named for six counts of first-degree robbery and six counts of using a firearm while committing a crime of violence. Carter on or about June 2 last year allegedly robbed a victim and used a handgun "while committing a crime of violence, to wit, robbery," in Cranston.

On June 5, Carter allegedly did the same in incidents in North Providence. The Journal has reported that Carter was charged by North Providence police with a June 5 robbery of a Waterman Avenue convenience store.

Also today, a Providence County grand jury handed up an indictment naming Carter and Clements each on two counts of first-degree robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, one count of using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and one count of possessing a firearm without a license. On June 13, Clements and Carter allegedy robbed two people and used a firearm while "committing a crime of violence, to wit, robbery, and that they carried a handgun without a license." Those alleged incidents happened in Cranston.

A warrant was issued today for Carter, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's office said in a news release announcing the Providence County grand jury indictment. Carter is serving a 55-year sentence for 10 armed robberies in Polk and Hillsborough counties. Lynch's office stated it is initiating the process to bring Carter back to Rhode Island,

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:50 PM | Comment

AP fights court order over smoke-shop photographs

PROVIDENCE -- The Associated Press is fighting a court order to turn over unpublished photographs of a 2003 state police raid on a tribal smoke shop.

Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirl has set a hearing on the matter for Thursday.

Seven Narragansett Indians were arrested for allegedly scuffling with police during the raid on a shop that was not collecting state taxes. Lawyers want to see more than 200 unpublished photos taken of the raid by an AP photographer.

The AP has turned over seven published photographs in response to a subpoena. But it objects to turning over unpublished photographs, saying the court already has videotapes and photographs that duplicate much of what's in the unpublished photos.

The attorney general's office said it won't comment on why it wants the photos because the matter is

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:08 PM | Comment

Spalding to step down as director of Save The Bay

Curt Spalding, the executive director of Save The Bay, Rhode Island’s largest environmental group, told his staff today he was stepping down by this summer and will spend some time considering a new career move. The group’s board of directors plans a national search for a new director.

As the head of the state’s most influential environmental advocacy and educational group since 1990, Spalding, 50, has long been a major figure both in Rhode Island’s environmental community, but also among business and political leaders.

He took over from Trudy Coxe, who launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress that year. Spalding, who had worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before joining Save The Bay as an assistant director, was less confrontational than Coxe. But under his leadership the group grew, built a state of the art headquarters at Fields Point, and introduced thousands of local children to Narragansett Bay through its educational programs.

Spalding has led campaigns to restore the ecosystem of Narragansett Bay, to block development of a container port at Quonset Point, and to expand and improve sewer systems around the Bay. Most recently he called for reforms at the Coastal Resources Management Council, the state agency that regulates coastal activities in Rhode Island.

In the last year, Spalding kept up with the times and started his own blog of observations and musings – always surrounding Narragansett Bay, which he often said was his passion.

-- Journal staff writer Peter Lord

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:15 PM | Comment

State Police: "Unlikely" deleted emails can be retrieved

The computer systems manager for the state police testified today that he didn’t believe deleted files related to the 2003 raid on a Narragansett Indian smoke shop could be retrieved.

James Shea, who has handled state police data processing for 12 years, said it was highly unlikely given the amount of time that had passed and the condition of the department’s servers.

Shea took the stand in Providence County Superior Court as Judge Susan E. McGuirl weighs a request by defense lawyers that she order computer experts to try to recover the deleted files.

It is estimated the work would cost $20,000 to $50,000.

Shea said he asks state police personnel whether they want to save any items when they retire. He then asks their replacement whether they chose to save an of their predecessor’s files. If so, then those documents are transferred, he said.

He said he relies of officers to tell him what documents should be saved.

At issue are files retired Inspector Gary Treml used in writing the internal investigation into the raid. Treml testified today that he believed he relied on computerized witness statements as well as hard-copy accounts from the 51 officers involved in completing his findings.

