|
|
« February 12, 2008 | Today | February 14, 2008 » February 13, 2008Tonight: A tribute to the Boss; Latin salsa danceThe Boss gets a tribute show in Providence tonight. And at Providence Black Repertory Company, there's an exploration of Latin jazz and salsa -- with dance lessons. Bruce In the USA plays a tribute to Bruce Springsteen at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 9 p.m. $12. The Acoustic Outlaws play acoustic rock at Olives, 108 North Main St., Providence. 751-1200. 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover. Don Ross and Andy McKee play folk, rock and jazz at Tazza Caffe and Lounge, 250 Westminster St., Providence. 421-3300, www.tazzacaffe.com. 10 p.m. Welldown plays rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 9 p.m. $6. All ages. Meanwhile, the Providence Black Repertory Company performance, featuring Carlos De Leon, begins at 9 p.m. You must be at least 18 years old; $5 cover. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Vacant building collapses in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- Police are the scene of a building collapse at Smith and Orms streets, which has littered the area with debris. No one was injured and the building was onoccupied, according to police Lt. Luis San Lucas. But Orms Street is expected to be blocked off because of debris in the road. San Lucas said he did know the type of building it is. But the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency issued a news release today warning the public that the combination of wet snow and strong rain "presents a threat for roof collapses." An EMA news release said snow "acts as a sponge," absorbing sleet and rain that follows it and putting stress on buildings.
To lower risk of snow putting too much stress on a building roof, the EMA advises: * Stay alert for large snow build-up or snowdrifts on your roofs. * If roof snow can be removed by using a snow rake, available at most hardware stores, do so. But use caution becayse metal snow rakes conduct electricity if they make contact with a power line. * Try to avoid working from ladders because ladder rungs tend to ice up. Snow and ice accumulate on boot soles and metal ladders. * Flat roofs can be shoveled clear, but only if it is determined that the roof is safe to stand upon. Exercise care when on the roof to avoid potentially dangerous falls. * Flat roof drainage systems should be kept clear to minimize the risk of excess roof ponding in the event of subsequent heavy rainfall or melting. * Large icicles can form on roof overhangs, but do not necessarily mean ice damming is occurring. Icicles overhanging doorways and walkways can be dangerous and should be carefully removed. All of the above steps should be done onyl by able-bodied adults, the EMA said, because snow is heavy,and roofs and other surfaces may be slippery. And the actions should only be performed in properly lighted environments. Protective headgear and eye protection is also recommended. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 PM | Comment Resource Recovery board member quits 'in frustration'Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian told The Journal today that he quit the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation board in frustration over paralysis on the board, which he joined about a year ago and which has not met since September. Michael Salvadore, who has served since 2002, also resigned last week. That leaves just two voting board members, chairman Austin Ferland and Kenneth Aurecchia. One of the reasons for the conflict are allegations by Resource Recovery’s new executive director, Michael O’Connell, of wasteful spending, conflicts of interest and inflated land deals. O’Connell took those concerns to Governor Carcieri in November, and the state recently hired Deloitte Financial Advisory Services to conduct a forensic audit. Deloitte, which also conducted an exam of controversial practices at the Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. last year, is being paid $100,000 to conduct a preliminary audit that is due March 12, says O’Connell. Until those concerns are resolved, Carcieri has preferred that the board not meet. But Avedisian says that the business of the state’s Central Landfill needs to move forward, the audit notwithstanding.