No e-mails to or from Treml have been included in any of the documents turned over by state police.

Shea said he had security concerns about a computer expert for the defense trying to extricate files from the state police system.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

“Basically, if you have a map to my network you have the map to attack my network,” he said.
State police executed a search warrant on a tribal smoke shop July 14, 2003, to stop the tribe from selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes. Seven Narragansetts, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, are awaiting trial later this month on misdemeanor charges related to the raid.

Defense lawyers have asked that the cases be dismissed because state police have delayed turning over documents as part of the pre-trial discovery process.

A computer expert for the defense is expected to testify this afternoon.

Read the Journal's extended coverage of the 2003 smoke shop raid.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:04 PM | Comment

Gov. Patrick opposes Wampanoag's casino application

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick today formally opposed a plan by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe to build a $1 billion casino in Middleborough.

The tribe is applying to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to place more than 500 acres of land into trust, a key step in building a casino. The bureau had asked the Commonwealth to submit comments by today.

In a letter to the bureau, the administration said the tribe failed to provide the criteria required by the bureau's regulations. The administration also said the plan failed to adequately address issues surrounding environmental and consumer protection, zoning, transportation, labor, safety and public health.

"Because the placement of lands in trust may exempt certain activities on those lands from state and local laws, there are significant jurisdictional concerns at the state level," the letter said.

The administration also said the tribe's casino plan doesn't guarantee strict oversight of gaming activities by the state.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 1:58 PM | Comment

Oster trial: His successor saw unusual aspects in land deal

PROVIDENCE -- Sue P. Sheppard, who succeeded Jonathan F. Oster as Lincoln town administrator, testified today in Oster's bribery and conspiracy trial that while serving as town clerk she saw what she considered unusual aspects of a land-title transfer agreement now at the case's heart.

The proposed agreement with a businessman to assume tax title of the town-controlled H&H Screw Co. property for $105,000 was not equal to the taxes owed on the land, according to her testimony. Sheppard also testified that she did not bring those questions/concerns directly to Oster.

The testimony came as prosecutor Bethany Macktaz questioned Sheppard in Providence County Superior Court.

Much of the state's case has sought to show a link between Oster and a then-Oster political ally Robert R. Picerno, who in 2004 pleaded no contest to bribery and conspiracy allegations.

In testimony yesterday, Lincoln car dealer Robert J. Campellone described how Picerno, a Lincoln Planning Board member at the time, shook him down for $25,000 in early 2001. Campellone is one of the men the state says was targeted in the bribe scheme when he tried to buy the six-acre H&H Screw land on Route 116.

Oster, who was town administrator from 2000 to 2002, is facing two bribery and two conspiracy charges, one each in connection with the alleged plot to get Campellone to pay the $25,000 bribe.

Sheppard, who took office as town administrator in 2003, also testified about how meeting minutes of town council closed sessions were prepared, particularly circumstances surrounding a June 26, 2001, closed-council session in which Oster presented the council with Campellone's $105,000 offer for the H&H Screw Co. property. The council later voted 4-0, with one abstention, to approve the deal.

Ironically, Sheppard had worked for the H&H Screw Company from 1961 until 1985, with a two-year break during that time.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:55 PM | Comment

Proposed changes would affect fishermen

Proposed changes to state’s marine fisheries regulations would affect monkfish, menhaden, striped bass, and scup and, both commercial and recreational fishermen.

The Department of Environmental Management today announced it’s holding a public hearing Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. to answer questions and get input from stakeholders.

Interested parties can attend the hearing, at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium, or submit written comments by no later than noon on the day of the hearing, to DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, 3 Fort Wetherill Road, Jamestown, R.I., 02835.

The proposals would affect the commercial tautog quota management plan; the recreational tautog management plan; the commercial scup quota management plan; the commercial striped bass quota management plan; the R.I. menhaden regulations; and the R.I. monkfish regulations

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:48 PM | Comment

Women's Center gets new director

An organization that serves women and children who are victims of domestic abuse is getting a new Executive Director.