``I’m frustrated by the whole process,’’ says Avedisian. ``I want to talk about things like recycling, not wrangling over quorums and coups. There’s a lot of business that’s not getting done now. So I’ll move on and do other things.’’ Avedisian says that a Carcieri staffer called him today, asking him to reconsider his resignation, but he refused. Meanwhile, O’Connell wrote in Resource Recovery’s annual financial statement at the end of 2007 that the impasse has stalled ``key hiring, contract, construction and other important decisions . . . Failure to resolve this inability to act by the end of February will precipitate a trash collection crisis in 2009 as we will miss the 2008 construction season for our Phase VI expansion (of the landfill).’’ O’Connell says that he met with top Carcieri aides today to discuss his concerns, and that they asked him for a list of projects that need prompt attention. In the meantime, he said, they told him that they prefer to hold off on reconstituting the shrinking Resource Recovery board until after the audit. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:45 PM | Comment Judge: No trials of 'gap kids' until Supreme Court rulesPROVIDENCE -- None of the “gap kids” charged with felonies during the 130 days that 17-year-olds were prosecuted as adults will go to trial until the state Supreme Court decides whether to uphold a ruling that dismisses most of those charges, a judge ordered today. But under the order by Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr., state prosecutors will be allowed to pursue steps such as arraigning those teens and setting bail. Rodgers’ decision follows a sharply worded debate about what prosecutors can do in the wake of a ruling that dismisses felony charges filed against 115 of those teens. The chief public defender decried the “audacity” of the attorney general’s office in trying to proceed with those cases. And the attorney general accused the chief public defender of being “disingenuous,” saying prosecutors were not trying to bring the cases to conclusion. In today’s one-page administrative order, Rodgers said that “in the interest of judicial economy and in order to maintain the status quo,” cases involving those teens “shall not be assigned for trial” until the Supreme Court hears the attorney general’s appeal. Exceptions will be made, however, when “a ‘gap kid’ moves in the Superior Court for a speedy trial” or when, after a hearing, a teen is waived out of Family Court and into Superior Court. Also, Rodgers said prosecutors could proceed in Superior Court with “prosecutorial responsibilities” such as “arraigning defendants, addressing bail, setting conditions of relief, and conducting bail violation hearings.” Motions may be filed challenging the jurisdiction of the Superior Court to handle “gap kid” cases, but there won’t be hearings on those motions until the Supreme Court rules on the appeal, Rodgers said. -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick In July, the General Assembly adopted Governor Carcieri’s budget proposal to save money by treating all 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters. But the savings turned out to be questionable, at best, and in November the legislature repealed the law without making the repeal retroactive. That created a group of about 500 “gap kids” charged as adults between July 1 and Nov. 8. Last week, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini dismissed the felony charges filed against 115 of those teens, saying they should have had Family Court hearings to determine if probable cause existed to charge them with crimes in Superior Court. But Procaccini agreed to put his ruling on hold for 20 days so the attorney general’s office could appeal to the Supreme Court, and the attorney general has appealed. Today, chief public defender John J. Hardiman declined to comment on Rodgers’ order. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch “thinks the process wins because cases continue to move along without being disposed of,” Healey said. “And if anything can be construed as good news for victims and their family members, this is good news.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:10 PM | Comment Update: Heavy rain leading to flooded roads / Photo
So, before you head out after work, keep in mind that runoff may be covering low areas on roadways. As the National Weather Service says in an updated flood warning this afternoon: "Do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway. The water depth may be too great to allow your car to cross safely. Move to higher ground." Just after 3 p.m., observations had indicated that between 1 and 2 inches of rain has fallen over much of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. A swath of heavy rain will cross over the region until 5:30 p.m., "resulting in significant urban and street flooding." Some streams will also cross their banks. The weather service also noted that area rivers are rising. In particular, it expects the Pawtuxet River in Cranston to reach its flood stage of 9 feet early this evening and possibly hit 9.9 feet by midnight. At 10 feet, it predicts flooding will occur along Pioneer Avenue, Bellows Street and Venturi Avenue in Warwick. Some homes may also be affected on Avery Road and Wellington Avenue in Cranston. The river will fall below flood stage by early tomorrow, the weather service says. The flood warning, originally set to end tomorrow, is now due to expire at 9 tonight.