Kris Lyons, of Seekonk, is moving up from Associate Director, a position she’s held since 2005, to be the Executive Director of the Women’s Center of Rhode Island.

Lyons is a licensed clinical social worker who worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for more than 12 years, most recently as the program director for its Domestic Violence Screening, Care, Referral and Information program.

“I am excited about stepping up to this new role,” Lyons said in a statement. “I believe our staff and the work we’ve done at the Center during the last few years will provide the foundation that will continue to provide safety for women and children to help them rebuild their lives.”

Lyons replaces Kyle Macdonald.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:47 PM | Comment

N.H. developer bucks economic trend with mill project

Journal Staff Photo / Mary Murphy
Developer Arthur W. Sullivan discusses plans to convert the Slater Cotton Mill in Pawtucket into residential rental units.

PAWTUCKET -- A New Hampshire developer said this morning his company will move forward with a $22-million project to build rental residences in a Pawtucket mill building, despite the slackening economy.

Arthur W. Sullivan, of Brady Sullivan Properties, said the project will succeed despite an economic downturn that has tightened credit markets and all but crushed the demand for condominiums.

"The market is slowing down a bit," Sullivan told The Providence Journal. "[But] we have the capital to make these things work."

Sullivan's plan to convert the Slater Cotton Mill in central Pawtucket to 124 rental units is his company's second project in Rhode Island. In October, the company paid $2.4 million for the Grant Mill building in Providence.

Like the Grant Mill project, which a previous developer converted to residences, redevelopment of the Slater Cotton Mill will rely on a financing mix that takes advantage of the state's historic tax-credit program. Governor Carcieri has proposed a retroactive cap on the program to help solve the state's budget problems.

Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle, speaking this morning after a press conference at the mill on South Union Street, said Carcieri's proposal threatens the credibility of state government. Pawtucket officials yesterday spoke in favor of maintaining the tax-credit program during a hearing at the State House. The Journal reported on that hearing in today's newspaper.

"You're being supported with as much juice as we can give you," Doyle told Sullivan.

For more business-related news, please visit the Biz Blog at projo.com/business.

Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 12:48 PM | Comment

Hearing today on bill banning Mount Hope Bridge tolls

PROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Comittee this afternoon is scheduled to hear legislation that would ban tolls on the Mount Hope Bridge -- a bridge that has not had tolls for years.

A consultant's report recently mentioned resuming tolls as a potential way to address a projected shortfall years from now in the budget of the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority, which operates the Mount Hope and Pell Bridges.

But a lawmaker has introduced legislation that would stop such a move before it can leave the parking lot.

The committee hearing, which includes several bills on a range of topics, not just the toll-banning bill, begins at 1 p.m. in the Trainor Hearing Room -- Room 35 -- at the State House.

The bridge connects Bristol and Portsmouth. Rep. Raymond Gallison, a Bristol Democrat who also represents Portsmouth, is the bill's prime sponsor.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

CORRECTION: The original version of this post incorrectly said the toll was being considered to correct a deficit was in the state budget.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:33 PM | Comment

Chat: Sports columnist Bill Reynolds taking questions

Journal sports columnist Bill Reynolds will take your questions in a live chat today from noon to 1 p.m. on projo.com.

You can submit your questions now: Go to projo.com/chat, click launch chat, choose a display name (you don't need a password) and enter the college hoops chat room.

Do not press enter or click send until you have finished typing; questions will display to the room as Bill answers them at noon.

Come back later for a transcript of the chat, too.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:05 PM | Comment

Offended activists offer invitation to governor, first lady

A group of Southeast Asian American student activists who say they want an apology from the governor’s wife have invited her to visit their headquarters.

But a spokesman for the Governor said this morning that the Carcieris never received an invitation.

The Providence Youth Student Movement criticized Sue Carcieri for comparing them to suicide bombers after the activists criticized Governor Carcieri’s decision to lay off three Southeast Asian translators.