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:08 PM | Comment Update: Bomb squad finds nothing at middle schoolCUMBERLAND -- A bomb squad today searched the North Cumberland Middle School and found nothing, according to Schools Supt. Donna E. Morelle. At about 1:30 p.m. today, the police said a teacher found a note in a second-floor girls bathroom. The bomb squad was called and the school was searched until about 4 p.m. The police said said no arrests have been made. The investigation continues. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Philip Marcelo Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:51 PM | Comment Presidential candidates beginning to notice R.I.PROVIDENCE -- Presidential candidates are starting to take notice of Rhode Island ahead of the state's March 4 primary. Republican front-runner John McCain is scheduled to swing through the Ocean State tomorrow, and Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is planning a visit. Joseph Paolino, a senior member of Clinton's campaign committee here, says Clinton and others plan to campaign here before March 4, although details are still being worked out. The campaigns of both Clinton and her rival, Barack Obama, opened offices in Providence this week. The Obama campaign says it has more than 250 volunteers and more than a dozen paid staffers. Paolino says the Clinton camp is sending a similar number of staffers. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, an Obama supporter, said on a conference call with reporters today that it's a unique moment for Rhode Island to be a small state with a loud cry. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:26 PM | Comment Officer in fatal shooting ID'd; cause of death confirmedPAWTUCKET -- The police officer who shot and killed a 30-year-old man yesterday was identified by the city's Police Department as Officer Wallace Martin. Martin has been placed on administrative leave until an investigation into the shooting is finished, according to a brief press release issued this afternoon. Martin began work at the Police Department in June 2005, the release said. His current permanent assignment has been to the third platoon, working midnight to 8 a.m. No other information was provided. In a press release issued five minutes later, the Office of the State Medical Examiners said the cause of Swift's death was "gunshot wounds of torso with injuries of heart, lungs, aorta, liver, esophagus, stomach and kidney." The examiners' press released added, "The decedent was shot at his residence during an altercation with police." Yesterday, the police said, the officer shot and killed Jason M. Swift, of 71 Lupine St., after he brandished a “Samurai-style” sword and later struggled naked with officers inside his apartment building. Police Chief George L. Kelley III yesterday said the police had been responding to a 7:31 a.m. call regarding an “emotionally disturbed individual with a knife” outside the building. Swift was shot two times by the officer and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said yesterday. In an interview this morning, Swift's mother, Betty Swift, said when her son had emotional problems a few months ago in Massachusetts, she called the police for help. They took him to the hospital without incident. "I thought he could get the same help here," she said. "But I was wrong." Read the full interview with Betty Smith.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:18 PM | Comment Oster trial: Expert questions land documents' validityPROVIDENCE -- In his opening statement at the outset of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster's bribery trial, defense lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien promised the jury that at one point the trial would turn into a real estate values seminar. This afternoon, he and the state's prosecutor delivered. Afternoon testimony began with Richard G. Riendeau, a former Providence assistant city solicitor with a specialty in tax sales and title transfers. Prosecutor William Ferland questioned Riendeau about the state laws specific to cities' and towns' transfer of title on land when the owners have not paid taxes. Discussion included the special processes used when the taxes due on a property exceed the property value, which was the situation at the H&H Screw Co. property, the town-controlled land at the heart of allegations against Oster. Riendeau testified that tax title documents the Oster administration had drawn up in July 2001 were not, in his opinion, valid under the state laws concerning tax title transfers. He mentioned that it did not include a listing of the taxes, penalties and interest -- dating to 1987 -- due on the nearly six acres, an amount he calculated at $718,789. The agreement the Oster administration drew up would have sold the title to the property for $105,000. Oster, who was town administrator from 2000 to 2002, faces two bribery counts and two conspiracy counts in Providence County Superior Court. The state's case alleges that Oster conspired to shake down a contractor who was working on a playground renovation. Testimony has sought in part to link Oster with Robert R. Picerno, a Lincoln Planning Board member and former Oster political ally who pleaded no contest in 2004 to four counts of taking, or trying to solicit, bribes, and three counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes. Read about testimony from earlier today. Read about yesterday's testimony. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:15 PM | Comment Pawtucket bridge work will close some side streetsStarting tomorrow, the state Department of Transportation will do soil borings in the area of the Pawtucket River Bridge in Pawtucket, which will mean temporarily shutting local streets, sidewalks and shoulders. For the most part, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for work on Route 95, which will be limited to the off-peak traffic times of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The department expects to finish by Feb. 29. The DOT new release said the department also plans to close the School Street off-ramp -- exit 28 -- from Route 95 north next Sunday, Feb. 24, only, from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drivers will be directed to use exit 27 -- George Street/downtown -- and Division Street to get to School Street. The work is related to replacing the 50-year-old bridge, which carries Route 95 north and south over the Pawtucket River. A lowered weight limit of 22 tons for trucks has been in place. Trucks over that weight must use Route 295 and/or Route 146 to get through the area or use local detours in the Pawtucket area. Truck drivers violating the restriction face fines. The DOT "continues to move expeditiously to replace this bridge in an effort to remove weight restrictions as quickly as possible,” Jerome F. Williams, the DOT director, said in the statement. People can check out Work schedules -- hours of operation and affected streets -- on the DOT Website. Schedules depend on weather and are subject to change. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:07 PM | Comment Flu season reaches its peak, shots recommendedAs if the weather is not reason enough to stay home, it’s peak influenza season in Rhode Island, according to the state Department of Health. Not only is the flu “widespread” in the state, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning several of this year’s flu strains are not covered by this year’s vaccine. But that doesn’t mean the flu shot isn’t a good idea, according to health officials. The vaccine has three strains of influenza virus; the antibodies that an immune system makes to all three can still give some protection against the related strains. “While the vaccine may not be 100 percent effective at preventing all strains of influenza circulating this year, it can still protect many people,” Director of Health David Gifford said. “Getting vaccinated could mean the difference between getting mildly sick and having serious flu-related complications. And for older or immuno-compromised people, the vaccine can save their lives.” And of course, remember: wash your hands often with warm, soapy water; cover your mouth and your nose with tissue or your arm when you sneeze; stay away from people who are sick; and, for everyone else’s sake, if you or your kids are sick, stay home. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:45 PM | Comment Disabled LNG tanker has power, no propulsionPower has been restored to the liquid natural gas tanker that went adrift earlier this week off the coast of Massachusetts, but the ship still has no propulsion. Full electrical power was restored to the Catalunya Spirit's switchboard last night, according to a statement sent jointly by the Coast Guard, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Teekay Corporation, which owns the tanker. But crews are still working on the vessel, trying to bring its propulsion back online. The Coast Guard Cutter Escabana is with the Spirit at the future site of the Neptune Offshore LNG facility, off Eastern Point Light, near Gloucester, Mass. Several other ships from around the region are also on scene, and more than 15 are ready to respond within 3 to 4 hours should they be needed, according to the statement. The Spirit, which regularly delivers LNG to Boston, was not structurally damaged and has not leaked any product. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:21 PM | Comment Beat the winter blues with kung fuWinter weather got you down? What could be better than a double dose of kung fu to get the blood flowing? Tonight marks the second week of Kung Fu Flicks double features at Providence Place Cinema’s 16. For $5, catch Deadly Duo and The Legend of Bruce Lee at 7 p.m. Next Wednesday it’s The Master With Cracked Fingers and The Master. The weekly double feature came by way of patrons' requests, after last year’s successful Attack of the B Movies series. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, by phone, or online. Because of violence, the movies are limited to patrons 17 and older, unless they're joined by a parent or guardian. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 1:56 PM | Comment Oster trial: Wearing a wire to the restaurant meetingPROVIDENCE -- Irony was on the menu. Over a meeting at Shanna's Country Kitchen in Lincoln, contractor Robert Gelfuso wore a state police listening device as he tried to pull out of Robert R. Picerno, a then-political ally of Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster, whether Oster was involved in a bribery plot to shake down businessmen through a land deal. Picerno remarks at one point to Gelfuso, "There are too many guys out there who are ... [expletive] wired out there." A straight answer was hard to come by. At another point in the recorded Dec. 5, 2001, conversation played today in Oster's bribery and conspiracy trial, Picerno says to Gelfuso, after being pressed on whether Oster was involved: "You have to understand, it's going somewhere, OK?" Picerno says at another point: "But as far as, as far as Oster, don't worry about it ." The taped conversations were part of Oster lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien's cross examination of Gelfuso, who co-owned the company renovating the Fairlawn playground in town -- a project that has figured through much of case testimony in the state's efforts to tie Oster to Picerno. Oster, who was town administrator from 2000 to 2002, faces two bribery counts and two conspiracy counts in Providence County Superior Court. The state's case alleges that Gelfuso was a target of that conspiracy. Picerno, a Lincoln Planning Board member during the time of the allegations, pleaded no contest in 2004 to four counts of taking, or trying to solicit, bribes, and three counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes. Gelfuso yesterday told how Picerno attempted to extort a $25,000 cash bribe and a $15,000 payment disguised as legal fees from Gelfuso and his company in exchange for help in buying the H&H Screw Co. land, a piece of town-controlled property on Route 116 that is at the center of the allegations. Read about testimony from earlier today. Read about yesterday's testimony. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:32 PM | Comment Clear Channel offers to pay $22M to Station fire victimsPROVIDENCE -- Clear Channel Broadcasting has tentatively agreed to pay $22 million to the victims of The Station nightclub fire, bringing the pool of settlement money offered thus far to $71.5 million. Lawyers for those who lost loved ones or suffered injuries in the February 2003 fire sued Clear Channel because it owns Providence radio station WHJY, one of the sponsors of the Great White concert that began with a burst of pyrotechnics which ignited the club’s foam soundproofing and led to the deaths of 100 people. More than 200 others were injured. Clear Channel Broadcasting is a division of the San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications, a publicly traded company that is the nation’s largest radio station owner. Clear Channel owns and operates more than 1,200 radio station in the United States and was one of the companies with deep-pockets that lawyers for the fire victims had targeted in hopes of securing large damages for them. The settlement offer covers Clear Channel, WHJY and Clear Channel’s subsidiary, Capstar Radio Operating Co., the successor to WHJY Inc., all of which were named as defendants in the federal lawsuits brought by the fire victims. In the lawsuits, the victims allege that Clear Channel Broadcasting was negligent and partly to blame for the deaths and injuries suffered by the fire victims because it “directly manages and controls the day-to-day affairs” of WHJY, including “decisions made with respect to promotion and sponsorship of concerts such as that which occurred at The Station on February 20, 2003.” -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton The victims allege that WHJY -- which is named as a separate defendant -- “knew or should have known that the concert and band it promoted” at The Station the night of the fire “was one that customarily utilized pyrotechnics and that Great White had repeatedly, openly and illegally used unlicensed pyrotechnics on its tour on numerous occasions” before Feb. 20, 2003, and had planned to set off illegal fireworks the night the club burned down. The victims’ lawsuits also allege that WHJY and its disc jockey, Michael Gonsalves (known as Dr. Metal) who died in the blaze, “had both the authority and opportunity to stop or delay Great White’s performance over any issue relating to safety or equipment” but failed to do so. Clear Channel Broadcasting and Capstar had asked the federal court to dismiss the claims against them but in a decision issued in 2005, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux, who is overseeing the fire victims’ claims, refused to throw them out. In a written decision, Lagueux said, “To the extent that paintiffs can establish that WHJY had control over the planning and operation of the concert, then the court can find that WHJY owed a duty…to the plaintiffs. That duty, if proven to exist, may have been breached when WHJY failed to take any steps to prevent the ignition of the fireworks inside the small and crowded nightclub.” Clear Channel’s proposed settlement agreement will have to be approved by Lagueux – who has yet to sign off on any of the settlement offers that have been made by other parties -- before any of the victims can receive any money. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:27 PM | Comment Feeling romantic? Send a card, take the quiz