One of the activists called the decision “racist,” a move the Governor Carcieri said calls for an apology, itself.

The group issued a press release, announcing a press conference to be held this afternoon and asking the Carcieris and the public to tour their facility.

Steven Brown, executive director of the local American Civil Liberties Union affiliate, will join student activists and the daughter of one of the laid off translators at today’s press conference, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at 807 Broad Street.

The press conference is also open to the public.

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly indicated that the group had issued an invitation to the Carcieris to their press conference. Their press releases invite the Carcieris to visit their facility and to attend a community meeting.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:40 AM | Comment

Musicians to hold benefit for anniversary of Station fire

PROVIDENCE -- Metal acts like Twisted Sister and Stryper are joining country singers Gretchen Wilson and John Rich, American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler and others for a benefit concert to mark the fifth anniversary of The Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people.

The blaze at the West Warwick nightclub also injured more than 200 people. Many survived with severe burns and other injuries that still require medical care.

Proceeds will benefit the Station Family Fund, a nonprofit group that helps survivors with the costs of treatment and rehabilitation.

The concert at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence is scheduled for February 25, five days after the fifth anniversary of the blaze. Tickets cost between $41 and $61.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:23 AM | Comment

'Gap kids' ruling to stay on hold during appeal

PROVIDENCE -- A ruling to dismiss charges against 17-year-olds charged as adults under a short-lived state law has been put on hold while it's appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini made the ruling yesterday, but said it would not go into effect while prosecutors decided whether to appeal. They appealed to the high court later that day.

Public Defender John Hardiman argued in court today that the ruling should go into effect immediately because he fears 17-year-olds could be punished in the interim for cases that could be dismissed.

But Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini says the ruling is automatically put on hold since it's been appealed.

Hardiman says he hasn't yet decided how to proceed.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry at 11:11 AM | Comment

Girl critical after being hit by car at Mass. polling place

BOSTON — A second-grade girl struck by an SUV at a polling station in Randolph on Super Tuesday is in critical condition.

Police say 86-year-old William Geisler lost control of his car and hit 8-year-old Britney Noel as she stood outside the Elizabeth G. Lyons Elementary School. He had driven to the school to vote.

The girl was taken to Boston Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition Wednesday morning. Lyons Principal Leo Flanagan says she has a fractured skull and is in a medically induced coma.

Police says Geisler was trying to park when he lost control of his vehicle, drove across a grassy area, mounted the sidewalk and hit the school, pinning the child between the SUV and the school.

Geisler has not been charged and the investigation continues.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:09 AM | Comment

Kennedys, Patrick couldn't deliver Mass. to Obama

BOSTON -- U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and Gov. Deval Patrick couldn't deliver their home state for Barack Obama as Massachusetts women voters helped propel Hillary Rodham Clinton to victory, while former Gov. Mitt Romney easily turned back Republican rival John McCain.

More women voted on the Democratic side on Super Tuesday, and six of every 10 of them sided with Clinton, whose husband counted Massachusetts among his best states in two presidential elections.

The endorsement from Kennedy -- and his son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, and niece, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy Jr. -- had been heralded as a big boost for Obama.

Other members of the influential Kennedy clan, however, backed Clinton.

Clinton also relied on rank-and-file lawmakers, who cranked up their get-out-the-vote efforts for the New York senator to overcome Obama's headline-grabbing endorsements from Kennedy and Patrick.

Both Kennedy and Patrick downplayed Obama's loss, with the governor telling Obama supporters in Cambridge that "we picked up our share of delegates." Kennedy added: "I commend Sen. Clinton, but I'm also very excited about the growing momentum we've seen for the Obama campaign." U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts also endorsed Obama.

See what voters in southeastern Massachusetts told The Journal about their primary choices yesterday.