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:19 PM | Comment Fire official who inspected Station nightclub retiresPROVIDENCE — The West Warwick fire inspector who failed to detect flammable soundproofing foam blamed for fueling the 2003 Station nightclub fire has retired. West Warwick Fire Chief Gerard Tellier says Denis Larocque retired on “occupational disability,” effective Feb. 3. He declined to comment further. Larocque’s inspections of The Station nightclub failed to note flammable polyurethane foam that the owners had illegally used as soundproofing on the walls and ceiling. A Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the club killed 100 people after a rock band’s pyrotechnics set the foam on fire. Larocque has not spoken publicly about his inspections. But he told a grand jury investigating the fire that he did not see the foam because he was so focused on other safety violations. Larocque is the third prominent town official to leave office since December. Town Manager Wolfgang Bauer was fired in December after overspending the town’s River Walk budget by more than $800,000. And in January, the town’s Fire Chief, Charles D. Hall left the department after 5½ years as chief. After 34 years in firefighting, he took a job as deputy chief of operations and training with the firefighting team at T.F. Green Airport. Extra: Read the Journal's coverage, see pictures and hear first hand accounts of the 2003 fire. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:48 PM | Comment Oster trial: Defense probes contractor's cooperationPROVIDENCE -- The defense lawyer in ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster's bribery and conspiracy trial this morning questioned contractor Robert Gelfuso about the method and extent of Gelfuso's cooperation in the State Police investigation that led to arrests of Oster and an Oster political ally. Lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien went through a taped conversation Gelfuso had with Oster's then-political ally, Robert R. Picerno, pointing out where Picerno made mention of other government officials. After going through some names, O'Brien asked Gelfuso whether police had him try to gather more information on those officials. Gelfuso, who co-owned the company renovating the Fairlawn playground in town, answered that his instructions were to get Picerno to talk about Oster. Oster, who was town administrator from 2000 to 2002, faces two bribery counts and two conspiracy counts. The state's case alleges that Gelfuso was a target of that conspiracy. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer John Hill Picerno pleaded no contest in 2004 to four counts of taking, or trying to solicit, bribes, and three counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes. Gelfuso also said Picerno had not warned him that if he were to buy the H&H Screw Co. property -- six town-controlled acres on Route 116 that are at the heart of the bribery allegations -- he would have to sign an indemnification agreement freeing the town from any legal responsibilty for cleaning up any hazardous waste on the site. Previous witneses have testified that cleanup of the waste on the property could run from $400,000 to more than $2 million. State Police told Gelfuso to call Picerno and tell him he had seen a state Department of Environmental Management vehicle on the H&H Screw site to see how Picerno would react. Picerno told Gelfuso there was a proposal to build a hotel near the site and that was probably why a DEM vehicle was there. Picerno never mentioned the hazardous waste. Read about yesterday's testimony in the case. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:01 PM | Comment R.I. study: Simple test detects CO poisoningA simple test done to people admitted to the emergency room can detect carbon monoxide poisoning in people who did not suspect they were poisoned, according to the results of a local study. More than 14,000 patients that visited the Rhode Island Hospital emergency room were given a non invasive test to screen for exposure to the gas, which can cause dizziness, nausea, permanent heart damage, and in extreme cases, death. According to the study, published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, researchers found that11 people were being exposed to dangerous levels of the gas, but didn't know it. In all, 28 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning were detected. The detection is done using a CO-oximeter , a sensor that can be placed on a patient's finger and measure the level of gas in a person's blood stream using a LED light. Carbon monoxide poisoning is more common in the winter, according to the paper’s lead author, Selim Suner, director of emergency preparedness and disaster medicine at Rhode Island Hospital. “Unless you have a carbon monoxide detector, it’s extremely difficult to know if you’re being exposed to toxic levels of this gas,” Suner said. “If we can identify these cases of unsuspected poisoning early on, we can administer treatment and prevent them and others from being further exposed.”
Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 11:00 AM | Comment Esquire says East Side eatery has best gyros in U.S.It’s never too early to start thinking about lunch. And if you like gyros, you’re in luck, at least according to Esquire magazine, says East Side Pocket’s on Thayer Street has the best gyros in the country. Quite a claim. The magazine says the gyros, which can be ordered with just about any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean accoutrement imaginable – tahini, veggies, hummus, tabouleh – are the best Syrian street food outside of Damascus. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson If you’re looking for a sandwich-themed weekend -- and why not? – try a three-day weekend in Connecticut. Our neighbor to the west apparently has three of the best sandwiches in the country, according to the magazine. The Cove Fish Market in Stonington wins for its fried cod sandwich; Abbot's Lobster in the Rough in Noank for its mayo-free hot lobster roll; and West Hartford's Restaurant Bricco for its grilled lobster and Havarti sandwich. And Massachusetts, like Rhode Island, apparently knows lamb. Matt Murphy’s in Brookline scores a win for its lamb sirloin sandwich, served with pickles and relish, and a slightly minty sauce. Hungry yet? Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:45 AM | Comment Mother: 'I called them for help and they killed him'Betty Swift said when her 30-year-old son had emotional problems a few months ago in Massachusetts, she called the police for help. They took him to Massachusetts General Hospital without incident. “I thought he could get the same help here,” she said this morning in a telephone interview. “But I was wrong.” Instead, a Pawtucket police officer yesterday shot and killed Jason M. Swift in the apartment he shared with his mother, at 71 Lupine St. It was the fourth fatal police shooting in Pawtucket in the past two years. “I called them for help and they killed him,” she said. Click below to continue reading her account... -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Betty Swift said she went to a neighbor’s to call police after her son began talking to himself yesterday morning. She said her son had had what she described as non-violent “nervous breakdown” a few months earlier. She said she called 911 for help getting him to Butler Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital in Providence. When the police arrived, at about 7:30 a.m., Betty Swift said, “I told them he’s a big man, and he’s going to think you’re trying to harm him.” Jason Swift was big, about 6’4” and 300 pounds. When came outside, he was brandishing a Samurai-type sword that, according to his mother, was sheathed. His mother said Jason dropped the weapon when police told him to. She said she then grabbed it and threw it out of the yard. According to police, the sword was later found outside. Police told Jason Swift to put his hands behind his back, she said, but instead her son pulled his shirt over his head. According to Betty Swift, police tried to subdue him, and he struggled, hitting one of the officers in the head and knocking his sunglasses to the ground. “You could see it, they got so angry when Jason hit (the officer’s) glasses off,” she said. At that point, she said, the officers used pepper spray on Jason. Chief George L. Kelly III said yesterday that officers had used the spray, which he said was in line with the department’s protocol for use of force. But Jason wasn’t subdued. He ran back into the apartment. “He was trying to get into his house,” Betty Swift said, “To his safe haven. He was afraid of them,” she said, “They didn’t need to kill him.” At this point, she said, she was standing near the stairs, trying to keep her son from going inside. “They yelled at me to let go, but they didn’t follow him,” she said. Instead of subduing him while he was still disoriented from the pepper spray, she said, “they waited for him to get up there.” According to police, once in the apartment, Jason Swift agreed to be handcuffed, but then there was a “violent struggle.” One officer fired two shots, killing Swift. Meanwhile, Betty Swift said she was escorted from the building, and taken farther away. “They didn’t tell me anything,” she said. “I was down the road and I saw the ambulance … I thought maybe they gave him a beating.” The officers would not tell her what had happened, Swift said. They had her wait for a superior to arrive on the scene. “He said, ‘Ma’am, your son is dead.’” Chief Kelley emphasized yesterday that questions remain about the incident. It was also unclear, Kelley said, whether Swift was armed at the time he was shot. He said at a press conference after the shooting, “We’re not proud or happy when we have to do it, but sometimes we have to do it.” Betty Swift said she hasn’t gone to see her son’s body, which is at the medical examiner’s office. “I can’t see him because I feel like I killed him,” she said, gasping for air over the phone. “I called them for help, and they killed him. If I hadn’t called them, he would still be alive.” -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Andrea Panciera at 10:44 AM | Comment Photo: Plowing the slush in Lincoln