Turnout of more than 1.69 million people set a new primary election record, surpassing 1980 when more than 1.3 million people voted on a ballot that included Sen. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter on the Democratic side, and Republicans Ronald Reagan and George Bush. On Tuesday, more than 1.2 million Democrats voted, and more than 479,000 Republican ballots were cast.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney, criticized for treating Massachusetts as a stepping stone while governor, won his home state by finding favor with voters who support him on immigration and the economy, according to preliminary exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press.

-- Associated Press, with projo.com reports

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:02 AM | Comment

MBTA chief says agency is broke

BOSTON -- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Daniel Grabauskas says the agency is “broke,” despite last year’s fare hikes.

The MBTA is the agency in charge of public transportation in Massachusetts, including the commuter rail line that extends to Providence.

Grabauskas tells The Boston Globe that the $70 million dollars the MBTA raised by increasing fares on buses, trains and subways wasn’t enough to prevent an estimated $75 million dollar deficit in the next fiscal year.

Grabauskas said he’s ruled out another fare increase this year, as well as any cuts in service.
He said he wouldn’t discuss how the agency would fill the budget gap until its board discusses it publicly.

The MBTA has heavy debt, with 27 cents of every dollar it spends going to pay it off.

The agency has also been hurt by rising energy and labor costs and slow growth in the collection of state sales tax, it’s primary money source.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:53 AM | Comment

Video: Senate panel hears defense budget requests

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing this morning on budget requests for the Defense Department.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, is a member of the committee.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Admiral Michael Mullen are expected to testify.

To watch video of the hearing, click on this link.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:49 AM | Comment

Dog breeder faces drug charges

A dog breeder is set to appear in court today after the police say they found pots, fertilizer, lamps, more than a dozen marijuana plants and 11 pounds of packaged marijuana in his house.

The police searched Kevin White’s house in South Kingstown last month after thermal imaging cameras suggested heat from heat lamps was being used to possibly cultivate marijuana.

A week earlier, White had been charged with assault and disorderly conduct for allegedly punching and biting a man whom White said owed him $100 for a dog.

And last year, he lost a fight with the town over selling puppies from his home.

The town's animal control officer turned 14 dogs - including a French mastiff, a boxer, and a number of pugs - and a rabbit over to the South Kingstown Pound following White’s arrest Friday, Jan. 18.

White is being held, and is scheduled for a bail hearing today in District Court.

He faces multiple felony charges for the marijuana and a charge for posession of a firearm - a handgun - while committing a crime of violence.

Possession of marijuana with intent to deliver is a crime of violence under state law.

The police also charged White with possessing about an eighth of an ounce of cocaine after searching his car, according to police. He did not enter pleas because the charges are felonies and will likely be moved to Superior Court.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:38 AM | Comment

Ash Wednesday a sign that Lent has begun

The 40 days of Lent have begun.

It's Ash Wednesday, and in the Roman Catholic calendar, that means a day of repentance, fasting -- and ashes.

Churches throughout this most Catholic of all states will be holding masses where celebrants may receive a sign, made of ash, on the forehead.

Today, at 12:05 p.m., Bishop of Providence Thomas J. Tobin will celebrate a special Lenten mass for Catholic School students the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in Providence.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Discover Jesus Christ, the Way.”

More than 600 students are expected to gather in the cathedral. Several students will also participate in the Mass as altar servers, readers, and gift bearers, according to a Diocese news release. The music for the celebration will be provided by the St. Mary Academy-Bay View choir under the direction of Christine Kavanagh.

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 9:25 AM | Comment

Blizzard of '78 anniversary: Reflecting on visions in plaid

Journal file photo
Richard A. Bouchard, left, uses a walkie-talkie at Civil Defense headquarters at the State House as then-Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy, in his famous plaid shirt, and others look on.

There was another man in plaid during the Blizzard of '78.

According to Journal photo archives, Richard A. Bouchard was snapped wearing plaid pants on the job.