Posted by Jack Perry at 9:20 AM | Comment Reporter who's been there, talks about coverage of IraqLearn about the media’s coverage of Iraq from a reporter who’s covered the country from the ground. National Public Radio’s Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman is set to talk about coverage in Iraq, and his experience in the country, at a the Central Library tonight. The award-winning journalist visited Iraq in October and November of last year. Prior to his arrival at NPR in 2006, he spent 19 years at the Baltimore Sun covering the Pentagon, Congress, and other federal agencies. In 1995 he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a six-part series on the National Security Agency. Tonight’s talk, “A Conversation about Iraq,” is sponsored by the Providence Public Library and WRNI, Rhode Island's Public Radio station. Bowman will be at the Providence Public Library Central Branch, 150 Empire St., from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; the event is free and open to the public. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 8:52 AM | Comment Photo: Clearing the way in Cumberland
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:18 AM | Comment EPA considers Jamestown water designationFederal representatives are coming to Jamestown to consider giving the town a special designation that would highlight the fragile nature of its water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to hold a long-awaited hearing on a petition to have the island’s main water supply designated as a sole-source aquifer. If that designation is approved, the EPA would review any federally funded building project on the island to ensure it would not disturb the water supply. More than half of the island’s population gets its water from the aquifer – a water supply in the fractured rock below the ground. Three Rhode Island aquifers are currently designated as sole source: one along the Pawcatuck River, one in the Annaquatucket-Pettaquamscutt area and one on Block Island. The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Jamestown Town Library. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:49 AM | Comment Trial begins over secret phone monitoring systemPROVIDENCE — Opening statements are scheduled for today in a trial over a secret telephone monitoring system at the Providence Public Safety Complex. About 150 people, mostly employees of the Public Safety Department but also some of their relatives and friends, are suing the city and current and former city officials, claiming that the use of system, discovered five years ago by a mayoral task force, invaded their privacy. Criminal investigations didn't produce any charges, but the civil trial is scheduled to begin this morning in U.S. District Court, Providence. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Sleet, snow, rain, ice, floodingIt's like some sort of dangerous ice kingdom out there. Everything from stairs, to cars, to banisters are covered in a thin, slick layer of ice. Roads too, so be careful this morning during the commute. And there's something else to look out for: with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 50 degrees, the snow is already melting and there are likely be floods on the way. NWS has already issued a flood warning with 1 to 2 1/2 inches of rain expected through the afternoon, adding to melting snow, leading to runoff and slush-blocked drains. The rain is expected to continue into the night, when the temperature drops to about 30 degrees. More precipitation tomorrow -- some snow, some sleet -- mostly in the early morning. Clouds will persist during the, clearing in the afternoon when the temperature rises to the mid 30s and north winds reaching about 25 mph. For updates throughout the day, visit projo.com's weather page. And to check on school delays, parking bans and other weather-related inconveniences, check the delays/cancellations page. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of Barack Obama's moving past Hillary Rodham Clinton with primary wins in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The front page also has stories about a fatal police shooting in Pawtucket and a visit to Providence from Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. |
|
ADVERTISING |
|
|
|
|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006