While then-Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy has gone down in local folklore as donning a casual plaid-flannel shirt and turtleneck as he oversaw operations during the storm, Bouchard not only was clad in plaid slacks, but with at least one rolled-up shirt sleeve.

Bouchard was part of the emergency team at the time. Five years after the storm that brought the state to a standstill, whose 30th anniversary is today, he was quoted in a Journal story as urging community officials not to be caught off guard in the event of another major storm.

The occasion was a gathering of officials called on Dec. 1, 1983, to call attention to being prepared for winter storms.

Then-senior telecommunications and warning officer with the state's Emergency Management Agency, Bouchard asked his audience of emergency officials, "If it had come up on a weekend, could you have gathered your troops as quickly?"

At that time, Bouchard noted that cable television presented a new wrinkle during a weather emergency, with cable lines just as susceptible to storm damage as telephone and power lines.

Maj. Gen. John W. Kiely, then-state adjutant general and emergency-management director, termed that 1983 conference "of critical importance. Our concern is that once a year, we face the possibility that (storms) may approach in any given time frame. The public should begin now to review their preparedness actions for the winter season."

Last Dec. 13, in an age of cell phones and high-tech weather reports, gaps in communication were blamed for the failure to act quickly and decisively during a weekday snowstorm that left much of the state crippled. With Governor Carcieri in Iraq, the EMA directors for the state and city of Providence later took the rap.

References to the Blizzard of '78 abounded.

While the Dec. 13 snowfall was minor compared to the Blizzard of '78, Providence police Sgt. Paul Zienowicz said that day "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.

Last month, Bouchard, now a reservist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was again quoted in a Journal story, this time assessing the response to that storm and the firing of state EMA director Robert Warren.

What's next?

Well, today's forecast calls for relatively mild, wet weather. But winter may return tomorrow, with some rain and sleet expected early and a chance of snow later.

Perhaps just enough of a chance to break out the plaid.

-- With Journal archival reports

Posted by Andrea Panciera at 9:15 AM | Comment

Traffic Alert:Two lanes blocked on Route 95/Pawtucket T

The a lane is blocked on Route 95 after an accident just north of the city.

The right center lane and left center lanes are blocked on the southbound side of the roadway at Exit 27/US 1.

For up-to-date information on traffic, see the Transportation Management Center's Web site, and see live camera shots on the TMC's Traffic Cams.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 9:12 AM | Comment

Photo: Fog dogs

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
Cynthia Berube, of Lincoln, walks her yellow Labrador retrievers, Jessica and Sadie, through the morning fog at Chase Farm in Lincoln this morning. The forecast calls for periods of rain, areas of fog and a high near 42 degrees today in Lincoln.

Posted by Jack Perry at 8:21 AM | Comment

Parties in smoke-shop case talk computer forensics

State police and experts working for the Narragansett Indians are expected to return to court today to talk forensics. Not bodies and blood, but computer forensics.

In the trial for seven Narragansett Indians awaiting trial on criminal charges stemming from the state’s 2003 raid on a tribal smoke-shop, the state police turned over hundreds of pages of documents – including e-mails – after being subpoenaed by Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirl.

Now a computer expert working for the Narragansett Indians says it’s “highly likely” that e-mails that were deleted from state police computers can be retrieved.

State police experts say, not likely.

McGuirl is expected to hear arguments today on whether she should order an expert to try to recover the messages and, if so, who should pay for it.

Extra: Take a look back at the raid, including video, and its aftermath.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:41 AM | Comment

Winter weather may be returning

We can expect another soggy day today with cooler temperatures than yesterday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 43 degrees with mild, northeast winds.

The rain should continue into the night, getting heavy at times. Temperatures should drop to near 33 degrees with breezy northeast winds.

Tomorrow may bring more winter-like weather in the morning, with some rain and sleet expected early and a chance of snow later.

To keep an eye on the weather, visit projo.com's weather page.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment

Today's front page

Today's front page features coverage of the Super Tuesday presidential primaries, including coverage of the races in Massachusetts, won by Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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

Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment