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« February 2008 | Today | April 2008 » March 31, 2008Tonight: Funk, jazz and possibly pranksThere's funk in Providence and jazz in East Providence tonight. The John Allmark 16-Piece Jazz Orchestra plays at Bovi's Town Tavern, 287 Taunton Ave., East Providence. 434-9670. 9 p.m. CC Old School play funk at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500, www.thehihat.com. 7 to 11 p.m. Find more happenings, including movie listings, at projo.com's calendar of events. And perhaps some people will be spending time thinking up ways to mark the first day of April, which is tomorrow and otherwise known as April Fool's Day. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Body of 84-year-old man found in pool in S. KingstownSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The body of an 84-year-old man was found in a pool of a vacant house on Woodland Trail today, the police said. The man was identified by police as William Kramer. The police were called at about 1:50 p.m. from Shirley Kramer, who reported her husband did not come home from walking the dog. She told the police he had left their 8 Indian Trail home at about 7:30 a.m. She left home, then returned at about 12:30 p.m. The police said that, according to a neighbor, the dog returned home at about 8:30 a.m. without Kramer. Police and firefighters searched and at about 3:30 p.m. Officer David Perry saw a dog's leash on the ground near a pool in the backyard of the vacant Woodland Trail house. Further inspection located the man's body. The police department is continuing with the investigation. However, foul play is not suspected. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Donita Naylor Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:51 PM | Comment Suspect sought in Providence shooting death on FridayPROVIDENCE -- The police have obtained an arrest warrant for a 23-year-old man in the shooting death of Richard G. Robinson, 41, on Friday night. Detectives have a murder arrest warrant for Byron Zepeda, described by the police as a 5-foot-9, light-skinned Hispanic man, weighing about 170 or 180 pounds, according to Providence police news release today. The police said the gun has not been recovered and that Zepeda should be considered armed and dangerous. The police asked in the news release that anyone with information on Zepeda should call the Providence police at 272-3121. At about 11:30 p.m. Friday, the police were sent to to a reported disturbance at 652 Douglas Ave., and they had information that shots were fired. Officers found Robinson, victim of a gunshot in the side yard. He was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:12 PM | Comment Update: Carcieri urged to rescind immigration order
Roberts, a Democrat, said, “We need to find a solution” to the problem of illegal immigration, “but the governor’s executive order is not a solution.” She added, “The politics of polarization will not lead us in the right direction.” She called on Republican Carcieri to rescind “what I feel is a very short-sighted executive order.” At least 250 people packed the Algonquin House on Broad Street for the 2 p.m. news conference, sponsored by Immigrants United, We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island, Univocal Legislative Minority Advocacy and Hispanic Ministerial Association Miguel Sanchez-Hartwein, executive director of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA), noted that a letter was hand-delivered to Carcieri this morning. The letter calls Carcieri’s executive order “the biggest attack on the rights of immigrants in Rhode Island in at least a generation.” At several points, people chanted “¡ Un Pueblo Unido Jamás sera Vencido!” (A united people will never be defeated). After the press conference, Carcieri's office issued a statement saying the governor "reiterated his belief that elected officials have an obligation to enforce and support" all federal, state and local laws -- including those barring illegal immigration. Reaction to the order has included both criticism and support, according to a Journal story on Sunday. Extra: Read the full text of the governor's executive order 08-01, Illegal Immigration Control Order. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:45 PM | Comment Pothole problem afflicts Rte. 95 span in AttleboroA large pothole on Route 95 north -- through which concrete is apparently falling to a street below -- has closed one travel lane and the breakdown lane of the interstate highway between Exits 4 and 5 in Attleboro, Mass., according to state officials. According to a posting on traffic.com, the lane restrictions may continue into tomorrow morning. At about 2:20 p.m. on Route 95 north, just north of Route 295 in Attleboro, Massachusetts State Police received a report of a "very large pothole in the right travel lane of the highway" and reports of falling concrete pieces, said Trooper Eric Benson of the state police office of media relations. Adam Hurtubise, a spokesman with the Executive Office of Transportation, said the state had a repair crew there recently doing pothole work and "it very strongly appears" that a pothole has popped up in the same stretch, which crosses over North Avenue. "Thankfully, we have no injuries or property damage reported at this time," Hurtubise said. He said a crew is on site working on repairs now. The bridge will be inspected for structural integrity. The other two northbound travel lanes of Route 95 are open. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:50 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Prosecution: Tribe expected raidPROVIDENCE -- A prosecutor said in closing arguments this afternoon that Narragansett tribal members knew state police were coming on July 14, 2003, and orchestrated events to cause the state embarassment when the police raid on the tribal smoke shop turned into a scuffle. Special Assistant Attorney General Maria Deaton told a Providence County Superior Court jury that state police used minimum amount of force to restrain those who were attacking them. She pressed the theme that this is a nation of laws, not of men, saying you cannot pick and choose when laws apply to you. The prosecutor argued that the seven defendants -- who are all members of the Narragansett Indian tribe including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas -- want the jury to give them a pass because of what their ancestors went through. The prosecution finished its closing argument this afternoon; the two defense lawyers gave their closings earlier today. Tomorrow, Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl will give her instructions to the jury, who will then begin deliberations. The seven tribal members are accused of resisting and scuffling with state police, who were carrying out the raid at the tax-free tobacco shop on tribal land in Charlestown. The tribal members face several misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest and assault. Earlier today, following closing arguments by the defense lawyer representing tribal conservation officer Thawn Harris, defense lawyer William P. Devereaux -- who represents the other defendants -- argued the state used excessive force and that tribal members were forced to defend themselves as a result. Harris's lawyer, Kevin Bristow, called the raid "a politically motivated action by law enforcement" under orders from Governor Carcieri. Extra: See continuing coverage of the trial, and look back at the raid, in stories, photos and video. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Update: Wrapping it up in smoke-shop case / Photo 
Journal photo / Kathy Borchers Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl listens as defense lawyer William P. Devereaux takes his turn at giving closing arguments today.
Bristow represents tribal conservation officer Thawn Harris. He was followed by defense lawyer William P. Devereaux, who represents the six other defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas. Prosecution lawyers were expected to present closing arguments this afternoon. The tribal members are accused of resisting and scuffling with state police, who were carrying out the raid at the tax-free tobacco shop on tribal land in Charlestown. The defense rested its case Friday afternoon after the Chief Sachem Thomas took the stand in Superior Court to describe July 14, 2003, raid. Thomas told jurors that he wore a suit and tie the day of the raid on the tribal smoke shop because he expected the state to take the tribe to court. "We felt we had the regulatory authority to do what we were doing," Thomas said of the tribe's decision to open the open the shop over Governor Carcieri's objections. Instead, he said, state police came onto tribal land, without presenting a warrant despite being asked repeatedly for paperwork. The July 2003 raid on the smoke shop, which had just opened for the sale of tax-free cigarettes, turned into a scuffle. Almost five years later, Thomas and six other Narragansett Indians are on trial for several misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest and assault. Extra: See continuing coverage of the trial, and look back at the raid, in stories, photos and video. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:06 PM | Comment Update: Wrapping it up in smoke-shop case / Photo
Journal photo / Kathy Borchers Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl listens as defense lawyer William P. Devereaux takes his turn at giving closing arguments today.
Bristow represents tribal conservation officer Thawn Harris. He was followed by defense lawyer William P. Devereaux, who represents the six other defendants, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas. Prosecution lawyers were expected to present closing arguments this afternoon. The tribal members are accused of resisting and scuffling with state police, who were carrying out the raid at the tax-free tobacco shop on tribal land in Charlestown. The defense rested its case Friday afternoon after the Chief Sachem Thomas took the stand in Superior Court to describe July 14, 2003, raid. Thomas told jurors that he wore a suit and tie the day of the raid on the tribal smoke shop because he expected the state to take the tribe to court. "We felt we had the regulatory authority to do what we were doing," Thomas said of the tribe's decision to open the open the shop over Governor Carcieri's objections. Instead, he said, state police came onto tribal land, without presenting a warrant despite being asked repeatedly for paperwork. The July 2003 raid on the smoke shop, which had just opened for the sale of tax-free cigarettes, turned into a scuffle. Almost five years later, Thomas and six other Narragansett Indians are on trial for several misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest and assault. Extra: See continuing coverage of the trial, and look back at the raid, in stories, photos and video. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 3:00 PM | Comment R.I. Convention Center raises some parking ratesFor the third straight year, the Rhode Island Convention Center is changing the price it charges for parking, but this year, while the price will go up for some parkers, it may go down for others. Beginning June 1, the event parking rate will rise to $10 from its current $9. Members of the convention center's governing board say the new price is still a bargain, especially when some nearby parking lots charge $20 or $30 when events are booked at the downtown Providence facility. Also June 1, monthly rates will increase about 5 percent. The center has a three-tiered rate structure for monthly parking, depending on the number of days a week and the hours which are covered. The most expensive plan, currently $195, will rise to $205. The cheapest will go from $145 to $152. But the board voted to study the rates for "transient" parking, which is the hourly rate in effect when events are not booked. Convention center employees will study whether to raise the rate $1 an hour, keep it the same, or drop it $1 an hour to increase traffic. The center currently charges $6 for the first hour and up to $17 for 24 hours. The center lost some of its transient business to neighboring Providence Place mall when the shopping center dropped its requirement for parking validation with a purchase in the mall. That opened up its garage, with three-hour parking for $1, to people not planning to shop, including those visiting the convention center. That prompted one board member to joke that the convention center should collect a toll from people crossing the pedestrian bridge that links the mall to the convention center by way of the Westin Hotel. -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:27 PM | Comment Bay State teen driving law having positive impactBOSTON — Massachusetts's revamped Junior Operating Law appears to be having its desired effect. During the past year, deaths involving junior motor vehicle operators and their passengers fell from 19 to 13 in Massachusetts. Speeding citations were down 33 percent. Registrar of Motor Vehicles Anne L. Collins credited the new law for drivers under 18, which took effect on March 31, 2007. It included stiff new penalties such as a 90-day license suspension for first-time speeders and a one-year suspension for a second offense. Previously those people faced a $50 fine. The law also clamps down on drag racing. Those with learner’s permits or junior operating licenses have their license or permit suspended for a year for a first offense. Previously, a first offense brought a fine of up to $500 fine and a 30-day suspension. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:01 PM | Comment Hasbro buys rights to Trivial Pursuit game for $80MPawtucket-based Hasbro (HAS:NYSE) said today that it has purchased for $80 million all of the intellectual property rights related to the Trivial Pursuit brand from Horn Abbot Ltd. and Horn Abbot International Limited. Hasbro has developed, marketed and sold the popular Trivial Pursuit game under license from the Horn Abbot companies since 1983. "Trivial Pursuit created the adult game category in 1982 and has always been one of the most recognized brands in the industry," said Brian Goldner, chief operating officer of Hasbro. "Now, as a wholly-owned and operated part of our deep and rich brand portfolio, we can build Trivial Pursuit beyond traditional venues and capitalize on new opportunities in entertainment, publishing, promotions and digital arenas." -- Journal business editor John Kostrzewa Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:55 PM | Comment Woonsocket man is recovering from hypothermiaSMITHFIELD -- A Woonsocket man is recovering from hypothermia after his boat flipped in a frigid reservoir in Smithfield. The accident happened about noon Sunday in the Woonasquatucket Reservoir. Smithfield Fire Chief Joseph Mollo says the victim, whose name was not released, was in the water about 20 minutes before firefighters pulled him to safety. He was taken to Fatima Hospital in North Providence. Mollo says the boat's motor struck the bottom of the shallow pond, causing the boat to tip. A passer-by saw the man in the water and summoned help. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:48 PM | Comment Red Sox's championship trophies coming to PawtucketBoth the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox World Series trophies will make a Rhode Island appearance on Sunday. They will be at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket before and during the Pawtucket Red Sox game scheduled that day for 1:05 p.m., Governor Carcieri's office announced today. The PawSox will host the Indianapolis Indians. Gates open at 11 a.m. and Pawtucket Red Sox ticket holders can have photos taken with the two most famous pieces of hardware in Red Sox lore. The photos will later be available at pawsox.com, where they can be downloaded. The first 4,000 fans coming into McCoy Stadium Sunday will get a commemorative Red Sox World Series pennant. The PawSox' season opener is this Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at McCoy. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:53 PM | Comment Update: No hazardous leak detected at VA hospital
PROVIDENCE -- Firefighters, using special hazardous material detection equipment, found no leak of poisonous ethylene oxide from the Veterans Medical Center on Chalkstone Avenue this morning, according to Assistant Fire Chief Michael J. Dillon. Firefighters wore special suits and went into a pressurized room where the material is contained. They detected no leak inside or outside. An alarm came in at about 7:45 a.m. from the hospital, at 830 Chalkstone Ave., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. A hazardous materials crew and police blocked off Regent Avenue, which leads into the center's complex. James Burrows, director of communications for the center, said earlier today that the alarm went off in a room where equipment is sterilized. No one was in the room when the alarm went off, he said, and no one was in danger. Ethylene oxide has many uses; in a medical setting, it's often used for sterilization. It's also flammable and highly reactive. Exposure can lead to lung irritation and injury, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and other problems. -- projo.com staff writers Michael P. McKinney and Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith and Journal staff photographer Bill Murphy
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:49 PM | Comment No need to weigh admissons letter; just click tonightKeep an eye out this evening for server errors brought on by anxious teenagers. This evening, the nation’s eight Ivy League schools –– including, for the 7th year, Brown University –– will release their admissions decisions online. That means no looking out the window for the mail carrier. No weighing of admissions office envelopes. Just point and click. The decisions will be available at 5 p.m. Until then, all there is to do is wait. A message at Brown’s admissions office says a moratorium is in effect today and tomorrow, meaning no last-minute pleas or questions for admissions departments. What’s done is done. Brown won’t publicize how many spots it's offering until the decisions are released this evening. Last year, the school turned away about 85 percent of those who applied –– a record rate of rejection. That year it also had a record number of applications -- more than 19,000. The school accepted just fewer than 2,600 of those applicants. Of course, for any students who prefer the old school process –– and anticipation –– of waiting for a tangible admissions acceptance or rejection letter, those are also being mailed today. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:47 PM | Comment New trial denied in case of murdered Cape social workerBOSTON — The state’s highest court has denied a new trial for a man convicted of killing a Cape Cod social worker who sided with his estranged wife in a custody dispute. Paul Dubois is serving a life sentence in the 1996 killing in Provincetown of Linda Silva, a social worker with the state Department of Social Services who recommended that Dubois’ wife get custody of their two children during the couple’s divorce. Silva was shot once in the back of the head. Dubois claimed the judge at his trial should have suppressed statements he made to police in 2003 when he claimed he had asked for a lawyer, but didn’t get one. In a ruling today, the Supreme Judicial Court found that Dubois did not respond when police asked him if he wanted a lawyer. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:39 PM | Comment Gas prices in R.I. back on the upswingPROVIDENCE -- Gas prices are back on the rise in Rhode Island, after dipping a week ago for the first time in several weeks. AAA Southern New England says the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded rose a penny to $3.19 this week. The state Energy Office pegs the price a bit higher, at $3.20 per gallon. Still, Rhode Islanders are getting a break compared with the rest of the country. AAA says gas prices average $3.28 per gallon nationally. Prices in Rhode Island have risen 19 percent from a year ago, up from $2.67 a gallon at this time last year. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:55 AM | Comment Update: Fatal shooting victim ID'd as Woonsocket manPROVIDENCE -- Police have identified the victim of a fatal shooting early this morning on Allens Avenue as a 21-year-old Woonsocket man. The shooting took place near Balloons strip club at 257 Allens Ave. at about 2 a.m. When they arrived at the scene, police say they learned that 21-year-old Angel Vargas of Morin Street in Woonsocket had been taken to Rhode Island Hospital by someone on the scene. When they arrived at the hospital, police say they were told that Vargas was pronounced dead at the emergency room at 2:14 a.m. Witnesses told police that a black SUV that may have been involved fled toward downtown on Allens Ave. It was the city's fourth murder this year, and the second in three days. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:51 AM | Comment Possible chemical leak at VA hospital probed / Photos
An alarm came in at about 7:45 a.m. from the hospital, at 830 Chalkstone Ave., according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Providence Fire Department. A hazardous materials crew has arrived and police have blocked off Regent Avenue, which leads into the center's complex. James Burrows, director of communications for the center, said the alarm went off in a room where equipment is sterilized. No one was in the room when the alarm went off, he said, and no one was in danger. Ethylene oxide has many uses, in a medical setting, it's often used for sterilization. It's also flammable and highly reactive. Exposure can lead to lung irritation and injury, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and other problems. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff photographer Bill Murphy
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:11 AM | Comment Update: Trial rescheduled for methadone clinic deathA murder trial has been postponed for a 32-year-old Massachusetts man who police say killed another man outside of a Pawtucket methadone clinic. Police say John Duffy killed Ronald Leone in October 2006 as the two waited to get into the clinic at 31 North Union St. The two allegedly got into an argument about a woman who tried to reclaim her spot in line. Police say Duffy got upset when the woman tried to get back in line. Leone defended the woman. Police say the argument escalated, and Duffy stabbed Leone in the head and in the side. Duffy faces a single charge of murder. His next court appearance is set for April 16. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:02 AM | Comment Brown announces new dean of medicineBrown University has announced that Dr. Edward J. Wing will take over as dean of medicine and biological sciences, replacing Dr. Eli Y. Adashi. Wing, the chairman of medicine since 1998, will take the helm on July 1. It is not known why Adashi decided to leave Brown. He began in January 2005, and announced his resignation barely three years later, without an explanation. The university, which had spent nearly three years on the search that led to Adashi’s hiring, then decided to move quickly to replace him, appointing a small committee to find someone from within Brown. Wing will head an academic division with an annual budget of $129 million, 769 faculty members and 1,200 community-based faculty. He will be responsible for biomedical research and the instruction of medical students and residents, as well as Brown’s relationship with its seven affiliated hospitals. The division is composed of the Warren Alpert Medical School, the Program in Biology and the Program in Public Health. -- Journal Medical writer Felice Freyer Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:21 AM | Comment Advocates for immigrants to respond to Carcieri todayA group of advocates is getting together today to discuss an executive order signed last week to crack down on illegal immigrants in Rhode Island. This afternoon’s press conference is sponsored by three groups: Members of Immigrants United; We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island; and Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition. Government officials and community members are also invited. The event is a response to an executive order signed Thursday by Governor Donald Carcieri that will require state agencies and vendors to verify the legal status of employees and direct the state Police and Department of Corrections to work with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement “to ensure federal immigration law is enforced.” The press conference is set for 2 p.m. today at the Algonquin House, 807 Broad Street, in Providence. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:42 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Accident shuts down lane on 95 northA lane is closed on Route 95 this morning just north of Providence. The accident, on the northbound side of the roadway, has the left lane closed at Route 95 Exit 23/Route 146 north/State House. To see how traffic is flowing along your route, visit the Transportation Management Center's Web cameras.
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:25 AM | Comment Idaho wants to know: how's the weather in Rhode Island?If you reach Rhode Island, hang up and try again. That's what local officials in Boise are telling callers who dial into Idaho's travel information phone service -- 511 -- but are connecting to Rhode Island's 511 service instead. "We apologize for the inconvenience," Jeff Stratten, public information officer for the state of Idaho told the local ABC affiliate. "While many highways in Idaho are still snow covered, I understand the highways in Rhode Island are clear." And just in case you weren't familiar with 511, the nation-wide service gives callers in most areas information about travel conditions and events around the state. In Rhode Island, it's managed by the state's Department of Transportation. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:11 AM | Comment Man shot and killed near Allens Ave strip clubPolice in Providence are investigating an early morning shooting that left one person dead. The shooting was near Balloons strip club at 257 Allens Ave. at about 2:00 a.m. More information to come. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:08 AM | Comment Today's front page: Plastic bagsYou've seen them floating serenely through the sky in the spring breeze: plastic bags. Download a copy of today's front page, which features an article by Metcalf Environmental Reporter Natalie Garcia about the life, death and rebirth of the ubiquitous bags and a plan to curb or ban their use in the Ocean State. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:56 AM | Comment Rain, wind, and finally ... spring.Spring is on its way. But first, the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 48 degrees today with south winds gusting as high as 25 mph. There's also rain in the forecast, beginning around noontime. Rain continues through the night with clouds and a mild overnight low temperature of 43 degrees. Tomorrow brings what we've been waiting for: A high temperature near 65 degrees. Of course, the forecast also includes rain and a breezy southwest wind, gusting as high as 46 mph. More spring-like weather is on the way; see projo.com's weather page for the rest of the week's forecast. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:44 AM | Comment National Grid extends moratorium on winter shutoffsPROVIDENCE -- Tens of thousands of National Grid customers will have two extra weeks to pay their utility bills. National Grid announced today that it is extending by two weeks a moratorium on winter service shutoffs. The extension applies to the estimated 34,500 "protected status'' customers in Rhode Island. Those are often customers who are elderly, handicapped, seriously ill or dealing with financial difficulties. The moratorium started on Nov. 1. It will be extended from April 15 to May 1 for "protected status'' customers only. The moratorium for all other customers will still end on April 15. National Grid officials are urging customers to try to pay at least part of their gas or electric bill during the moratorium. More about the extension ... -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:23 AM | Comment March 28, 2008Tonight and tomorrow: Blithe spirits take center stageBlithe Spirit begins its run at Trinity Rep in Providence tonight at 8. Noel Coward's classic comedic play tells the story of writer Charles Condomine, who during a séance unwittingly conjures the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, much to the annoyance of his new wife, Ruth. There will also be showings at 8 p.m. tomorrow and at 7 p.m. Sunday. The production runs through April 27. Read the Journal's preview of the show. Tomorrow, Providence's St. Patrick’s Day Parade, postponed from its original date because of rain, will be held at noon, 12 days after the actual date of St. Patrick’s Day. The parade will step off at Elmhurst Avenue and Smith Street and head to the State House, where there will be a reviewing stand. For more of what's happening this weekend, visit projo.com's Lifebeat and calendar pages. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment Firefighters on scene of garage fire in ProvidencePROVIDENCE -- Firefighters are on scene at a garage fire in the area of 154 Waldo St., according to fire dispatch. The fire broke out at about 6:15 p.m. The garage is attached to a building and next to a house. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment 'Super Saturday' aims to spread tax-rebate adviceTomorrow, there will be eight places throughout Rhode Island for people to get help filing the Form 1040A -- for people filing solely to receive their new tax-rebate stimulus payments. A list of IRS offices and partner sites providing assistance on what is being called "Super Saturday" is at www.irs.gov or by calling the IRS Hot Line, (800) 906-9887. If taxpayers have questions about the rebate program, they can call (866) 234-2942 on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. For more tax help online, visit projo.com's Tax Time page, which includes MoneyLine columns, helpful links and more. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Update: Angelo's wins national business award / Photo
The National Jeffrey H. Butland Family-owned Business of the Year award honors a family-owned and operated business which has passed on from one generation to another, according to the SBA. Angelo Mastrodicasa first opened his restaurant on Atwells Avenue in 1924. The restaurant is now owned and operated by Robert Antignano, a third-generation family member. “Robert Antignano epitomizes the hard work, the risk taking, and the creativity that are the characteristics of successful American entrepreneurs,” said Steve Preston, SBA administrator. “These are the qualities that make Bob the national Jeffrey H. Butland Family-owned Business of the Year. His company embodies the best of entrepreneurship and the American dream.” Governor Carcieri, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline were scheduled to join Antignano and S.B.A. officials at the restaurant today for a formal announcement of the award. Antignano will be honored during the national Small Business Week celebration in Washington, D.C. on April 23, according to the SBA. Angelo’s first won the Rhode Island and also New England regional awards before being considered for national recognition. Posted by Jack Perry at 6:27 PM | Comment Update: Driver critically burned in Rte. 91 tanker crashCHICOPEE, Mass. -- A truck driver was critically burned after his fuel tanker rolled over and exploded in a fiery wreck that shut down Interstate 91 in Chicopee today. The driver was initially trapped in the cab after the 9:30 a.m. crash. Witnesses told The Republican of Springfield that more than a dozen drivers pulled over to try to free the man, some carrying blankets and jackets to smother the flames. "They were trying to get him out of the cab, but everybody who tried would be stopped by the flames," said Gregory Coleman of Westfield. "There were just a bunch of people running towards the fire. It was crazy." Coleman's sister, Rebecca Colemen of Chicopee, said the tanker then exploded. "The explosion just rocked the whole bridge," she said. "The car bounced." The driver, identified by state police as Aaron J. Staelens, 43, of Richmond, N.H., was eventually rescued and taken to an area hospital. The Republican reported he suffered third-degree burns over much of his body State police said the accident happened after Victor Aponte, 35, of Holyoke got onto the highway, lost control of his car and careened across the road, hitting another car. Aponte's car then hit the tanker, which veered off the road, striking a guardrail and sign post. The trailer separated from the tanker, rolled over the guardrail and down an embankment as the cab and trailer burst into flames, police said. Meanwhile, Aponte's car was hit from behind by another car. Aponte's passenger Louisa Fonseca, 43, of Holyoke, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. No other injuries were reported. The driver works for Abenaqui Carriers of North Hampton, N.H. The tanker was carrying 9,500 gallons of gasoline and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, the company said in a statement. The fire burned for more than 90 minutes after the crash, and smoke could be seen for miles. Full story from the Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:05 PM | Comment Democrats criticize Carcieri's immigration orderState Democratic Party officals today sharply criticized Governor Carcieri for signing an executive order on illegal immigration that they charge "essentially mandates racial profiling." Tim Grilo, the state party's executive director, said in a news release this afternoon that rather than host a meeting and invite minority community leaders to the table, the governor "chose the low road and took another cheap political shot." State Rep. Grace Diaz, D-Providence, said in the statement that the governor's "spiteful tone not only encourages racial profiling bit it encourages outright discrimination against legal citizens of the state." Yesterday, Carcieri, a Republican, signed the order and held a news conference at which he saidthe order will enable "a vast array of state organizations" to address illegal immigration. “This is not about taking a hard line against immigrants,” Carcieri said yesterday. “It’s about making sure that those who come here can realize their goals of economic security and a better quality of life.” Referring to his own immigrant roots, Carcieri said he supports people who follow legal channels to get the American dream. “The motive is to get control of an issue that has to be dealt with,” Carcieri said. “If you’re here illegally, you shouldn’t be here.” -- projo.com staff Michael P. McKinney, with Journal reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:12 PM | Comment Update: Guilty verdict ends game for con man KluthPROVIDENCE -- John P. Kluth Jr., a former Newport lobsterman who told a tale about a broken-down lobster truck again and again to con cash out of people, was found guilty today on 30 out of 31 charges of obtaining money under false pretenses. Reacting to the verdict, Providence police Lt. Daniel Gannon, the case's lead investigator, said, "He was a confidence man. He was on top of his game. But his game is at an end now." The one count upon which Kluth was acquitted -- a complaint by noted Cranston philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein. One victim of Kluth's con came into the courtroom just to hear the verdict. That was Eugene McMahon, state jury commissioner, whose testimony the jury asked to have read back to them earlier today. After the verdict, McMahon congratulated the prosecution team and said, "good job." The jury reached its verdict after about 9 hours, across two days, in Providence County Superior Court. The charges range from misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the amount of money and the age of the victim. "The victims, the people whose generosity Kluth selfishly and calculatedly targeted and leveraged for his own gain and many of whom are elderly, deserve our thanks for taking the time to file criminal complaints and testify against him convincingly at trial," Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said in a statement. Kluth's next appearance in court has not been set, the state Attorney General's office said. Kluth also is wanted for alleged scams in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Extra: Listen to Kluth explain his actions to Journal staff writer Gregory Smith -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson and Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:43 PM | Comment Alert: Jury finds Kluth guilty on 30 of 31 countsPROVIDENCE -- The jury has returned a verdict against con man John Kluth Jr. in the second day of its deliberations. The jury took about 8 hours total to find Kluth guilty of 30 out of 31 charges of obtaining money under false pretenses. The charges range from misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the amount of money and the age of the victim. The one count upon which he was acquitted -- a complaint by noted local philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein. One victim of Kluth's con -- who told targets his lobster truck had broken down and that he needed to get it fixed -- came into the courtroom just to hear the verdict. That was Eugene McMahon, state jury commissioner, whose testimony the jury asked to have read back to them earlier today. Dates have not yet been set for Kluth's next appearance in court, according to a statement sent from the Rhode Island Attorney General's office. Kluth also is wanted for alleged scams in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Extra: Listen to Kluth explain his actions to Journal staff writer Gregory Smith -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:38 PM | Comment 3-story house in Providence on fire; occupants outPROVIDENCE -- Fire and rescue crews are on the scene of a fire in a three-story wood-framed house. The two-alarm fire, at 65 Atlantic Ave., is on the second floor of the house, which was occupied at 12:46 p.m., when the call came in. All occupants have since been evacuated, according to James Taylor, chief of communications for the Fire Department. A dry hydrant off nearby Broad Street has led firefighters to extend their hoses to another water source, Taylor said. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:05 PM | Comment Kluth jury wants jury commissioner's testimony read backPROVIDENCE -- The jury deliberating the case against accused lobster truck con man John Kluth Jr. asked to have testimony read back to them today. The jury, in its second day of deliberating, came out at about 12:10 p.m to have read to them testimony from Rhode Island state jury commissioner Eugene McMahon, one of the 31 complainants who the state alleges Kluth attempted to get money from by telling them he needed money to fix a broken-down truck. McMahon testified to giving Kluth $100. When he and Kluth had talked, McMahon initially spurned Kluth, who purported to be a neighbor of McMahon's, according to testimony. McMahon changed his mind and gave him the money. McMahon testified he was not paid back but did not report it because he was embarrassed and wanted to keep it to himself. Then he saw a newspaper article and decided to come forward to the police. He gave a statement to the police on Sept. 6 last year. Kluth, 48, did not take the stand during his two-week trial in Providence County Superior Court, but the prosecution called 31 witnesses who said they had been duped by Kluth into giving him money -- between $25 and $5,200. Extra: Hear Kluth tell Journal staff writer Gregory Smith what he did. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:01 PM | Comment Photo: Branching out
See what kind of weather the weekend holds in store, get yourself ready for some outdoor gardening, or share some tips with our posters on projo.com's Garden Blog. Not ready to venture out yet? Upload your own photos showing signs of spring and see what others have found. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 12:46 PM | Comment 23 Aquidneck properties up for auction -- by reserveMIDDLETOWN -- If, despite the current real estate climate, you are in the market for nearly two-dozen properties on Aquidneck Island, you’re in luck. A Virginia-based realty company is auctioning 23 Newport County properties tomorrow morning. The auction is not selling foreclosed or distressed properties and is not an absolute auction, selling properties to the highest bidder on the spot. Instead, it's a reserve auction, allowing sellers to establish a confidential minimum bid. If that minimum is met or exceeded, the sale goes through. If not, the seller has 48 hours to accept, reject or renegotiate. “This is the first time there’s been an auction like this in Newport County,” said Cameron J. Wolfe, a business consultant who worked with the Counts Group to organize the auction. “It’s a growing trend in the real-estate industry.” Two local real estate agencies have agreed to participate in Counts Realty & Auction Group’s Auction, set for 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown. Properties include: - A contemporary Colonial house at 72 Harrison Ave., in Newport, just one block from the harbor, listed for $1.25 million. - An historic house at 204 Spring St., Newport, listed at $995,000. - Eight building lots in the Indian Hill subdivision in Portsmouth -- From a Journal staff report Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:25 PM | Comment Serve your community penance outsideSpring is coming; if you've been sentenced by the courts to do community service, wouldn't it be nice to do it outside? You may be in luck. Providence Crime Watch and the District 6 Community Police are looking for people who have to do community service to work on some upcoming projects and programs around the neighborhood. There’s a litter clean-up scheduled for late April, graffiti clean-up, and other neighborhood projects. For more information, call Michael Correia, president of Providence Crime Watch, at 369-0247. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:05 PM | Comment Foxwoods appeals NLRB decision on union voteFoxwoods Resort Casino this week appealed a judge's ruling recommending approval of a unionization vote by the gambling venue's dealers. Dealers at the Connecticut casino voted 1,289 to 852 in November in favor of union representation by the United Auto Workers. Earlier this month, an administrative law judge rejected several objections to that vote filed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns Foxwoods. Among other things, the tribe claimed that union "agents" harassed and intimidated anti-union dealers, improperly spoke to dealers on the day before the vote and provided voting notices and ballots only in English or traditional Chinese. In a 33-page legal brief filed Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board's Washington headquarters, the tribe's attorneys argue that "keeping a list of employees who have voted . . . has been found to interfere with an election and is grounds for setting aside the election when it can be shown or inferred from the circumstances that the employees knew that their names were being recorded." In its latest appeal the tribe also raises the issue of whether the NLRB has jurisdiction over a sovereign tribal nation. "It is no small understatement to note that the board's decision to, in certain cases, assert jurisdiction over some Native American enterprises, has not been well-received by Native American Tribes." This week's appeal is another milestone in what appears will be a long tussle over the union issue. A ruling by the NLRB in Washington upholding the decision of Administrative Law Judge Raymond Green would force Foxwoods into collective bargaining with the UAW and the dealers. If Foxwoods fails to bargain, that move could trigger another round of hearings with the NLRB, before possibly ending up in federal court. In a related development, the tribe on Monday expects to appeal a unionization vote taken by a second group of Foxwoods employees, according to Bruce MacDonald, a Foxwoods' spokesman. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:45 AM | Comment Tanker truck crash shuts down Route 91 in Mass.CHICOPEE, Mass. -- A fiery tanker truck crash and explosion has shut down Interstate 91 in Chicopee. The Massachusetts State Police said the crash occurred just after 9:30 this morning as the truck carrying diesel fuel was traveling north on Route 91. Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said the fire engulfed three cars, but he had no immediate word on injuries to anyone in those vehicles. The driver worked for Abenaqui Carriers of North Hampton, N.H. A driver for the same company rolled over a fuel tanker in Everett in December, sparking a fire that severely damaged several homes and destroyed dozens of cars. A spokesman for Abenaqui said the driver was hurt Friday and taken to an area hospital. He did not know the driver’s condition, and did not have further details. Diesel fuel spilled on the highway, but Judge said the accident occurred on an area of the highway that is relatively isolated and that he did not expect homes or businesses to be affected. The fire was still burning more than 90 minutes after the crash, and smoke could be seen for miles. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:39 AM | Comment Somerset official: Weaver's Cove Energy did not consultSOMERSET, Mass. -- The chairman of the Board of Selectmen said this morning that yesterday's assertion by Weaver's Cove Energy that it has consulted with Somerset officials about its plan to build an offshore LNG berth in the Somerset waters of Mount Hope Bay "is a bold-faced lie." Grasso was quoted in today's Journal story as saying that the company began speaking with elected officials in Fall River and Somerset last week about this alternative. “They are, I believe, digesting the information we gave them, and don’t have really a response yet.” “I’m in the process of making phone calls to several of the key stakeholders so everyone knows what’s going on." Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:55 AM | Comment Accused con man's case still in jury's handsThe jury is still deliberating the case of a Newport man accused of scamming 31 people with a bogus tale of woe. John Kluth Jr., 48, did not take the stand during his two-week trial, but the prosecution called 31 witnesses who said they had been duped by Kluth into giving him money -- between $25 and $5,200. Kluth is alleged to have convinced people to give him money by telling them his lobster truck had broken down, and that he was desperate to get it fixed. The jury, which went into deliberations yesterday, is supposed to consider each allegation separately. Extra: Hear Kluth tell Journal staff writer Greg Smith what he did. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:38 AM | Comment Newport police, feds charge 11 after drug investigationNewport police and federal officials made nearly a dozen arrests last night after a four-month investigation into the sale of crack, cocaine and marijuana. Newport police’s vice/narcotics unit worked with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency on the investigation, which focused on the lower Broadway area of the city. Yesterday, 11 of 16 suspects were arrested and face drug delivery and conspiracy charges. Authorities are still looking for five additional suspects. Click below to read the list of those arrested. Maren D. Lema, 40 --Newport, - 2 counts- delivery crack cocaine. David A. Traynum, 38 -- Newport, -- 3 counts- delivery crack cocaine. John M. Denman, 46 -- Newport, -- 1 count- controlled substance conspiracy. Terrence Moy, 39 -- Newport, -- 1 count -controlled substance conspiracy. Joel Francis Robinson, 36 -- Newport, – 1 count of larceny, 1 count- delivery cocaine. Anthony F. Holloway, 28 -- Newport, - 1 count- delivery cocaine. Angela Dyl, 28 -- Newport, - 1 count- delivery crack cocaine. Larry Douglas Mckinney -- Newport, - 1 count- crack cocaine Stephen C. Evans, 39 -- Newport, - 1 count - delivery crack cocaine Eric C. Massey, 37 -- Middletown, - 1 count - delivery crack cocaine Christopher A. Widomski, 37 -- Newport, – 1 count - delivery crack cocaine Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:47 AM | Comment St. Patrick's Day is backRemember St. Patrick’s Day? Does it seem like a distant memory? Well, it’s coming back to Providence, 12 days after the fact. Tomorrow at noon, the Providence St. Patrick’s Day Parade sets off on Smith Street at Elmhurst Avenue. The event was postponed on March 8 because of a rainy forecast. This year, grand marshal and former hockey star James Bennett will lead the parade down Smith Street to the State House reviewing stand. It's the 15th year that Irish culture has been celebrated along Smith Street,” City Councilman Terrence M. Hassett said in a statement. “Although this parade is a little late, good weather and plenty of entertainment will round out a great day of festivities.” For more information, call Patrick Griffin, president of the Parade Committee, at 751-1553. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:30 AM | Comment Smoke-shop trial to resume MondayThe trial of seven Narragansett Indians facing a variety of misdemeanor charges is off for the day. The members of the tribe are accused of several infractions, from assault to resisting arrest following a July 2003 raid on a tribal tax-free smoke shop. The seven defendants face up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. No one has been charged with selling untaxed cigarettes. Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, and Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirl has previously set a deadline of April 4 for the end of the trial. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:35 AM | Comment Newport considers banning SegwaysNEWPORT -- The Newport City Council is considering an ordinance to ban Segway personal transporters from city streets and sidewalks. The two-wheeled, single-person battery-operated vehicles can go about 12 miles an hour. Riders stand and steer with a handlebar. The city last year denied a request from a tour operator to run Segway tours around downtown Newport and to the city's famous oceanside mansions, saying they could be a traffic hazard. Segways are used in other tourist destinations around the country to give tours. A spokesman for New Hampshire-based Segway told the council Wednesday night that cars, scooters, roller blades and bicycles can go on city streets and sidewalks, and Segways should be no different. The council asked the city solicitor to review the proposal. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Rain today, snow also possibleThere's even more rain on tap for today until mid-afternoon. And the National Weather Service is also warning about the possibility of a brief burst of snow during the morning commute. Eventually, we can expect a high temperature near 40 degrees with a calm west wind. Tonight we may see more rain and maybe sleet before 9 p.m., then possible snow later. Clouds should part a little as the night goes on and the temperature drops to 29 degrees. Tomorrow we'll see sun, with a high temperature near 40 degrees with north winds gusting as high as 31 mph. Skies should remain clear tomorrow night, with a low temperature dropping to 20 degrees and north winds gusting as high as 30 mph, but later becoming calm. More sun Sunday with a high temperature near 46 degrees and calm, north winds. And Sunday night, we have another chance of snow showers late, with cloudy skies and a low temperature near 29 degrees. And again, Monday, a chance of snow, then a wintry mix, in the morning, turning to rain later in the day. Expect clouds and a high temperature near 48. To keep an eye on the changing forecasts throughout the weekend, visit projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of the smoke-shop trial, Governor Carcieri's executive order to crack down on illegal immigration and the sixth part of an eight-part series on the Navy's Officer Candidate School in Newport. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 27, 2008High court to hear advisory request on privatization lawPROVIDENCE -- The state's highest court has agreed to hear Governor Carcieri's request for an advisory opinion on the constitutionality of a law passed in June that blocks the governor from using private companies to conduct state business. The state Supreme Court has decided that the governor, the House speaker, the Senate president, the attorney general, and other interested parties may file briefs on the governor's question on or before May 9. Responsive briefs will be filed on or before June 20. A date for arguments will be set after briefs are filed. The court's order denied a request from the governor for a conference with Supreme Court's chief justice. The governor's office on March 18 delivered a request for an advisory opinion regarding whether the law, which opponents call an anti-privatization measure, is constitutional. The governor has expressed opposition to the law as something that will hurt the ability of state government to work. His 2008-09 state budget plan calls for replacing certain positions with nonunion contractor, which could produce savings through lesser salaries and benefits. The order reiterates that an advisory opinion means the justices "speak in our individual capacities, as legal experts rather than as Supreme Court justices. The members, then, "do not exercise the judicial power" and the opinion is "not binding and it carries no mandate." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Chief sachem describes the raid
PROVIDENCE -- Closing arguments are set for Monday in the trial of seven Narragansett tribal members accused of resisting and scuffling with state police, who were carrying out a raid at the tribal smoke shop in Charlestown. The defense rested its case this afternoon after the tribe's chief sachem, Matthew Thomas, took the stand in Superior Court to describe July 14, 2003, raid. Thomas told jurors today that he wore a suit and tie the day of the raid on the tribal smoke shop because he expected the state to take the tribe to court. "We felt we had the regulatory authority to do what we were doing," Thomas said of the tribe's decision to open the open the tax-free smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown over Governor Carcieri's objections. Instead, he said, state police came onto tribal land, without presenting a warrant despite being asked repeatedly for paperwork. The July 2003 raid on the smoke shop, which had just opened for the sale of tax-free cigarettes, turned into a scuffle. Almost five years later, Thomas and six other Narragansett Indians are on trial for several misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest and assault.
 Journal file photo Narragansett Indian Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas struggles with a state trooper during the contentious 2003 raid. See more photos and video of the raid and from the trial. "(State Police) looked like they meant business and they weren't talking to nobody," he said of their arrival. He said he moved toward the shop after being pushed back by troopers, one of whom had a dog. Thomas said he grabbed a trooper after he observed a tribal member being thrown from the shop stairs and saw an officer confronting Tribal Councilman Hiawatha Brown outside the shop door, he said. "I didn't think anyone had the right to go into the smoke shop who wasn't authorized," he said. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Thomas said somebody there must have known he was chief sachem through his dealings with the state. He described a conversation with state Police Major Steven G. O'Donnell: "I asked 'where's the paperwork? This is ridiculous.' He said, 'We're gonna show it to you.' " Thomas said went to consult with Tribal Councilman John Brown, understudy to the medicine man, as Brown was being led away by a trooper. He said he asked why Brown was being arrested when Lt. Robert Mackisey pushed him in the chest. "The next thing I know,” Thomas said, “I have a lot of hands on me.” Thomas was handcuffed and placed under arrest after being taken to the ground by several troopers. No tribal member was ever charged with the illegal sale of untaxed cigarettes, he said. Under cross examination by prosecution late today, Thomas agreed that a 1978 settlement that gave the tribe its land specified that state laws applied on the 1,800 acres.
Extra: See photos and video of the 2003 raid on projo.com Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 6:54 PM | Comment Off-shore LNG berth proposed for Mount Hope BayWeaver’s Cove Energy said today it is preparing a proposal to build an off-shore LNG berth in Mount Hope Bay that would allow tankers to offload liquefied natural gas about a mile from the nearest shore. The company said it will soon file the plan with federal energy regulators in the hopes that it will be better received than its widely opposed plan to build an LNG terminal in Fall River. The berthing structures would secure an LNG ship in place during unloading operations, the company said, and support the beginning of a 4-mile long pipeline that would be buried in a trench between portions of Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River. The LNG would be piped to a storage tank and regasification facility in Fall River, where the company had originally planned to build an LNG terminal. The berthing platform would be located in waters within the town of Somerset, Mass., about one mile from the nearest shoreline and two miles south of the Braga Bridge, Weaver’s Cove said. James Grasso, a company spokesman, said this new proposal does not replace the original proposal to build an LNG terminal in Fall River. “We are not giving up on our original proposal,” he said in a phone interview. “What we are doing is proposing a possible alternative to perceived issues with tankers.” The Weaver’s Cove proposal to build the Fall River LNG terminal was conditionally approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2005, despite widespread opposition from elected officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as well as citizens groups and residents near the proposed facility. But the proposal met a major setback when the U.S. Coast Guard found that it was too risky to allow LNG tankers to traverse parts of the Taunton River because of two bridges that are close together. This new proposal would not require LNG ship traffic within the congested areas of the Taunton River, the company said, and would address concerns expressed by the community and the U.S. Coast Guard. It would also greatly decrease dredging within the Taunton River, the company said. “We have listened closely to the community’s concerns on how best to provide a safe and secure supply of natural gas for the community and the region,” said Gordon Shearer, chief executive officer of Weaver’s Cove Energy, in a statement. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann “If moving LNG tanker unloading operations offshore proves technically and economically feasible, it would address many of the community’s concerns while providing the benefits of jobs, taxes, and lower energy prices,” Shearer said. “It is widely recognized that New England has a pressing need for additional energy, particularly natural gas… Whether we provide that through our earlier proposal, which we believe meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards for LNG projects, or this new option offshore, our goal is to find a solution that works best for the community and for New England.” Grasso said that the company began speaking with elected officials in Fall River and Somerset last week about this new alternative. “They are, I believe, digesting the information we gave them, and don’t have really a response yet.” “I’m in the process of making phone calls to several of the key stakeholders so everyone knows what’s going on.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:45 PM | Comment House OKs bill that would let inmates out earlierPROVIDENCE -- House lawmakers struggling with a financial crisis have voted to save money by letting prisoners leave state prison sooner if they behave and work. The bill passed this evening 56-9. The proposal must still be approved by the state Senate before it could become law. Rhode Island is facing a massive budget deficit estimated at around $560 million. Governor Carcieri, a Republican, and Democratic lawmakers had proposed cutting prison costs by allowing prisoners more time off their sentences for good behavior, working and getting treatment. Under the House proposal, inmates could cut short their sentences by 12 days for every month they follow prison rules and work. Most prisoners are now eligible for lesser reductions. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:36 PM | Comment Update: Man killed on Rte. 95; child passenger survivesA man was killed today when he lost control of -- and was thrown from -- the Rhode Island-registered car he was driving on Route 95 north in Attleboro. A child passenger, who was wearing a seatbelt, has been taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence with minor injuries, the Massachusetts State Police said in a news release. The statement did not elaborate on how or if the man and child are related. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed by the police, was traveling in a 1996 Ford Contour sedan in the left lane of Route 95 north -- just south of Exit 3 -- when the car went off the road and into a guardrail on the highway's right side, according to a preliminary state police investigation. State troopers from the Foxboro, Mass., barracks responded to the crash at about 2:45 p.m. The right lane of Route 95 north and the Exit 3 ramp were closed for about two hours. The police said they are looking for information about an unknown red vehicle that may have been involved in the crash. The police ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who may have information to call the Massachusetts State Police Foxboro barracks at (508) 543-8550. The state police, including collision analysis and accident reconstruction experts, are investigating the crash. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Comment Update: Carcieri order aims to enforce immigration lawPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri this afternoon signed an executive order he says will strengthen efforts to respond to illegal immigration problems, in part by expanding the authority of the State Police to help with identifying and arresting illegal immigrants. According to Carcieri's office, the order requires state agencies and vendors to verify the legal status of all employees and allows the state to inform people whose identity was stolen. It also directs the State Police and the Department of Corrections to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure federal immigration law is enforced. “Today I am issuing an Executive Order which will enable a vast array of state government agencies to better address the issue of illegal immigration in Rhode Island,” Carcieri said in a press release. “I want to make one thing very clear: I support increasing the quotas to have more legal immigrants in the United States. I also support granting more work permits. This is not about taking a hard line against immigrants," said the governor, who described himself as the grandson of immigrants from Italy and Sweden. "It’s about making sure that those who come here can realize their goals of economic security and a better quality of life.” The executive order sets up its provisions by saying "Rhode Island continues to welcome new immigrants who legally seek the opportunities that the state, its economy, and its resources offer." But Congress and the president have "been unable to resolve the problem of illegal immigration, leaving the states to deal with the consequences of 11 to 20 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States," adding that 20,000 to 40,000 live in Rhode Island. Having "significant numbers" of people living in the state illegally puts "a burden on the resources of state and local human services, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and other governmental institutions and diminishes opportunities for citizens and legal immigrants in Rhode Island," the order adds. Extra: Read the full text of the Governor's Executive Order 08-01, Illegal Immigration Control Order. Click below to read more about the order: -- projo.com staff reports * The state Department of Administration will require all companies, contractors and vendors doing business with the state to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure their employees are working in the country legally. Carcieri's office said states that have recently enacted similar measures include Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. “By ensuring that there are no illegal immigrants employed in the executive branch and that those who do business with the state do not employ illegal immigrants, we are setting an example for others to follow,” Carcieri said in a statement. “This will encourage the private sector to comply.” * The State Police will reach an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), known as a memorandum of understanding, to get training to help immigration enforcement personnel in arresting illegal immigrants. At this time, if the State Police arrest illegal immigrants, they must call ICE tp find out if deportation will be pursued. With the new agreement, the State Police who have been trained by ICE will be able to access federal databases, process immigration prisoners and transport them to the Wyatt Detention Center. * The state Department of Corrections will also have an agreement with ICE to give state correctional officers authority and training to "address illegal immigration issues" at the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston. It will allow certain prison personnel to do some duties of ICE agents such as "investigating immigration status and preparing the necessary documentation for those who have been found to be in this country illegally. This will streamline the process and make it more efficient," the governor's office said. * The Parole Board and the state Department of Corrections will work with ICE personnel to "provide for the parole and deportation of criminal aliens." The governor's office stated that will enable ICE to get involved in the process early on and provide the Parole Board with information on inmates before their parole eligibility date. “This will speed up deportation by getting these inmates back to their respective countries in a more timely fashion,” Carcieri said in the statement. “It will also be more cost effective. We will no longer bear the financial burden of providing housing or rehab treatment to these non-violent inmates.” * State agencies will have authority to notify those "whose identity was stolen or used improperly to receive benefits such as child care, health care or a driver’s license." According to the order, a section added to federal immigration law -- "performance of immigration officer functions by state officers and employees" -- authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary to make agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, "permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement." Federal immigration law, as amended in 1996, allows government entities or officials to send to or get from the Immigration and Naturalization Service information on someone's immigration status, the gvoernor's order states. The federal government set up a program called E-Verify to "help employers electronically verify the employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers." Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:40 PM | Comment Update: State reviews pending sale of rehab hospitalNORTH SMITHFIELD -- Landmark Medical Center is seeking state permission to sell control of its rehabilitation hospital here to a for-profit St. Louis-based company. Currently, the 82-bed rehabilitation center on Eddie Dowling highway near the Woonsocket line is owned by Landmark Medical Center and its corporate parent, Landmark Health Systems. Landmark wants to sell 80 percent of the operation to a new corporate entity that will be 80 percent owned by RehabCare Hospital Holdings LLC of St. Louis. Mo. According to documents filed with the state Department of Health, the new owners will reduce the number of beds at the hospital from 82 to 41. Landmark spokesman bill Fischer said that the average patient population at the rehabilitation hospital averages 25 to 30 patients, so the loss of beds is not seen as requiring a reduction of staff or services offered to northern Rhode island area. Fischer said RehabCare specializes in the type of rehabilitation medicine practiced at the center. Those services were a side business for Landmark, he said. The sale of the hospital would enable Landmark get an infusion of cash and put the operation in the hands of someone who knows that business better than landmark does,. “We believe this is going to give us the opportunity to augment and grow that business,” he said. RehabCare officials could not be reached for comment. The company specializes in providing rehabilitation management services in hospitals, nursing homes and other out-patient facilities. In its 2006 annual report, the company claimed 16,500 employees working in facilities in 87 markets throughout the United States. The company cited operating earnings of $21 million on revenues of $615 million. The final price has not yet been set, Fischer said.
Under state law, the sale must be reviewed and approved by the Attorney General’s office and the state Health Department. The Health Department must examine the proposed sale to make sure it protects the public health and welfare, while the attorney general is charged with guarding the new entity’s charitable assets and gains from money that has been donated to the institution in the past and to make sure there are no conflicts of interest amongst the new owners. The review process is complex and can take up to six months. Now that documents have been filed, the health department and attorney general’s office must determine if they application is complete. If it is found lacking, the applicants will get 30 days to complete it. Once it has been certified as complete, the state has p to six months to review it. Part of that review process will be a public meeting. “Public input will be very important given that the sale involves an out-of-state for-profit entity buying an in-state hospital,” the Health Department and the attorney general said in a joint statement. Originally known as the Fogarty Unit, Landmark has owned the 116 Eddie Dowling Highway facility since a merger in 1988. Landmark uses it as the site of its occupational health department and open-design Magnetic Resonance Imaging nit. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:24 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Defense rests, closings MondayPROVIDENCE -- Closing arguments are set for Monday in the trial of seven Narragansett tribal members accused of resisting and scuffling with state police, who were carrying out a raid at the tribal smoke shop in Charlestown. The defense rested its case this afternoon after the tribe's chief sachem, Matthew Thomas, took the stand in Superior Court to describe July 14, 2003, raid. Under cross examination by prosecution late today, Thomas agreed that a 1978 settlement that gave the tribe its land specified that state laws applied on the 1,800 acres. The Narragansetts opened a tax-free smoke shop on tribal land off Route 2 over Governor Carcieri’s opposition on July 12, 2003. Two days later, dozens of state troopers later used a search-and-seizure warrant granted by state court to stop the tribe from selling tobacco without charging state taxes. The raid turned violent, and seven Narragansetts, including Thomas, face charges that include resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault. Read more about Thomas's testimony today in court.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:21 PM | Comment Update: Carcieri order aims to enforce immigration lawPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri this afternoon signed an executive order he says will strengthen the state's efforts to respond to the problem of illegal immigration. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and the Department of Corrections to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure federal immigration law is enforced. “Today I am issuing an Executive Order which will enable a vast array of state government agencies to better address the issue of illegal immigration in Rhode Island,” Carcieri said in a press release. “I want to make one thing very clear: I support increasing the quotas to have more legal immigrants in the United States. I also support granting more work permits. This is not about taking a hard line against immigrants," said the governor, who described himself as the grandson of immigrants from Italy and Sweden. "It’s about making sure that those who come here can realize their goals of economic security and a better quality of life.” Extra: Read the full text of the Governor's Executive Order 08-01, Illegal Immigration Control Order. More to come ...
Posted by Jack Perry at 3:39 PM | Comment Traffic Alert: Afternoon accident snarls 195An afternoon accident has traffic slowed to a crawl on Route 195. The two-car accident is on the eastbound side of the roadway on the Washington Bridge. For up-to-date views of traffic on the state's highways, check out the Transportation Management's Web cameras. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:08 PM | Comment Lawmakers to consider gambling, town merger billsPROVIDENCE -- From 24-hour gambling to creating a supertown coined "Westconnaug," the State House agenda promises another interesting day. The House Finance Committee is scheduled to hear, and potentially vote on, a bill, sponsored by Rep. William San Bento Jr., D-Pawtucket, North Providence, to allow 24-hour video lottery games at Twin River and Newport Grand. The meeting is slated to begin at the rise of the House of the Represenatives later this afternoon and will be held in State House room 35 -- the Trainor hearing room, according to the agenda. Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation to allow 24-hour gambling on weekends and during overnight hours before state and federal holidays that come on Mondays at Twin River and Newport Grand. The proposal by Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventry, to merge several towns into one called Westconnaug is scheduled to come before the House Municipal Government Committee at the rise of the House later this afternoon. The new community would be made up of what are now Exeter, West Greenwich, Scituate, Foster, Glocester, and the part of Coventry known as the Western Coventry Fire District. The meeting has several bills on tap for hearing and/or consideration and is scheduled to be in State House room 205. Read more about the proposed Westconnaug. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:03 PM | Comment No bombs found at Burrillville High SchoolBurrillville Police Lt. Kevin San Antonio said a search this morning of students’ bags at Burrillville High School did not reveal anything suspicious. The School Department yesterday said that there were "significant criminal and school penalties" tied to making threats and that authorities would prosecute anyone involved with the note “to the fullest extent possible.” --projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:15 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Chief Sachem Thomas takes standPROVIDENCE -- Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas has taken the stand this morning in the case of seven Narragansett Indians faced with assault and other misdemeanor charges after a 2003 state police raid on a tribal, tax-free smoke shop. Thomas is expected to be the last witness in the trial, which began Feb. 29. Thomas, 46, has served on the tribal council since 1990 and is the youngest elected chief sachem since Colonial times. So far he is answering questions about the day-to-day administrative duties that he has as chief, as well as general questions about the Narragansett Tribe. Thomas is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and simple assault for the scuffle during the raid of the smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown. Earlier today, defendant Bella Noka took the stand. She was also a member of the tribal council at the time of the raid and faces charges for disorderly conduct, obstructing a police officer and assault charges. In court today, Noka said a state trooper threw her to the ground, putting his knee into her groin. She said she had to curl into a fetal position to protect herself. Extra: See photos and videos from the raid, as well as more trial coverage. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:47 AM | Comment Broken bottle prompts hardware store evacuationNORTH PROVIDENCE -- The Fire Department went to an ACE Harware store on Waterman Avenue today, and the building was evacuated as a precaution after a 16-ounce bottle of insecticide fell and broke in the store, according to fire dispatch. No one was injured. Personnel are still on scene. Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:46 AM | Comment Seniors can ask the experts about tax rebatesIf you're a senior citizen who doesn't normally file taxes -- but wants to receive a federal rebate check -- you'll have to do things differently this year. You can get information from the experts in Cranston tomorrow afternoon at the Rebates for Seniors information session. Representatives from the IRS are joining Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse at tomorrow's meeting to answer questions and clarify what senior citizens need to do to ensure they receive checks. Among other things, seniors can ask questions about filing taxes, which they'll need to do to secure a check from the federal government. Tomorrow's meeting is the third in a series that also went to Pawtucket and Westerly. The Cranston session is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Cranston Senior Center, 1070 Cranston Street. Extra: Find out now when you'll receive your rebate check. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:04 AM | Comment Jury to decide case of alleged con man KluthPROVIDENCE -- A Superior court jury will decide the fate of a 48-year-old Newport man alleged to have conned 31 people out of thousands of dollars. John Kluth Jr. is alleged to have used stories of a broken-down truck full of lobsters to swindle lawyers, the state jury commissioner, a well-known philanthropist, a retired Superior Court judge, officials in the attorney general’s office, a retired Marine Corps colonel, an accountant, businessmen, retirees and others. The jury was to begin deliberating this morning. Kluth faces 31 counts of obtaining money under false pretenses. He's been on trial for two weeks. The state presented more than 40 witnesses, including 31 who said they were conned by Kluth. The defense presented no witnesses. Kluth did not testify. Read full coverage of yesterday's developments in the trial. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Jack Perry at 10:38 AM | Comment Sheriff: Security blunders helped suspect flee hospitalNEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- The Bristol County sheriff says "breakdowns in security" helped lead to the escape of an accused rapist from a New Bedford hospital. Anthony Flye remains on the loose after slipping out of a bathroom at the hospital on Tuesday. Hodgson says a court officer who was guarding the 38-year-old suspect did not immediately report the escape and the sheriff's office did not learn of it until two corrections officers arrived at the hospital at least one hour later. Hodgson says a New Bedford police officer spotted a man believed to be Flye - wearing hospital slippers and a gown - about 45 minutes after the escape. But the officer did not know at the time that the man was wanted and did not arrest him. Flye faces charges of child rape, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person and incest. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 9:56 AM | Comment 2 injured in Warwick rolloverOne person was seriously injured early this morning in a rollover accident that police say illustrates the importance of wearing safety belts. Three juveniles were in the vehicle just after 1 a.m., entering Route 95 northbound from Exit 10/Route 117 in Warwick. The driver lost control on the entrance ramp, according to State Police Lt. Eric LaRiviere, and the vehicle flipped as it entered the highway. The passenger was thrown through the driver’s side window, and landed in the far left travel lane of the highway. She was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital with what appeared to be serious, but not life-threatening injuries, LaRiviere said. “It appears she was not wearing a seatbelt,” he said. A back seat passenger had minor injuries, LaRiviere said. The driver, who police believe was the only person wearing a safety belt, was not injured. The disparity between injuries is not always so stark, LaRiviere said. "This just emphasizes the need for seatbelts. We have a young girl with serious injuries versus the driver with no injuries.” At this point, LaRiviere said, police believe excessive speed was a factor in the rollover. The driver was cited for lane and roadway violations – for not staying within his lane – and for having passengers who were not wearing safety belts. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:14 AM | Comment Lawmakers: Carcieri to target illegal immigrantsPROVIDENCE -- Gov. Carcieri plans to sign an executive order today forcing prison officials and state police to identify illegal immigrants in state custody and requiring that state agencies take other steps to penalize immigration violators, a lawmaker said yesterday. Carcieri's office did not immediately release details of the order, but the governor's spokeswoman, Barbara Trainor, said it would cover "several bases." A written statement from Carcieri's office said there is a growing number of illegal immigrants, and the federal government is not taking action. It said the Republican governor will also endorse legislation that has been introduced in the Democratic-dominated General Assembly that will accomplish the same goal. Among other steps, Carcieri will require the state Department of Corrections and state police to identify and report illegal immigrants in their custody, said Rep. Joseph Trillo, who said he has discussed the proposal with Carcieri's staff. Once state law enforcement identifies illegal immigrants, they can alert federal immigration authorities to begin deportation proceedings. A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections declined to comment on the plan. State Police Maj. Steven O'Donnell said he had not been briefed on the subject, although state police officials will attend a news conference that Carcieri has scheduled for this afternoon. Carcieri has also been considering proposals that would affect employers. A Carcieri staffer recently told Rep. Jon Brien that the governor planned to sign an executive order forcing state agencies and contractors to verify the legal status of their workers, Brien said. The Democratic lawmaker had asked Carcieri to support a bill requiring private employers to do the same. "By cracking down on the employer, you're basically saying if you want to work in Rhode Island, that's fine," Brien said. "But you have to do it legally." -- By Ray Henry, the Associated Press Brien's proposal is one among many introduced by Rhode Island lawmakers this year that deal with illegal immigration. One would make it a crime for state workers to issue state ID cards to illegal immigrants; kick illegal immigrants off public assistance programs; make it illegal to transport or harbor illegal immigrants; and require law enforcement to notify federal authorities any time they arrest a suspected illegal immigrant. Carcieri has already proposed cutting immigrant children, be they legal or illegal, from a state-subsidized health care plan. He has also drawn fire from some immigrants rights groups for cutting translators from the state payroll. His office said a recent report showed anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 illegal immigrants live in the Ocean State. Carcieri has said in the past that the state, in the midst of a $561 million budget crisis, can't afford and shouldn't have to pay for people who break the law. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:56 AM | Comment Rain likely this afternoon, high of 48 degreesLook for rain this afternoon, mostly after 3 p.m. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 48 degrees and calm west winds. More clouds and rain -- and maybe snow -- tonight, when the temperature drops to 34 degrees mild, south winds. Look for a throwback to winter tomorrow, with rain, mixed with sleet in the morning and likely snow later in the afternoon. The high temperature is not likely to break past the 40-degree mark, and cold, north winds could gust up to 20 mph. Check projo.com's weather page for updates and cross your fingers for a change in the forecast. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features coverage of the state budget debate and the fifth in an eight-part series on the Navy's Officer Candidate School in Newport. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 26, 2008Tonight: Rap at Lupo's, rock at AS220 and blues at Chan'sLooking for some musical nourishment tonight? The area provides. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Blestenation and The Rhode Show perform rap at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 9 p.m. $20 advance; $25 day of show. Pterodactyl plays rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. Call 831-9327. 9 p.m. $7. All ages. An open-mike blues jam is at Chan’s Restaurant, 267 Main St., Woonsocket. Call 765-1900. 7 to 10 p.m. No cover. Check out more of the Journal's club listings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment CVS Caremark will pay Texas $315,000 to settle suitHOUSTON -- CVS Caremark will pay the state of Texas $315,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the drugstore operator of dumping records from more than 1,000 customers into a garbage container. The Rhode Island-based company will also overhaul its information security system. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who sued CVS in April, announced the agreement today. The suit accused CVS Caremark, which operates the nation's largest retail pharmacy chain, of dumping credit card numbers, medical information and other material from customers at a store in Liberty, about 45 miles northeast of Houston. Abbott says the $315,000 from CVS will be used by Texas to investigate and prosecute other identity theft cases. CVS said in a statement that it's pleased with the settlement and that it takes seriously the privacy of patient health information. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:58 PM | Comment Note alerts authorities to bomb threat at Burrillville HighBURRILLVILLE -- A note left in a bathroom at Burrillville High School today indicated that "there will be a bomb" during tomorrow night's parent/teacher conferences, according to a news release from the School Department. The news release said the school will be locked down tonight and bags will be searched when students enter the school building tomorrow. Parents/teacher conferences are expected to take place as scheduled, but no one will be allowed into the building until just before the conferences, at 5 p.m. Other action taken by the School Department in response to the threat include: *A state bomb squad was scheduled to sweep the building this afternoon using bomb-sniffing dogs. *Teachers will check their rooms for "any unusual or out-of-place items" when they leave tomorrow night. All classrooms will be locked when teachers leave for the day. *Beginning tomorrow, the school will also take "some administrative steps to more closely supervise students' movement in the building." The School Department said the moves are being carried out in consultation with the town police and state bomb squad personnel. "Unfortunately, this recent spate of bomb threats has needlessly interrupted the education of the students at Burrillville High School, and caused a great deal of stress for the students, their families and the staff," the statement said. Officials are continuing to investigate this threat and several other recent ones. The School Department said there are "significant criminal and school penalties" tied to making such threats and that the administration and the police are "committed to prosecuting anyone" involved with it "to the fullest extent possible." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 PM | Comment Developer denied extension to buy Rocky Point landPROVIDENCE -- A federal judge today denied Nicholas E. Cambio’s request to extend the time he has to finalize his purchase of the former Rocky Point property. Cambio, whose roughly $17-million bid on the foreclosed property had been accepted by the U.S. Small Business Administration, was seeking at least another three months to continue his due diligence in researching the property. With the request denied, Cambio, working as Atlantic American Rocky Point Partners Group, has only until Friday to close on the land. After denying Cambio’s request for an extension, District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux gave the SBA permission to grant the development bid to the only other bidder on the property, Rocky Point Partners LLC. At the SBA’s request, Lagueux gave the SBA permission to give Rocky Point Partners, which is headed by James Leach 120 days to conduct its own due diligence on the property. Nothing can happen until after Friday, when Cambio’s deadline passes. In an interview after court, Cambio indicated that he is not likely to proceed with the closing without an extension. He said that he had run into questions about sewer discharge, drainage and other issues that would have to be address before he felt comfortable about taking title to the roughly 80 acres on which he had planned to build homes. “Your client got into this matter with their eyes wide open,” Lagueux said in denying the motion for an extension. “Now is the time to fish or cut bait.” Rocky Point Partners submitted a letter to the court stating that it wants to pursue the project and that the issues raised by Cambio would not be a stumbling block for them. -- Journal staff writer Barbara Polichetti Posted by Andrea Panciera at 6:05 PM | Comment Carcieri to sign executive order on illegal immigrationPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri tomorrow will sign an executive order "designed to increase the state’s efforts to deal with the problem of illegal immigration," his office announced this evening. The governor will sign the order, for which a news release offers no specifics, at a 2 p.m. State House news conference in the State Room. The statement says the governor will also endorse legislation introduced in the General Assembly to "accomplish the same goal." It notes that, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, about 20,000 to 40,000 illegal immigrants live in Rhode Island. "Illegal immigrants are entitled by law to access a number of taxpayer funded services, including public education and uncompensated hospital care," according to the release. "In the face of growing numbers of illegal immigrants and the inaction of the federal government, many states are doing what they can to address the issue." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:54 PM | Comment Update: 3 more offer Station fire tentative settlementsThree more parties sued by victims of The Station nightclub fire victims have offered tentative settlements in the civil cases now pending in U.S. District Court. JBL Incorporated, formerly known as James B. Lansing Sound dba JBL Professional, which allegedly manufactured amplifiers and speakers used in the nightclub the night of the deadly fire on Feb. 20, 2003, has offered to settle for $815,000. The lawsuits filed by the fire victims allege that the speakers and amplifiers contained highly flammable foam and “were a proximate cause of the personal injuries and/or deaths of the decedents in the combustion of the so-called Station nightclub.” The other two parties offering to settle are ABC Bus, Inc., and Superstar Services LLC, which provided bus transportation for the rock band Great White to The Station for its concert, as well as more than 25 kilograms of explosive fireworks material that the band carried on its road trip. Together they are offering $500,000. Sparks from fireworks set off by Great White’s manager, Daniel M. Biechele, ignited highly flammable polyurethane foam that the owners of The Station, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, had installed as soundproofing in the club. One hundred people died as a result of the fire; more than 200 others were injured. The new settlement offers -- disclosed today in federal court filings -- bring the total amount of settlement money tentatively offered thus far to $72.815 million. Those who lost loved ones in the fire and others who were injured in the blaze have to approve all of the settlements before any of this money is distributed, as must Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux. A court-appointed special master is currently working on a matrix that would be used to determine how much each plaintiff would receive and that also must be approved by the court. – Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:18 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Tribal officer contradicts troopers
Journal photoTribal conservation officer Thawn Harris testifies today. "I said, 'You're trespassing,' " Thawn Harris testified this morning, the 16th day of trial for seven Narragansetts accused of resisting and scuffling with state police as they executed a search warrant to stop the tribe from selling tax-free tobacco in July 2003. Harris said he was told by Lt. Rodney Champlin, then the tribe's acting chief, that they were not to let state police on the land without federal papers, meaning a federal warrant. Harris said he stuck up his hand to try blocking Trooper Ann Assumpico as she ran onto the property and that she hit him and pushed him back before Trooper Kenneth Jones flung him into a car. Another trooper then brought Harris to the ground, where, Harris testified, he put his hands up to be cuffed when asked. Harris's testimony about his arrest contradicted earlier testimony by various troopers. Judge Susan E. McGuirl earlier this month acquitted Harris of assaulting a trooper during the fracas, but ruled that the state had produced enough evidence for the jury to consider other counts against him and other tribe members. Harris was the only witness to testify this morning. This afternoon, defendant Adam Jennings took the stand. He was the only one to do so before the court session ended for the day. Tomorrow, Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas may testify. Read full coverage of yesterday's testimony. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Jack Perry at 5:03 PM | Comment Trinity Rep wins National Pell AwardPROVIDENCE -- The Trinity Repertory Company has won a special National Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, among the 12th annual awards honoring the arts on the local and national level. The repertory company, currently home to 15 actors and actresses, joins the many over the years who have been chosen for the awards named in tribute to former U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island. Previous Pell Award honorees include Jason Robards, Arthur Miller, Beverly Sills, Stephen Sondheim, Toni Morrison, Robert Redford, Maurice Sendak, Jane Alexander, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis and Chita Rivera. Since the 1960s, according to a press release, resident acting companies around the country have built a special relationship with their communities, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts -- established through Pell's initiative. Forty-five years after it was founded by a group of Rhode Island citizens, Trinity Rep is the last large long-standing resident acting company left in the country. In its 43-year history, the theater has presented 52 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its graduate-level theater arts conservatory, trained hundreds of new actors and directors, the press release said. The Rhode Island Pell Award winners will be announced shortly. The Pell Awards Gala will be held on Friday evening, May 30, at Trinity Rep. Honorary chairs for the event are Governor Carcieri, Mayor David N. Cicilline and Sen. and Mrs. Claiborne Pell. Tickets are $250 or $500 for patrons and corporate sponsor tables are also available. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit artistic programming at Trinity Rep. For information and reservations contact, Trinity Rep at (401) 521-1100, x237. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:25 PM | Comment Lawyers make their cases for and against KluthPROVIDENCE -- The case against John P. Kluth Jr., accused of using a phony broken-down lobster truck story to appeal to people's better angels while actually preying on them for money, is headed to the jury. Prosecutor Stephen A. Regine sought in Providence County Superior Court today to remind jurors of what the case is about. It's about good people, he asserted in closing arguments, who want to help others -- thirty-one people who, when encountered by the accused, wanted to help. Regine walked toward Kluth in the courtroom, pointing at him, and said: "Good citizens in our state who came up against this man. A con man. A confidence man." Regine also said: "If this happened to you, are you going to remember it? It's going to be embedded in your mind." But lawyer Mark L. Smith vigorously defended Kluth, saying in his closing argument that the jury needed to consider all 31 allegations individually. Smith compared the photo array that various police departments, including Providence's, used for people to pick out a suspect as a shell game for witnesses. He sought to raise doubts about how all of the complainants could pick the same person each time. He talked about how some were older and could not see well yet identified Kluth. Smith also raised the question of whether they intended money they gave as a gift. He also noted an instance in which some people gave Kluth money at a casino but did not question why, if his lobster truck had broken down, he was at a casino. Smith spoke of the professions of some of those who gave Kluth money -- including a retired lawyer, an official at the state Attorney General's Office and an accountant. Kluth, a former Newport lobsterman, went on trial beginning on March 12 on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses. Following closing arguments, Judge Netti C. Vogel was slated to give the jury its instructions this afternoon. Read about more testimony from the trial. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:22 PM | Comment 350 turn out to protest cuts to Head Start programPROVIDENCE -- With a handful of 3- and 4-year-olds leading the singing of "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands," some 350 people protested at the State House this afternoon against Governor Carcieri's proposal to cut all state money for the federal Head Start preschool program. Parents, children's advocates and Head Start staffers from around Rhode Island held signs bearing such messages as "Stop cuts to Head Start" and "Save Head Start." It is a federal early-childhood program mainly open to 3- and 4-year-olds in families at or below the federal poverty level, which is $17,600 for a family of three. The Capitol Police estimated the rally crowd at 350. Some people held paper cut-out likenesses of children -- 400 cut-outs representing the number of children who would lose Head Start. "The gospel is very clear: We are our brothers' keeper," said one speaker, the Rev. Donald C. Anderson, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. He added: "Rhode Island children are not someone else's responsibility. They are our children. They are our responsibility." The Head Start cut, which would eliminate 400 of 2,800 preschool slots statewide, would save taxpayers $3.3 million, the Journal has reported. Preschool classes through Head Start see to it that poor children begin school “on an equal footing with their more economically-advantaged peers,” according to a policy brief produced by Rhode Island Kids Count, a child advocacy group. The brief says children from families at or below poverty level are typically 18 months behind their peers in learning and social skills at age 4. But the pro-Head Start rally was just one on a day of public stumping at the State House on budget debate issues. Another rally was set to start at 3:30 p.m., during which the state Chamber of Commerce was expected to protest, along with the governor, proposals to roll back the state flat tax and changes to the capital gains tax. At 5 p.m. the House Finance Committee will hear a bill that would affect the flat and capital gains taxes and expand the sales tax -- proposals the Chamber of Commerce rally was expected to oppose. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Steve Peoples of the Journal State House Bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:45 PM | Comment New England not meeting pollution reduction targetsCONCORD, N.H. -- New England is not on track to meet its targets for global warming pollution reductions, despite a commitment the region made back in 2001. That's according to a report issued today by a coalition of environmental groups. The only state to show a drop in emissions was Rhode Island, with a 7 percent drop between 2001 and 2005. Most of that was due to fewer emissions from power production and transportation. The report says global warming emissions have increased in most sectors of the region's economy, from transportation, electricity generation, and fossil fuel consumption. The report says the region could be in trouble if it doesn't reverse the trend and could see more coastal flooding, damage from more severe storms and other problems. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:15 PM | Comment City official struck by van near Central Falls City HallCENTRAL FALLS -- City Personnel Director Gene Noury is in serious condition this afternoon in Rhode Island Hospital after he was struck by a van driven by former mayoral and city council candidate Hector Solis, police said. Noury, 52, suffered two broken legs and possible internal injuries after he was hit by Solis’ Ford Windstar van as he was walking along Summit Street across from City Hall, police said. Solis, 59, was also hospitalized, after complaining of chest pains. Police said he was taken to Miriam Hospital and was in stable condition. Details of the 8:43 a.m. accident were not available today. Central Falls police said they are investigating with assistance of the Rhode Island State Police Before becoming city personnel director in 2004, Noury served on the School Committee from 1976 to 1987 and was a member of the City Council for six and half years, stepping down in 2003. Solis ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003 and 2005. He lost in a bid for City Council in 2007. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Jack Perry at 2:38 PM | Comment Barrington teen gets 6 months in alcohol-related crashPROVIDENCE — A Barrington teenager was sentenced this morning to six months in the state Training School for driving while impaired, fleeing a police officer at Colt State Park and then slamming into a wall, pinning a pedestrian beneath his car on Dec. 29. The 17-year-old Barrington High School student must perform 200 hours of community service, write a letter of apology to the victim and undergo alcohol counseling, and he cannot have a driver’s license until he’s 21. After reviewing a background report on the teen, the Attorney General’s Office withdrew a petition seeking to have him waived out of Family Court and into an adult court. As part of a plea agreement accepted today, the teen admitted to driving to endanger with serious bodily injury resulting, driving while impaired, eluding a police officer, destruction of state property and possession of alcohol by a minor. The teen, whose name has not been released publicly because of his age, stood before the judge, saying his actions were "inexcusable," and apologizing to the victim, who was in court. The teen also apologized to his family, friends and the community of Barrington. “This is a child with great potential,” Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. said in sentencing the teen. “I don’t understand why the children of Barrington have such a problem.” He said 12 other Barrington teens have been referred to his court for alcohol possession charges. -- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick CORRECTION: The initial version of this report incorrectly described the driving while impaired charge. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:27 PM | Comment Carcieri nominates three for judgeshipsGovernor Carcieri today nominated three judges for state Superior, District and Family Courts. Bennett R. Gallo was nominated to fill the Superior Court seat vacated after the recent retirement of Associate Justice Stephen Fortunato, Jr. Gallo of West Greenwich is a lawyer at Gunning, LaFazia & Gnys of Providence. He served as assistant attorney general from 1973 to 1975 and as special attorney general from 1971 to 1973. He received a bachelor's degree in 1966 from Providence College and his law degree from Suffolk University in 1969. Supreme Court Clerk Pamela W. Pfeiffer was nominated to succeed District Court Associate Judge John McLoughlin, who retired. Pfeiffer has served as state Supreme Court clerk since 2003. She was a special assistant attorney general from 1997 to 2003 and an associate at two Massachusetts law firms. She got her bachelor's from Hofstra University in 1983 and a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1988. Family Court Magistrate Debra E. DiSegna was nominated to take the position formerly held by Family Court Associate Judge Pamela M. Macktaz. DiSegna has been a Family Court Magistrate since 1989. She was a special assistant attorney general from 1983 to 1987. DiSegna also taught law classes part-time in the 1980s at Bryant College and Johnson and Wales University. She has a bachelor's from Rhode Island College in 1977 and her got her law degree from Suffolk University in 1982. The nominations are subject to "advice and consent" of the state Senate, the governor's office said in a news release. “I’m very pleased to nominate Bennett Gallo, Pamela Pfeiffer and Debra DiSegna to serve as judges in Rhode Island’s court system,” Carcieri said in the statement. “I believe they all possess the experience, ability and temperament to serve the people of Rhode Island well for years to come.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:08 PM | Comment Red Sox in Japan: A's 5, Sox 1: The complete report
A quick list of all Journal sportswriterSean McAdam's stories from today's 5-1 Red Sox loss to the A's, as the teams met for the second time in Tokyo to kick off their seasons: -- Game story: Rich Harden was the difference as the A's won, earning a split of the two games in Japan. -- The trip is complete and, all in all, the Red Sox say they enjoyed their time in Japan. -- Coco Crisp replaced Jacoby Ellsbury in center field for the second game of the series, but Terry Francona says he can't tell Crisp exactly how he'll be used this year because he doesn't yet know himself. -- J.D. Drew missed his second straight game because of back spasms . . . -- . . . which means Brandon Moss played again. But after the game, he was shipped to Pawtucket. -- David Aardsma did his part to avoid joining Moss on the Fenway-to-McCoy shuffle by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday. -- Bartolo Colon's scheduled to pitch Friday night in Los Angeles and other notes. -- And finally, the A's felt like they were treated as the Red Sox' poor cousins during their time in Tokyo. Posted by Art Martone at 12:03 PM | Comment Photos: Fighting a fire in Providence
Anthony DiGiulio said the blaze, which was called in at 7:30 a.m. and cleared just before 10 a.m., is still under investigation. But, he said, the fire seems to have originated in more than one spot. “It does appear to have been set intentionally,” he added. One firefighter suffered a minor injury, but the house, which is vacant, was unoccupied when fire and rescue crews arrived on the scene. The 2 ½ story wood house was so badly damaged, DiGiulio said, that the building department is looking to have it demolished right away. There’s word yet on whether the owner has been contacted. Scroll down to see more photos from the scene by staff photographer Bill Murphy --projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson
Posted by Jack Perry at 11:55 AM | Comment Bill to expand gambling hours to be heard todayPROVIDENCE -- The Senate Constitutional and Regulatory Issues Committee today is scheduled to hear a bill that would allow 24-hour gambling at Twin River and Newport Grand. The state receives a slice of the revenue from the two gambling facilities. The committee is slated to hear the bill, among other legislative proposals, at the rise of the Senate, according to the meeting agenda. Sen. Paul Moura, an East Providence Democrat, is the bill's prime sponsor. The meeting will be in Room 211 at the State House. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:52 AM | Comment Two protests this afternoon against state budgetPROVIDENCE -- Two groups with two concerns about one tight budget are expected to rally this afternoon at the State House. Advocates for Head Start are expected to meet at 2 p.m. to voice their opposition to a proposal that would eliminate 400 of the youngest and poorest children from the social services program. Then, at 3:30, a group of business leaders plans to rally against an array of proposed taxes, including new taxes on goods and services. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:51 AM | Comment Funeral tomorrow for teen victim of fatal stabbingFuneral services will be held tomorrow for a Cranston teenager who police say was fatally stabbed during a confrontation with another teen last week. Natasha Gonsalves, 18, died after the incident in West Warwick last Thursday night. Another 18-year-old female, Abimbola Johnson, was arrested in connection with the stabbing and is facing a first-degree murder charge. According to her obituary,Gonsalves was a model who had participated in the Miss Teen USA pageant. She also sang with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Jazz Ensemble, played piano and was described as an avid basketball player. A funeral is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9 at the Bell Funeral Home on Broad Street in Providence. A service will follow at the North Providence Assembly of God. Calling hours are tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. Friends and family can submit messages and condolences to an online guestbook. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:52 AM | Comment Indian bureau hears Wampanoag casino proposalMassachusetts residents fighting over plans for a tribal casino in Middleboro, Mass., last night aired their views before federal officials who must review the proposal. About 300 people turned out at Middleboro High School for the hearing, many carrying signs supporting one side or the other in the debate over a request by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to have the federal government take land into trust for them in this town about 30 miles east of Providence. A decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs favoring the Mashpee Wampanoags is a precursor to the tribe's building a casino resort on more than 500 acres in Middleboro. The tribe is seeking the same trust designation for 140 acres in Mashpee, Mass., for a reservation. The tribe wants to build a casino in Middleboro in two phases. The first phase would include a 600,000-square-foot gambling hall on two levels, with 4,000 slot machines and 200 table games, as well as an array of restaurants, retail shops and an event center. The first phase would also include a hotel with 1,000 to 1,200 rooms -- scaled down from the 1,500 initially proposed by the tribe. The second phase would include a golf course and other recreational facilities. -- Journal Business writer Paul Grimaldi More than 50 people spoke at last night's hearing, putting their views on the trust application record in 3-minute intervals at a microphone set before video cameras, audio recording devices and a dais behind which a pair of BIA officials sat, overseeing the commentary. Their speeches touched on a number of issues, from the historic grievances of the tribe to the potential economic boom a casino would bring to the area, and the possible environmental and societal harms a gambling resort could foster. "This is reservation shopping, pure and simple," said Mark Belanger. "What the Mashpees should get is a Class 2 (slot machine) facility in Middleboro." Virginia Bowman, a recent transplant from San Diego, spoke about how a tribe there handled its casino development. "The impact on the area economically was absolutely of a positive nature," Bowman said. "The people of the area trusted to the Barono Indians to respect the environment, and this they did." Posted by Jack Perry at 9:44 AM | Comment Photo: Fire damages Providence house
Crews are still on the scene of a morning fire at 9 Longmont Street. Providence Fire Captain William J. Moise says the fire is under control at the vacant, 2 1/2 story house. No injuries have been reported. -- projo.com com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:20 AM | Comment Chief Justice Williams to address General AssemblyPROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island's Supreme Court chief justice is set to address the General Assembly. Frank Williams will give his seventh State of the Judiciary address at the Statehouse Wednesday afternoon. Williams, a former trial judge, became chief justice of the state's highest court in 2001. During his address to the legislature last year, Williams said he would refuse Gov. Carcieri's cost-cutting demand that court system employees be given unpaid days off. At the time, the governor was proposing furlough days for nonessential state workers to help close the state's budget deficit. Williams will address both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the House Chamber.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:21 AM | Comment Commuter trains still running late after crashThe commuter rail into Boston is running about 25 minutes late this morning after a freight car yesterday rolled off the Stoughton branch of the tracks onto the main line and struck a commuter train. This morning, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, the 6:07, 7:12, and 7:40 trains from Providence to Boston will run 20 to 25 minutes. It is not yet clear if the delays will remain through the day. See the commuter train schedule on the MTBA Web site. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:12 AM | Comment Police in New Bedford searching for accused rapistNEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- Police are searching for an accused child rapist who escaped while in custody at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford. The Bristol District Attorney's office says 38-year-old Anthony Flye, who is said to have ties to Rhode Island, was in New Bedford Superior Court yesterday for arraignment on an indecent exposure charge when he apparently jumped from the top of a stairwell, injuring himself. Flye was brought to the hospital, where authorities say he later managed to escape. Flye was previously being held on $500,000 bail on charges of child rape and indecent assault and battery on a disabled person. He was originally arrested outside his Nantucket home last month. Flye also has a residence in Swansea and prosecutors say he also has ties to Martha's Vineyard, Wareham and Maine. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Light rain possible with a high near 55We escaped the light snow that was forecast for last night. Maybe we can escape the light rain that's possible for this morning. The National Weather Service is also forecasting a high temperature near 55 degrees and high, west winds gusting up to 33 mph. Clouds remain tonight, when the temperature drops to about 31 degrees with milder west winds. Tomorrow may bring rain in the afternoon. We'll have clouds all day, temperatures in the low 50s and mild, southwest winds. For weather updates, check projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the fourth in an eight-part series on Officer Candidate School in Newport and an interview with the new superintendent of Providence schools. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 25, 2008Update: Dozens hurt in commuter train crash in CantonCANTON, Mass. -- Dozens of people were taken to hospitals, most with non-life-threatening injuries, after a freight train box car struck a stationary commuter train locomotive late this afternoon. Stacy Wilbur, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail, which operates the service for the MBTA, said today that preliminary reports indicate the most of the injuries are minor. It was not immediately known how many were aboard the rush-hour train heading south from Boston to Stoughton. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said a box car from the CSX freight line rolled off the Stoughton branch onto the main line and struck the locomotive of the commuter train just before 5:30 p.m. He said the commuter train was not moving at the time. Wilbur said the train was Number 917. It left Boston's South Station at about 4:40 p.m. Train 917, coming outbound from Boston, ends its trip in Stoughton, and does not come into Providence, according to the schedule posted on the MBTA Web site. However, Wilbur said the crash was affecting service on the Stoughton-Providence line. Amtrak service in the area is also being disrupted by the crash. According to Amtrak's Web site, the status of arrival and departure times for trains between Boston and Providence currently cannot be determined. At about 7:15 p.m. at the train station in Providence, an announcement was made that no northbound trains were leaving anytime soon. Shortly before 7 p.m., were being told it was going to be 7:45 or 8 p.m. before trains arrive there from Boston. Three Amtrak trains, including two Acela express trains, were being held at the Providence station, with their passengers aboard. About 60 people were inside the station, waiting and not appearing to be upset by the delays. For additional assistance, Amtrak says to call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). -- The Associated Press and projo.com reports and Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Posted by Andrea Panciera at 7:24 PM | Comment Blue Cross building rising in Capital CenterThe steel frame of the new Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island headquarters is rising in Capital Center, one of three major building projects under way in the district. The 13-story headquarters building will consolidate the health insurer’s 1,100 employees -- now scattered in six buildings throughout Providence -- under one roof in Capital Center. When it is complete in the first quarter of 2010, the building will rise 237 feet above Waterplace Park, at the corner of Finance Way and Exchange Place. The 325,000 square-foot building will cost $114 million. The project is receiving a tax break worth $25 million over 20 years. Next to the Blue Cross building, the two towers of Intercontinental Real Estate’s Waterplace Park residential project are nearing completion, and along Canal Street, the frame is rising on Massachusetts developer Robert Roth’s Capital Cove apartment project, which could open its first building in roughly a year. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:20 PM | Comment Beacon Mutual to refund $7 million to policyholdersBeacon Mutual Insurance Co. announced today that it will distribute an estimated $7 million in refunds to its policyholders by April 30. The refunds are part of a consent agreement that the state's dominant workers' compensation insurer signed with state regulators last July. The refund is designed to compensate policyholders who paid inflated premiums during a period when Beacon was using an outdated formula for assessing losses. Beacon has since adopted new rate guidelines and adjusted its pricing. Beacon estimates that 10,000 of its 14,000 policyholders will be eligible for the refund, which the company will begin distributing by the middle of next month, said Beacon spokesman Bill Fischer. To be eligible, policyholders must have commenced coverage from Oct.1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006, and have been insured for at least six months. Not all policyholders who have coverage during this period, however, are eligible for a distribution payment, the company said in a statement. -- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:15 PM | Comment Tentative agreement on Tiverton teachers' contractAfter seven months without a contract, Tiverton teachers and the School Department have reached a tentative agreement on a one-year pact. The agreement was announced today by Amy Mullen, president of the union, The National Education Association-Tiverton. Late last week, teachers in the Portsmouth school district also tentatively agreed to a one-year pact. The current contract has not yet expired. -- With reports from Journal East Bay staff Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:39 PM | Comment Candidates are distant relatives to the stars, presidentsBOSTON -- This could make for one odd family reunion: Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society found some remarkable family connections for the three presidential candidates -- Democratic rivals Obama and Clinton, and Republican John McCain. Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins. McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush. Genealogist Christopher Child said that while the candidates often focus on pointing out differences between them, their ancestry shows they are more alike than they think. "It shows that lots of different people can be related, people you wouldn't necessarily expect," Child said. -- The Associated Press Obama has a prolific presidential lineage that features Democrats and Republicans. His distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee. "His kinships are across the political spectrum," Child said. Child has spent the last three years tracing the candidates' genealogy, along with senior research scholar Gary Boyd Roberts, author of the 1989 book, "Ancestors of American Presidents." Clinton's distant cousins include beatnik author Jack Kerouac and Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles of England. McCain's ancestry was more difficult to trace because records on his relatives were not as complete as records for the families of Obama and Clinton, Child said. Obama and President Bush are 10th cousins, once removed, linked by Samuel Hinkley of Cape Cod, who died in 1662. Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, linked by Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769. Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, declined to comment on the senator's ancestry. Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins, twice removed, both related to Jean Cusson who died in St. Sulpice, Quebec, in 1718. The New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, is the oldest and largest nonprofit genealogical organization in the country. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:35 PM | Comment Carcieri, McWalters to talk grad rules at charter schoolPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri and state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters tomorrow will go to Times² Academy, a Providence charter high school, to talk about new Rhode Island graduation requirements. Carcieri will meet behind closed doors with teachers. He will then meet with students, a session open to the press. The new high school diploma system, which is being put into effect in phases over the next few years, requires that students show they are proficient in several ways in order to graduate. Students will be expected to score proficient or better in statewide English and math tests given in the eleventh grade. They must also pass at least 20 courses and finish two of these three things: a portfolio, a senior project and end-of-course exams. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:26 PM | Comment Photo: Going with the flow
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:34 PM | Comment Technical problems affect NESN, ESPN2's Sox coverageBOSTON -- Some fans who got up early to watch the Red Sox season opener against Oakland ended up seeing nothing at all because of problems at DirecTV. Technical difficulties at DirecTV blanked out NESN, the cable network that carries the Red Sox, and ESPN2. The problem did not affect those with high definition TV. A spokesman for El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV would not specify what the problem was, or how many people were affected. He said NESN was back up by the seventh inning, enough time to see Boston rally for a 6-5 victory in 10 innings. But ESPN2 wasn't back until after the game ended. Comcast cable company also said it had a problem at its Rehoboth facility that affected "a small percentage" of subscribers for much of the game. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:24 PM | Comment Not quite winter, not quite springIt may not be as bad as we first thought. Earlier today the National Weather Service was predicting light snow overnight with perhaps a little bit of slushy accumulation. But things are looking up. So is there going to be snow? “There’s snow," Bill Simpson at the National Weather Service in Taunton said. "And then there’s snow." Providence may see a few snowflakes tonight, but not, as Simpson put it, snow. Later in the week, he said, we’re likely to get some mixed sleet, maybe a little snow, and possibly some frozen rain. But no accumulation. The real story, he said, is the temperature. “It continues to be unseasonably cool,” he said. By early afternoon, Providence temperatures had just broken into the 40s; but the average for this time of year is low 50s. Tomorrow may bring us closer to average, with forecast temperatures rising well beyond the average, to the mid 50s. But it comes at a price: clouds and/or rain all day long. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:08 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: Tribal lawyer OK'd tax-free storePROVIDENCE -- Counsel for the Narragansett Indian Tribe testified today that he told tribal members that they had the sovereign right to open a tax-free smoke shop. Without giving a specific date, John Killoy said in court today that he advised the tribe on the smoke-shop matter sometime between April and July 2003. The tribe opened its tax-free smoke shop on tribal land in Charlestown on July 12. Two days later the state police raided the store. Now seven Narragansett Indians are on trial for misdemeanors stemming from the scuffle that ensued during the raid. The state rested its case on March 18. Defense attorneys have been at the helm since March 19. Today is the 15th day of the trial, which Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl has said will end by April 4. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:18 PM | Comment Alert: Ex-Army officer to head Providence Schools
Journal photo/Bill MurphyThomas Brady, the new superintendent of Providence achools, in an interview with a Journal reporter this morning at Shula's 347 Steak House, in Providence. PROVIDENCE -- Thomas M. Brady, the interim superintendent of the Philadelphia school system, has been chosen as the new Providence superintendent of schools. His selection was being announced at a press conference in the mayor’s office today at 1 p.m. Brady will replace Schools Superintendent Donnie Evans, who announced only a week ago that he would not seek another term. He withdrew his candidacy hours before the School Board was to decide whether to renew the embattled superintendent’s contract for another three years. Evans had faced a barrage of criticism from the City Council and the teachers' union, most recently over his actions during the crippling Dec. 13 snowstorm, which left more than 100 students stranded on school buses late into the night. Brady, 57, is a retired Army colonel with more than seven years experience in school administration, including top positions with the Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Va., school systems. Brady spent 25 years in the Army, landing his first school administrative school position in 1999 in Fairfax County. He is married with five grown children and five grandchildren. Brady will take over the state's largest school system, whose officials say is teetering on the edge of a financial crisis. At a meeting last night, the district's financial officer Mark Dunham said that the $322.9 million proposed budget for 2008-9 includes a shortfall of $9.7 million -- which Dunham said he did not know how would be made up. Dunham told the school board that the district was “close to not being able to run the schools. We’re close to being in peril.” More to come ... -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:00 PM | Comment About 125 more R.I. Guard members to deployAbout 125 more Rhode Island National Guard members will deploy for various assignments beginning this week and over the ensuing 60 days under a normal troop rotation schedule, the Guard announced today. Most will be from 143rd Airlift Wing units at Quonset Air National Guard Base in North Kingstown. And a new Special Operations Detachment-Global unit -- a "unique special operations organization" based in Coventry -- will deploy this week for Operation Enduring Freedom-Caribbean and Central America. The detachment works with U.S. Special Operations Command to plan and carry out special operations in the war on terrorism, the Guard said. The unit will be stationed at Homestead Air National Guard Base in Miami, Fla. As part of an Air Force rotation, the 143rd Airlift Wing in May will deploy to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar some 60 airmen from operations, maintenance and support. Two of the unit’s C-130J transport planes with air, maintenance and support crews will deploy for 120 days. Also, the 143rd Civil Engineering Squadron will deploy 25 people to Iraq in mid-April while the 143rd Aerial Port Squadron will deploy another 25 to locations in May. Both units will deploy for six months. All told, the Rhode Island National Guard will have just more than 500 members deployed for the war on terrorism, the Guard said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Also: There are eight members of the 65th Press Camp, 136 members of the 169th Military Police Company, and 175 members of C Battery, 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery, in Iraq. Another six members of D Company, 126th Theater Aviation Company, are stationed in Kuwait, 16 members of the 56th Troop Command Mobil Training Team are deployed in Afghanistan and 26 from the Air National Guard’s Security Forces Squadron are in Saudi Arabia. About 20 more soldiers and airmen are deployed in various assignments. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:20 PM | Comment Ethics board votes to investigate Woonsocket mayorPROVIDENCE -- The state Ethics Commission voted this morning to investigate whether Woonsocket Mayor Susan D. Menard leased four motorcycles for the city Police Department from her son-in-law's business. The commission decision was the first step in determining whether Menard violated the state Code of Ethics. The commission found that if the accusations in the complaint are proven, it would amount to a knowing and willful violation of the code. The complaint, filed March 3, came from a retired city police officer, Edward M. Roy, who said the mayor leased the motorcycles for $10,000 from Paramount Harley Davidson of Framingham, Mass., and that an owner of the company is the mayor's son-in-law, James Pilavin. Roy gave the commission a number of city financial documents he said supported his accusations. Roy also said in his complaint that Menard acknowledged the leasing arrangement during a program in February on the local radio station, WNRI 1380. Roy's complaint came four days before Menard announced that she will resign in June after 12½ years as mayor. Her announcement, in turn, followed the resignations of Police Chief Michael L.A. Houle and Deputy Chief Richard Dubois earlier that week after Marsha Bish, Houle's ex-wife, accused Houle and Dubois of fixing test scores to get her on the police force. Both men denied the allegations.
Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment More tax help for seniorsSeniors who want to know more about the economic stimulus package – including what’s required to be eligible for a rebate check – can ask the experts. Representatives from the IRS and the AARP are joining Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on a series of meetings to answer questions and clarify what senior citizens need to do to ensure they receive checks. Among other things, seniors who don’t typically file a tax return will have to do so this year to qualify for rebates. It's the second of several meetings and is tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Westerly Senior Center, 39 State Street. More events are scheduled, including this Friday, March 28, in Cranston. Extra: Find out now when you'll receive your rebate check. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:51 AM | Comment Red Sox win opener in Japan, 6-5 / Photo
A quick list of all Sean McAdam's stories from Tuesday's 6-5 Red Sox victory over the A's: -- Manny Ramirez gets off to his quickest start in years with a pair of two-run doubles, including a two-out shot in the 10th that breaks a 4-4 tie, and leads the Red Sox to a season-opening win over the A's. -- Daisuke Matsuzaka overcomes a rocky start to pitch five solid innings and leaves the game with a 3-2 lead. -- The red-hot J.D. Drew can't answer the bell, as a bad back forces him to the sidelines. -- A complete list of postgame notes. -- Commissioner Bud Selig attends the game and is non-committal on whether or not punishment will be meted out to players named in the Mitchell Report. He also has little to say about the Sox' threatened boycott of the Japanese trip, concluding, "All's well that ends well." -- Prior to the game, Sean accompanies representatives of the Red Sox and A's to a reception at the home of Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. "They'll let anyone in here, I guess,'' jokes A's general manager Billy Beane when he spots Sean. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:51 AM | Comment Providence to name new schools superintendent todayProvidence Mayor David N. Cicilline and School Board President Mary McClure plan to announce the school board's appointment of a new superintendent today. A statement sent from the mayor's office says the new superintendent's name will be announced at a 1 p.m. news conference in Cicilline's office. The new superintendent will replace Supt. Donnie Evans, who announced on March 17 that he would not seek another term. He had faced a barrage of criticism from the City Council and the teachers' union, most recently over his actions during the Dec. 13 snowstorm, which left more than 100 students stranded on school buses late into the night. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:47 AM | Comment Fans in Boston and Oakland started early tooBOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics may be in the land of the rising sun, but it was their fans who had to rise before the sun to catch the season opener. Bars around Fenway Park and elsewhere catered to big breakfast crowds as the season officially began Tuesday about 6:05 a.m. Eastern time. The area around the park was packed with cars and fans in Red Sox caps and jerseys. Just like a normal game day, the cheers began with the opening pitch, and the "Let's Go Red Sox!" chants followed a few innings after. But some things were different. "Coffee and breakfast instead of beer, kind of unusual," observed Tony Massarotti, 48, of Watertown, who joined a large crowd who watched the game on the 90 HDTV screens at Game On, a sports bar attached to Fenway Park. The bar opened earlier than usual, but had no plans to serve alcohol during the game. State law bans alcohol sales before 8 a.m. McFadden's in Providence was full of Sox fans at 7 a.m. -- The Associated Press Oakland fans had it a bit tougher, as the game started at 3 a.m. there. Christy Hofmann, an editor of the fan Web site AthleticsNation.com, said she planned to visit a friend who owns a big screen television and watch the game with popcorn and pizza. "I took a preliminary poll, and at least 392 people will be up at the same time, watching the games," Hofmann wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press. Terry Boccelli, 47, of Stoneham said she would have made the trip to Boston to watch the defending World Series champions, no matter what time of day or night. "I could not wait for the Red Sox," said Boccelli, who was at the Cask'n Flagon, across the street from Fenway. "I have withdrawal all winter long." Mark Gillis, 41, an attorney from Reading, said he thought he was going to be in court first thing in the morning, but the judge moved the case. "I was like, 'yes!' " said Gillis, who packed his two sons and daughter into the car and headed for Game On. "I figured, what the heck, the opportunity to watch the Red Sox on opening day and still make it to school on time doesn't come around very much." Some fans at the bars had taken the day off, but others were dressed and headed for work, even if they weren't optimistic about how much they'd get done. "Productivity is going to be nil this morning," said Leslie Murphy, of Somerville. "I'm not going to do a damn thing." Once the game started, the clock and a look on TV at the Japanese ads behind home plate were some of the giveaways something was unusual about this opening day. It's still just baseball, said Matt Mozzone, 26 of Taunton, who added he was happy to be watching the game with people across the globe. "We're sharing something of ours and the Red Sox get to appreciate something of theirs," he said. Posted by Jack Perry at 10:18 AM | Comment Traffic Alert: Route 95 ProvidenceAn accident on Route 95 has traffic snarled in Providence. The accident, in the southbound side of the roadway, is near Exit 22B/Route6 West/Route 10 South in the left and right center lanes. To see how bad it really is, see the Transportation Management Center's Web cams.
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:41 AM | Comment Red Sox opener in Japan: The tavern was full at 7 a.m.
In fact, Kyle Bosworth, 25, said he was upset because he didn’t get to the bar until 6:30 a.m. “The opening pitch was at 6:15.” “Six-oh-six,” a friend chimed in. The Red Sox played their opening game in Japan today, a reason for many Rhode Islanders to roll out of bed hours early. They wore suits and jerseys and, I think, pajamas. They ate doughnuts and muffins. They drank juice and coffee and – yes, at 7 a.m. – a spectrum of booze and spirits. “I’m not the only one drinking,” Bosworth said, when told that his bottle of Bud Light was what drew this reporter to his table. And he wasn’t, not by a stretch. But hey, it's a special occasion. “Only because it’s in Japan,” he said. Bosworth and some friends and coworkers had been planning the excursion for a week. They probably wouldn’t have sacrificed the sleep if the opening game was at 6 a.m. at Fenway. The low rumble of conversation burst into a brief, unified cheer when Sox got the third out in the fifth. But for all the excitement, things weren’t looking too good for the Sox, with Oakland leading 2-0 at 7 a.m. “Diasuke could be doing better," Bosworth said, “but it’s still early.” Matt Flaxington, 22, also made a sacrifice for the Sox, sleeping just an hour before making the trip across the river from East Providence see the game. Flaxington’s friend, 23-year-old David Raposa, was also upset that they got in “late,” at about 6:15. “I had to hit the snooze button a couple of times,” he said. But that they would wake up hours early to go to a bar on a Tuesday morning to watch a baseball game seemed almost self-evident to Raposa. “There’s nothing like opening day.” Read: Fans in Boston and Oakland started early, too. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:07 AM | Comment Fire at former Taunton factory under investigationTAUNTON, Mass. -- Fire investigators are seeking the cause of a multiple-alarm blaze that destroyed a former industrial building in Taunton. The fire broke out shortly before 6 p.m. yesterday and burned for several hours, sending thick black smoke wafting over the city's downtown area. The former Stone Station building off Arlington Street was used to store granite and marble. Officials said no one was inside when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported. The property manager of the building, Henry Vargas, says he believes the fire may have been intentionally set. He says there have been several thefts of material from the building in recent weeks and those thefts had been reported to police. The company that operated the plant moved out of Taunton about a year ago. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:54 AM | Comment Ethics to consider complaint vs. Woonsocket mayorThe Rhode Island Ethics Commission this morning will consider an ethics complaint alleging that Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard was involved in the Police Department’s lease of four Harley Davidsons from her son-in-law’s business in Framingham, Mass. The complaint was filed by Edward M. Roy, a retired policeman who ran unsuccessfully for the Woonsocket City Council in November, who alleges that such involvement by Menard is an “egregious” ethics violation. The complaint comes during the midst of major changes in city government, including Menard's design to resign in June.
Houle said that the lease was $10,000 a year for all four motorcycles. He said they were being paid for from a Community Development Block Grant. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Sunny, high near 46 today, but snow possible tonightWe can look forward to another sunny day today with the National Weather Service forecasting clear skies and a high temperature near 46 degrees. There's a chance of rain tonight, and maybe even some early spring snow, although no accumulation is expected. The temperature is set to drop to about 33 degrees with a southwest wind gusting as high as 29 mph. Rain could continue into tomorrow morning, ending by early afternoon. We'll have clouds all day, but with a mild 56-degree high temperature and breezy west winds. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the third in an eight-part series on Officer Candidate School in Newport. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 24, 2008Tomorrow: Time for eggs and Red SoxThe Easter egg hunts are over and it's only a Monday -- but there's still something happening out there. But before we get to tonight, let's skip to tomorrow morning, early tomorrow morning. Dunkin' Donuts and WEEI-FM will be at McFadden's in downtown Providence as the Red Sox play the Oakland A's in the Boston team's season opener -- in Japan -- at 6:05 a.m. -- our time. It's free and open to the public. Dunkin' Donuts will serve a complimentary breakfast during the game. On your computer that time of day? Projo.com will have live coverage of the game, including a scoreboard and SoxBlog reports and photos direct from Providence Journal sportswriters in Japan. Back to tonight, here's a sampling of who's playing what in the clubs. Garlland Briggs, Brio and Xerxes will play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $4. All ages. CC Old School gets funky at The Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. 453-6500, www.thehihat.com. 7 to 11 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:06 PM | Comment Lab room gas leak briefly evacuates Lincoln HighLINCOLN -- The high school was evacuated for about 14 minutes this morning after a Bunsen burner valve was found to be open and letting natural gas escape into a lab room, Acting Principal Elizabeth Marquis said. No one was hurt and the source was quickly discovered by member of the Albion Fire Department, Marquis said. Deputy Fire Chief Robert Valentine said the source was a Bunsen burner valve that had been left open. He said firefighters examined the valves and natural gas equipment in the room and found it all to be in good working order. Marquis said school officials were unsure how the valve got to be opened. The source of the gas was located by a combustible gas detector the department uses on such calls, which goes off with an increasingly fast beep as it approaches the source of a gas leak. Valentine said judging by the amount of gas, which was mostly confined to the single laboratory, the valve could not have been open for that long. He said a teacher had been in the room earlier with no problem and, upon returning, noticed the smell of gas. An override valve under the counter where the burner had been was left on instead of off, Valentine said, but that may have been inadvertently knocked into the wrong position. After firefighters examined all the natural gas-related lines and equipment in the room and found them to be in good shape and the room was aired out, students were allowed back in, he said. -- Journal staff writer John Hill Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment Ex-Johnston art dealer back in court on escape chargePROVIDENCE -- Rocco P. DeSimone, a former Johnston art dealer accused of escaping from a federal prison camp where he'd been serving time for tax evasion, has until April 4 to decide whether to ask that the escape case be moved to Rhode Island from New Jersey. A judge set that date during a federal court hearing in Providence this afternoon after DeSimone's DeSimone did not speak at today's court hearing. DeSimone, 55, was charged in a federal warrant with fleeing the Federal Correctional Institution, in Fairton, N.J., a minimum-security facility for men. Federal authorities have said he was found to be missing at a 7 p.m. check on Saturday, March 15. He surrendered to U.S. marshals in Providence and first appeared in U.S. District Court last Wednesday, March 19, two days after his wife, Gail DeSimone, was accused of helping him to escape. DeSimone had only nine months left to serve. That will be lengthened by any term he gets if convicted of escaping. He could receive up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the new offense, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman has said. Gail DeSimone surrendered to authorities a week ago and has been ordered held in home confinement at the couple’s house, at 103 Hopkins Ave., Johnston. Authorities have alleged that after DeSimone walked away from the New Jersey incarceration facility, his wife picked him up in a rental car after flying from Rhode Island to Philadelphia on Saturday. DeSimone made his bid for freedom just two days after FBI agents searched his home as part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering, federal authorities said. The agents seized numerous items, including a $180,000 Ford GT sports car, Japanese swords and artifacts. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Thomas J. Morgan and Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:55 PM | Comment Photo: Tell-tale sign of movie filming in Providence
Filming of Tell-Tale, a modern, loosely-based take on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic "The Tell-Tale Heart," was under way today in Providence. Filming is expected in Burrillville and Providence, with such locations as the Zambarano Hospital in Burrillville and the Fogarty Judicial Complex in Providence. The filmmakers are scheduled to be in the state through April. Josh Lucas and Lena Headey are starring. Lucas, star of the movies Stealth and Poseidon, will play a single father whose transplanted heart leads him to search for the donor’s murderer before a similar fate befalls him. Headey is a British actress who has the title role in the Fox TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and has appeared in the films The Brothers Grimm and 300. Tell-Tale is being produced by Poe Boy Productions, an arm of the company headed up by director brothers Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator, American Gangster) and Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide). Directing is Michael Cuesta, who has directed independent films and episodes of the TV series Dexter and Six Feet Under. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 5:17 PM | Comment Senate president seeks longer moratorium on shutoffsSenate President Joseph A. Montalbano, D-North Providence, has asked National Grid to voluntarily extend its moratorium on gas and electricity shut-offs on low-income customers until May 1. The moratorium is currently scheduled to end on April 15. The extension would ensure that low-income households that are currently behind on their utility bills are able to maintain their service until warmer weather arrives. “This heating season, we have seen sharp increases in home heating costs and an unprecedented number of utility bills going unpaid,” wrote Montalbano. “Last year, the number of people who had their source of heat turned off hit more than 20,000 households in Rhode Island. My hope is that you will continue to supply heat to families who are struggling to pay their bills until this heating season ends.” Montalbano said that from information provided by the George Wiley Center, it appears that in 2008 Rhode Island will be at a record level of residential utility terminations for non-payment. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:13 PM | Comment Update: Woman pleads not guilty to DUI / Photo
A 45-year-old woman today pleaded not guilty to two felony driving charges resulting from a car crash last summer that left a South Kingstown teenager critically hurt. Heidi Harrall, of South Kingstown, entered the plea on charges from a March 14 grand jury indictment: driving under the influence, serious bodily injury resulting and driving to endanger, personal injury resulting. Superior Court Judge Stephen P. Nugent heard that Harrall had been discharged Friday from substance abuse treatment and told her to return in two weeks to show she is participating in continued outpatient treatment. He allowed the $10,000 cash bail she posted in District Court last year to be transferred to Superior Court. South Kingstown police say Harrall was driving south on Route 1 last June when she tried to pass a car. She crossed the yellow line, police said, and swerved back into the southbound lanes, lost control, and drove into the shoulder. Sylvia Bogusz, 17, was standing on the shoulder, waiting for her mother to arrive and help her with a flat tire. She was returning from a South Kingstown High School graduation celebration with her family. According to police reports at the time, Bogusz had followed recommended procedures: she called for help, and stood away from the road. Bogusz's mother was the first to find her, bleeding in the southbound lane of Route 1, about 100 feet from where police say Harrall struck her. Police estimate Harrall was driving faster than 90 mph. Defense lawyer Robert B. Mann told Judge William C. Clifton that Harrall had attended an intensive Butler Hospital program that ended Friday. She was told to follow up with a doctor and enter another outpatient counseling program. Pretrial conferences are to start May 5. Today, Bogusz's mother, Grazyna Chylinska, who sat with a friend to witness the arraignment from the courtroom’s front row, said later only that “we waited nine months” and “all we want is for the community to come together and pray” for her daughter’s recovery. -- Journal staff writer Donita Naylor and projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson She said her daughter is still in a great deal of pain. Bogusz, now 18, has been in the hospital or a rehabilitation center from June 23 to Wednesday, when she returned home for the first time in nine months. She is also recovering from surgery to close an ileostomy, an opening in her abdominal wall made to allow waste to bypass her colon. She talked in November for the first time since the accident. The honors student was unable to speak for four months and has only since January begun to walk with assistance after months of physical therapy, which is continuing. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:05 PM | Comment Nonviolence agency gets aid in fight against gangs
"Nonviolence is not for cowards,’’ he said. "It’s for courageous people. We are a small group, but we are committed.’’ Monteiro was one of several speakers at today’s announcement that the nonprofit agency had received $352,000 in federal appropriations to continue its battle to fight gang violence and help troubled youth in some of the city’s worst neighborhoods. Teny Gross, the institute’s executive director, said that the federal grant money couldn’t come soon enough. He said that the poor economy, foreclosures on homes and budget cuts has created "the perfect storm’’ for a violent summer. "The poor need us most when the times are tough,’’ he said. "The poor need is now.’’ The institute was formed six years ago with a $30,000 budget and a handful of part-time workers. Last year, the agency had a $1.3 million budget that included about a dozen full and part-time streetworkers and eight other staff members. Gross said that the Streetworkers Program is the only one in the country that does not receive state or city funding. Instead, it is dependent on grants and private donations. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski The staff and streetworkers work out of office space in St. Michael’s Church rectory on the South Side. The streetworkers are former gang members, many of whom have criminal records, who mediate disputes and try to convince teenagers to stay out of gangs. They make daily visits to the city’s public schools, talk to gang members, and visit victims of shootings and stabbings at local hospitals. They are on call 24 hours a day. A few months ago, Gross and two of the streetworkers traveled to Northern Ireland to work with youths in Belfast. Streetworkers also have testified before Congress about gang violence, and two weeks ago, the city of Los Angeles called the instiutute seeking advice for its outreach workers. There are an estimated 39,000 gang members in the greater Los Angeles area. In Providence, the police have identified about 1,400 gang members and associate gang members. U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin, both R.I. Democrats, were on hand to praise the institute and the streetworkers. Kennedy said it costs taxpayers $55 billion annually to lock up criminals in federal, state and local prisons and jails. He said the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence is an example of a worthwhile and inexpensive alternative. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’’ said Kennedy, noting that it costs $90,000 to jail a juvenile in Rhode Island for a year. "We do so little in our country to promote programs like the one we have in our backyard.’’ Langevin said that other cities should follow the lead of the Providence institute. Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Kennedy credited the institute and the streetworkers for the reduction in murders and violent crime in the city. According to the Providence police, there were about 4,000 fewer crime victims last year than there were in 2002. Ongoing gun battles between rival gangs were responsible for 12 of the city’s 59 shootings last year. Kennedy said that the department welcomes the help and knowledge that the streetworkers bring. "We recognize that we need to invest in our children, not arrest them,’’ he said. "We need to reach more people.’’ Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:59 PM | Comment Station fund gets a boost after concert airs on TVPROVIDENCE -- A memorial fund that raises money for survivors of The Station nightclub fire received at least $25,000 in donations since a benefit concert aired on television. The Feb. 25 concert at the Dunkin Donuts' Center was broadcast last night on VH1 and VH1 Classic. Todd King, a founder of The Station Family Fund, says the fund already has received at least $25,000 through its Web site. The Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the West Warwick nightclub killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others. The concert last month featured performances by rock bands Twisted Sister, Winger and Tesla and country acts including Gretchen Wilson and John Rich. King says proceeds totaled $173,000 from the concert before it aired on television. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:51 PM | Comment Ethics complaint against Woonsocket mayor on agendaThe Rhode Island Ethics Commission tomorrow morning will consider an ethics complaint alleging that Woonsocket Mayor Susan Menard was involved in the Police Department’s lease of four Harley Davidsons from her son-in-law’s business in Framingham, Mass. The complaint was filed by Edward M. Roy, a retired policeman who ran unsuccessfully for the Woonsocket City Council in November, who alleges that such involvement by Menard is an “egregious” ethics violation. The complaint comes during the midst of major changes in city government, including Menard's design to resign in June. Roy said that Michael L.A. Houle, former chief of the Woonsocket Police Department, said on WNRI talk radio in February that the department had leased the four motorcycles from Paramount Harley Davidson of Framingham. Roy said Houle also said on the radio that leasing the bikes from the mayor’s son-in-law was a good thing because extras were thrown in at no cost. Houle said that the lease was $10,000 a year for all four motorcycles. He said they were being paid for from a Community Development Block Grant. But when Roy checked CDBG funds for the city he found no allocations for motorcycles. He brought his concerns about the motorcycles up during a City Council meeting on Feb. 18. During the meeting, Joel Mathews, the director of planning, said that no CDBG money was used to pay for the bikes. -- Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina Roy said that the mayor’s son-in-law, James Pilavin, is a part owner of the Framingham shop. Records from the state Board of Elections show that he contributed $1,000 to Menard in November 2005, and $750 in July 2007, both years of elections. In the complaint, Roy said that Menard, during a Feb. 19 appearance on WNRI, confirmed that the bikes came from her son-in-law’s dealership. But, he said, Menard said that the money that is being used to pay the lease is coming from the Justice Department’s Local Law Enforcement Block Grants. In a shocking move early this month, Menard announced she would be leaving her post as mayor in June. The announcement came two days after State Police took over the city's Police Department after former chief House and his deputy chief retired after the chief’s ex-wife made allegations that they had changed test scores on a police exam to get her on the force. Before the resignations, the City Council was at odds with the chief and mayor over the lease of four Harley-Davidsons from the mayor’s son-in law. Councilmembers said the lease was signed without bids and without their knowledge. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:27 PM | Comment Mass. governor: 'Fix was in' on casino billBOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick said today that "the fix was in pretty early" against his casino gambling bill, and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi broke a promise to allow an open floor debate that could have tweaked the proposal to satisfy critics. The governor said had DiMasi allowed amendments during last week's debate, he would have been prepared to allow slot machines at one or two of the state's four race tracks -- and even reduce the number of casinos he sought from three to two or even one -- if it would have led to overall passage of the bill. Instead, Patrick said, the speaker strangled the bill Wednesday with a committee vote that prevented amendments during the full House debate on Thursday. The measure now cannot be brought up for consideration until next year at the earliest, despite support from Patrick, key members of the Senate and a host of House members. A recent study by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce said the casinos would have created about 20,000 permanent jobs and $400 million in annual tax revenues, a portion of which would have been redirected to financially ailing cities and towns. "You know, the fix was in pretty early," said the governor, who was out of state when the bill was formally killed last week. Speaking to reporters after addressing a breakfast meeting at a downtown hotel, Patrick added: "I certainly felt like the opportunity to have an open, fact-based debate on a thoughtful, serious and popular proposal did not occur, and why it did not occur, you've got to ask the speaker about that. I can tell you that we were assured it would. And I don't believe that promise was kept." A DiMasi spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. -- The Associated Press The governor refused to speculate why DiMasi was so dead set against the bill, but he batted away the speaker's suggestion that casinos would promote a "gambling culture" in the state and lead to increased social costs such as personal bankruptcy, divorce and petty crime. "I don't buy it, I don't buy it, and I don't think the evidence is there for that," Patrick said. "I mean, Wisconsin has more casinos that any other state in America, with nearly 30 casinos, and nobody thinks of Wisconsin as having a `casino culture.' " He also dismissed one issue raised by some in the DiMasi camp, that the Patrick administration has been behind unfavorable newspaper stories about DiMasi golfing with casino backers and promoting a state computing contract on behalf of a friend who lobbied for the firm. "You know, he has a whole host of excuses, you know," the governor said of DiMasi. "First of all, those accusations are false and he knows that, by the way, he's been told that by authoritative sources. And, it's irrelevant. Look, there's going to be good days and bad days for everybody in this business in the media, due respect to all of you. It has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity of the process and the openness of the debate." Patrick said he remains opposed to a proposal to place 2,500 slot machines at each of the state's race tracks, something DiMasi now appears ready to let the House debate despite past opposition to the idea. Rep. Richard Ross, R-Wrentham, said last Wednesday he agreed to switch from supporting the casino bill to opposing it in the critical committee vote after DiMasi promised him he would allow the slot bill to come to the floor. Plainridge Racecourse, a trotting track, is in Ross's district. "There's nothing from what I have read and studied on this subject that indicates that we would get the economic upside or the job creation from slots at the tracks," the governor said. "And, by the way, there are some indications that the social costs are greater in the case of slots at the tracks. Now, in our proposal, we were prepared to compromise, if there was an opportunity to do that, to do maybe one or two of those or maybe one or two casinos, but like I said, we didn't have an opportunity to have that debate." Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:45 AM | Comment Gas prices fall slightlyGasoline prices in Rhode Island have dropped for the first time in six weeks, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is down one cent to $317.9 at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. AAA attributes the slight drop to a drop in oil prices. A year ago at this time, Rhode Islanders were paying $2.609. Despite the slight drop in gasoline prices, diesel fuel prices continue to increase. The average price for diesel fuel is $4.149, up five cents since last week. Posted by Jack Perry at 11:20 AM | Comment Narragansett tribe gets money for wildlife conservationThe Narragansett Indian Tribe is getting part of a $6.2 million grant aimed at helping Native American groups in 18 states fund conservation projects. The federal Tribal Wildlife Grants program address cultural and environmental priorities; brings attention to tribal fisheries, wildlife and related fields of study. Some grants have been awarded to aid in the recovery efforts of threatened and endangered species. In Rhode Island, the Narragansett Indian Tribe has been awarded $200,000 for a wetland restoration project and to restore a buffer zone and wetland habitat along the Indian Cedar Swamp Brook on the tribal land in Charlestown. “Tribal Wildlife Grants are much more than a fiscal resource for tribes,” Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said in a statement. “The projects and partnerships supported by this program have enhanced our commitment to Native Americans and to the United States’ shared wildlife resources.” More than $360,000 in grants are dedicated to three Native tribes in New England, including the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, both of Maine. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:09 AM | Comment North Smithfield's Hazardous Waste DaySmithfield residents can bring their hazardous waste to North Smithfield later this month and dispose of it the right way. Residents need to schedule an appointment with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery’s Eco-Depot. Materials will be collected at North Smithfield High School, 421 Greenville Ave., this Sat., March 29. To make an appointment to drop off waste, call the Eco-Depot at 942-1430 extension 241. The event is a chance to get rid of hazardous household waste, waste that is toxic, flammable/combustible, corrosive/caustic or reactive. Such materials are typically carry “danger,” “poison,” or “caution” labels. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:58 AM | Comment Mass. rep. defends proposal to decriminalize marijuanaBOSTON -- Rep. Barney Frank is defending a bill he plans to file this week decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, saying the federal law unfairly targets those using medical marijuana in California. Frank, who filed a bill to decriminalize marijuana as a member of the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1970s, said the decision whether to make possession of the drug illegal should be left up to the states. He also said the federal government shouldn't have a law on the books that is rarely enforced and which doesn't make sense to large portions of the public. "Do you really think people should be prosecuted for smoking marijuana? I don't think most people agree with that. It's one area where the public is ahead of the elected officials," Frank said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It does not appear to me to be a law that society is serious about." Frank said he was particularly troubled by federal law enforcement agencies targeting those using marijuana as a legal medical treatment under California law. "I don't think smoking marijuana should be a federal case," he said. "There's no federal law against mugging." Marijuana use is illegal under U.S. law, which does not recognize the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states. -- The Associated Press The Drug Enforcement Agency and other U.S. agencies have been shutting down major medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California in the last two years and charging their operators with felony distribution charges. Frank first announced the bill on the HBO show "Real Time," hosted by Bill Maher. Frank's comments come as pro-marijuana activists are pushing a ballot question that would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Massachusetts. Instead of facing a criminal record, those caught with a small amount of marijuana for personal use would instead pay a civil fine of $100 - much like a traffic ticket. Supporters say the measure would save the state millions of dollars in law enforcement costs and spare thousands of state residents from the burden of a criminal record. Critics, including the head of the anti-drug education group DARE-Massachusetts, say they oppose decriminalizing any amount of marijuana because it could send a signal to children that smoking pot is no big deal. They say they while not everyone who smokes pot will end up shooting heroin, almost no heroin addicts begin with the more dangerous drug. Activists pushing the initiative point to more than two dozen nonbinding referendum questions placed on local ballots in Massachusetts in the past six years. In each, a majority of voters supported the idea of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. About a dozen states have already adopted similar laws. Asked about the marijuana ballot initiative last December, Gov. Deval Patrick said he had to consult with his Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke and Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby before staking out a position. "I think they are both skeptical," he said at the time. The ballot question isn't the only effort under way to ease the state's drug laws. A bill working its way through the Statehouse would also decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of the drug, but set a higher fine of $250. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:08 AM | Comment Providence residents can get answers tonightPotholes? Taxes? Crime? Whatever your municipal quandaries, you can ask them tonight at Ask Your Elected Official night. Sponsored by Providence Crime Watch and the District 6 Community Police, a handful of city officials have been invited to answer questions. Those invited include Mayor David N. Cicilline, Sen. Frank Ciccone, Sen. Paul Jabour, Rep. Peter Wasylyk, Council President Peter Mancini, and Councilmen Joseph DeLuca, Michael Solomon and Terrence Hassett. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight at the Lillian Feinstein Senior Center on Chalkstone Avenue. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:44 AM | Comment Photos: Red Sox hold a kids' clinic in Tokyo
For more reports from Sean McAdam and Bob Breidenbach in Japan, plus pitch-by-pitch coverage of tomorrow's regular-season opener against the Oakland Athletics, go to projo.com/redsox. Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:42 AM | Comment Photo: Fire damages residence in Pawtucket
PAWTUCKET -- Pawtucket fire crews had to rescue a man from the third floor window after a fire this morning forced an extended family to evacuate. No one was seriously injured, according to Fire Battalion Chief Ron Doirie, and the family should be able to sleep in the house tonight. The fire started at about 6 a.m. at 35 Hunts Ave. Initial investigations suggest it was sparked by a candle in the first-floor bedroom. “People don’t understand how dangerous that is,” Doirie said. A couple lives on the third floor with their two children, three siblings on the second floor and their grandmother on the first floor. Dorie said a fire alarm alerted the house to the fire. Everyone evacuated but the father who lives on the third floor. He went downstairs, then ran back up to the third floor for a fire extinguisher. By the time he reached it, the smoke had filled the stairwells and he could not get back downstairs. When the fire crew arrived, the truck extended its ladder to the fire escape. Damage was mostly contained to the bedroom, Doirie said. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Jack Perry at 8:20 AM | Comment Escaped art dealer has court date todayPROVIDENCE -- A former art dealer from Rhode Island who escaped from federal prison will soon appear in federal court. Rocco DeSimone faces new charges for escaping from a minimum-security prison camp in Fairton, New Jersey, on March 15th. He surrendered four days later to federal authorities in Providence. He is scheduled to appear today in U.S. District Court in Providence, where a judge will decide whether DeSimone should be sent back to New Jersey. DeSimone's wife, Gail, has been charged with harboring an escaped prisoner. Federal investigators allege that she called her husband on the day of his escape, flew to Philadelphia and rented a car there. The U.S. Marshal's office said she picked up her husband and dropped him off in Connecticut. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Firefighters respond to blaze in PawtucketPawtucket fire and rescue crews are on the scene of a fire on Hunts Ave. The fire, at a residence, is at 35 Hunts Ave., according to the Pawtucket Fire Department. More information to come. --projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Sunny with a high near 46Well, it almost feels like spring. The National Weather Service is forecasting a sunny day with a high temperature near 46 degrees -- still chilly, but not frigid thanks to calmer winds than we saw last week. Tonight the temperature drops to about 25 degrees with a few clouds and calm, northwest winds. Tomorrow looks similar, with sunny skies and a high temperature near 45 degrees and a mild north wind, becoming south later in the day. To keep an eye on the weather through the week, see projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the second in an eight-part series on the Navy's Officer Candidate School in Newport. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 21, 2008Tomorrow: Egg hunts, rabbit rescues, GlobetrottersAnywhere you hop, it seems, there's an Easter event tomorrow. The nonprofit rabbit rescue group Sweet Binks will host a free education seminar tomorrow for those who are thinking about adopting a rabbit. The event is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Rhode Island SPCA, 186 Amaral St., East Providence. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Organizers ask that no children younger than 10 attend. For information, call (401) 623-1340 or go to www.sweetbinks.org. There are Easter egg hunts slated around the state as well: * A Children’s Egg Hunt is at the Pardon Gray Reserve on Main Road, Tiverton, at 10 a.m. Call 401-625-1300 or go to www.tivertonlandtrust.org for information. * An Easter Egg Hunt is at the American Legion Post, 2 Legion Way, West Warwick, from 1 to 4 p.m. for children up to age 10. For information, call (401) 821-9855. * There will will be Easter Egg Hunts for children of different ages at Johnston Memorial Park on Hartford Avenue in Johnston. Ages 3 and younger at 9:30 a.m.; 4 and 5, 11 a.m.; 6 and 7, 12:30 p.m.; 8 and 9, 2 p.m. For information, visit www.johnstonrec.com or call (401) 272-3460. * An Easter Egg Hunt will take place at the Courthouse Center for the Arts, 3841 Kingstown Rd., West Kingston. Children and pets can get photos taken with the Easter Bunny. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. For information, call (401) 782-1018 or visit www.courthousearts.org. * An East Egg Hunt will be at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per family. Call (401) 294-4109. Meanwhile, tomorrow the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team plays two exhibition games in Rhode Island. One will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Sabin Street in Providence at 1 p.m. and at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island, Route 138 in Kingston at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Providence game are $18 to $113. For the Kingston game, they are $17 to $94. Call (401) 331-2211 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for both. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment Federal grand jury probes DOT's materials sectionPROVIDENCE — A federal grand jury is looking into the part of the state Department of Transportation that is responsible for constructions materials, including testing concrete, a lawyer confirmed yesterday. The DOT is already the subject of a federal administrative investigation that will cost the state more than $3.1 million in penalties. Frederic A. Marzilli, a lawyer for the union representing employees in the DOT’s materials section, said that he and union officials know of one subpoena, issued to an engineer in that section. Marzilli said the investigation apparently concerns concrete. The DOT’s practices for assuring the quality of the concrete used in state highway and bridge projects was investigated by the Federal Highway Administration. That agency concluded that the DOT did an inadequate job of testing — or failed to test at all — numerous batches of concrete that went into 74 structural elements of the state’s $610-million Route 195 relocation project. Marzilli, who represents Local 400 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, said the union leaders were trying yesterday to understand the scope and direction of the grand jury investigation and were seeking meetings with top DOT officials and officials at the highway administration to learn how it affects the union’s members.
Governor Carcieri’s press secretary, Jeff Neal, said yesterday that “We are aware of the investigation. Unfortunately, we cannot comment further at this time.” Carcieri had said last week that there has been no indication of wrongdoing associated with the testing failures, and that “People just weren’t doing their jobs.” If that’s the case, Marzilli said, it should be handled as a civil case, not a criminal one. The materials section, part of the DOT’s construction management apparatus, is responsible for the sampling, testing and acceptance of the numerous materials used in the DOT’s construction projects, from concrete to steel reinforcing to gravel and dirt for fill. The highway administration investigation focused on strength testing of concrete, where test cylinders are crushed to see whether they meet contract specifications. But it also found fault with other aspects of the DOT’s testing and quality control. Marzilli said that Haytham F. Awad, a principal civil engineer in the materials section, is the DOT worker who was subpoenaed. DOT spokeswoman Heidi Cote said that the agency knows of no other subpoenas. Awad and his lawyer, Thomas B. Briody, declined to comment. However, being called to testify before a grand jury does not imply wrongdoing. In fact, the federal courts’ suggested instructions to members of a grand jury state that the person being investigated ordinarily does not appear before the grand jury. Awad’s signature and initials appeared regularly in concrete test reports The Journal reviewed last year from the DOT’s $130-million Route 403 bridge and highway project at Quonset Point in North Kingstown. The newspaper reported in October that the DOT had for four decades been building projects — including the Route 195 project — while ignoring its own rules for ensuring high-quality concrete. When it penalized the state $3.1 million last month, the highway administration said it had found numerous problems, including some similar to what The Journal reported in October, in the Route 195 project records. A major highway administration finding, however, was that the DOT failed to test numerous batches of concrete for the Route 195 project. Although Awad was involved in concrete testing, having signed numerous test reports on the Route 403 project, those reports and related documents also show that a number of other DOT officials were kept informed about the testing process. Officials well above Awad in the DOT hierarchy received copies of testing reports. They include Mark Felag, the engineer in charge of the materials section, and, one level above him, Frank Corrao III, deputy chief engineer and head of the DOT’s construction management section. As the federal highway investigation came to light last week, the DOT said that Felag had been transferred from the materials section to the DOT’s research section. Felag and Corrao could not be reached yesterday. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:06 PM | Comment Court papers spell out tentative Station fire paymentsPROVIDENCE -- Lawyers representing victims of The Station nightclub fire and some of the parties they have sued have filed court papers giving more details of some of the proposed settlements being offered in the civil cases now pending in U.S. District Court. So far, there is a pool of settlement money totaling $71.5 million being offered to those who lost loved ones in the fire and others who were injured. Last September, lawyers for the victims said that several parties had together agreed to pay $13.5 million of that total. Now, in newly filed court papers, the amounts each of those parties has tentatively agreed to pay is being disclosed. Celotex Corp., which manufactured the SoundStop board that the owners of The Station -- Michael and Jeffrey Derderian -- installed in the ceiling of the drummer’s alcove and elsewhere in the nightclub, is offering $1.5 million to the victims. Luna Tech Inc., of Alabama -- and two of its European subsidiaries -- which according to the lawsuits, manufactured the fireworks used by the band Great White the night of the fire, and High Tech Special Effects Inc., a Tennessee company that allegedly sold the fireworks to Great White, have together offered $6 million. Sparks from the fireworks that were set off by Great White’s manager, Daniel Biechele, ignited highly flammable polyurethane foam that the Derderians installed as soundproofing in the West Warwick club the night of Feb. 20, 2003. One hundred people died as a result of the fire; more than 200 others were injured. The newly filed court papers also show that Joseph LaFontaine, of Warwick, owner of New England Custom Alarm, the company that installed the fire-alarm system at the club before the Derderians purchased it, has offered $1 million. Also, Triton Realty and Raymond Villanova, owners of building where The Station was located, together with several related entities have offered $5 million. These settlement agreements are tentative at this point and no money will be distributed to the victims anytime soon. They are contingent upon the plaintiffs and Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux agreeing to them. The judge must make a determination that each settlement offered is being made in good faith before disbursement of any funds. -- Journal staff writer Tracy Breton Each settlement offer is also subject to Lagueux’s approval of an allocation plan currently being devised by a court-appointed special master, Duke University law Prof. Francis E. McGovern. McGovern has been authorized to come up with a formula for disbursement of settlement proceeds. Not every plaintiff will share equally in whatever proceeds are given out. The matrix being devised by McGovern takes into account such things as severity of injury and number of dependent survivors. There’s also another condition: Before any money is put into the pot, the lawyers representing those who want to settle want some assurance that if they pay up now, they won’t be on the hook for more money later if the case goes to trial and other defendants who don’t settle are found liable and then try to come after them for part of the verdict. In 2006, the General Assembly enacted a law aimed at facilitating out-of-court settlements in mass tort cases. Legal experts have predicted that the legislation could result in monetary settlements with some of the seemingly most culpable defendants who have little insurance and few assets to reach settlements with The Station fire victims. The law was modeled after one that was enacted to pay back credit-union depositors during the state’s banking crisis in 1991. Those parties that have offered tentative settlement agreements want to make sure that they will not be forced to honor them if any of the non-settling defendants seeks to challenge this newly-enacted Rhode Island law and an appellate court rules the new law unconstitutional. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:05 PM | Comment Update: Disk with some state personnel info missingA computer disk with the Social Security numbers of about 1,250 state workers and another 150 state job applicants is missing from the state Department of Administration. Administration officials believe the disk disappeared on March 13 while department workers were transferring information files from a computer in Providence to one in an office in Cranston, said Melanie Marcaccio, deputy personal administrator in the Department of Administration. The state police have been helping search for the disk since it went lost but there is "absolutely no evidence that the disk has been acquired by an unauthorized part or that the information has been misused,’’ the department said in a statement today. On Thursday, administration officials sent precautionary letters to the 1,393 people whose Social Security numbers were on the disk. The department recommended they all place a fraud alert on their credit files and obtain copies of their credit report. The 1,250 or so state workers were all employed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families and were on this particular list of employees because they were receiving some kind of payroll adjustment, such as overtime, said Marcaccio. The other 150 people were DCYF job applicants. "We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern that this incident has caused affected individuals, the administration department said in its statement. "Once we decided it was unlikely we would be able to locate the missing computer disk, we wanted to inform the individuals directly by mail and also through the media so they could take the proper precautions.’’ -- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:34 PM | Comment RISD's outgoing Mandle to move on to QatarHis days in Providence may be numbered, but don’t look for Rhode Island School of Design President Roger Mandle in the unemployment line just yet. According to an item in today’s New York Times, Mandle has been hired as executive director of the Qatar Museums Authority, a newly created administrative body charged with overseeing museums in the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Among the authority’s current projects: A new Museum of Islamic Art designed by famed Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. Last fall, Mandle stunned the Rhode Island arts community by announcing that he would end his 15-year tenure as RISD president after the school’s graduation ceremonies on May 31. His replacement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and digital arts pioneer John Maeda, is due to take over as president on June 2. Mandle was traveling today and could not be reached for comment. -- Journal staff Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:12 PM | Comment Twin River debt rating drops againThe company that owns the Twin River gambling facility in Lincoln got another week from its lenders to work out its financial problems, but that wasn't enough to prevent its credit rating from being downgraded for the second time this month. UTGR Inc., which owns Twin River, missed a loan payment earlier this month, prompting negotiations with its lenders and collection efforts by contractors that worked on the building’s $225-million reconstruction. UTGR and its lenders entered into a pact, known as a forbearance agreement, which allows the company to work out payment plans with its lenders and creditors. That agreement was set to expire today. The two sides agreed to extend the pact for a week, according to Twin River spokeswoman Patty Doyle. "Credit ratings by their very nature are very conservative," Doyle said. "We've made tremendous progress with our lenders this week. We're quite hopeful we will reach a long-term agreement with [them]." The missed payment had already triggered one ratings downgrade on UTGR Inc. by the Standard & Poor’s Corp. ratings unit, The Providence Journal reported. On March 4, S&P lowered UTGR's rating to B- from B+, and placed the ratings on its "CreditWatch" list with negative implications. S&P went further today, lowering UTGR's rating to CCC-, or "junk" status. "The downgrade reflects our ongoing concerns about a potential bankruptcy filing as the company reportedly continues to negotiate a forbearance agreement with its lenders. While we believe that incentives exist for the company and its lenders to reach an extended agreement, the new ratings better reflect the near-term risk factors for a potential bankruptcy filing if the parties are not able to come to an agreement." The facility, which includes video slots, a dog-racing track and restaurant and entertainment offerings, is operating normally at this point. Beyond serving its customers, Twin Rivers contributes to gambling revenues in the state's budget, and revenues have been up this year. Altogether, the state expects to take in about $243 million from Twin River’s video slot machines for the year that will end June 30, and about $256 million for the year that will start July 1.
Posted by Paul Grimaldi at 3:41 PM | Comment R.I. fishing season opens in three weeksFishing season in Rhode Island opens Saturday, April 12. The 2008 trout and general freshwater fishing season will begin at 6 a.m. More than 20,000 fishermen are expected to turn out, the Department of Environmental Management's fish and wildlife division announced today. Along with six regular ponds that are restricted to people age 14 and younger, Cass Pond in Woonsocket and Slater Park Pond in Pawtucket will be open only to children for the season's first two days. A fishing derby for children in Woonsocket will be held at Cass Pond on April 12. Anglers who are age 15 or older are required to have a 2008 fishing license. A Trout Conservation Stamp is required for anyone who wants to keep trout or fish in a catch-and-release or "fly-fishing only" area. A person can get licenses and the $5.50 Trout Conservation Stamp at city or town clerk's offices or from an authorized agent including most bait and tackle shops, Wal-Mart, and Benny's. Licenses can also be obtained at the Department of Environmental Management's Boat Registration and Licensing Office at 235 Promenade St., Providence. Anglers may also buy fishing licenses online at www.ri.gov. License fees remain at $18 for Rhode Island residents and current members of the Armed Forces, $33 for a combination hunting and fishing license, $35 for non-residents, and $16 for a non-resident tourist three-consecutive-day license. Anglers over 65 must have a license, which for them is free, but they do not need a trout stamp. The license is also free for anyone with a 100 percent disability. A list of stocked ponds and other information of interest to anglers is at www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "fish and wildlife" under "offices and divisions," then choosing "freshwater fisheries," then "trout stocked waters." -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:35 PM | Comment Doctor has TB; state says doctor is not highly contagiousA Rhode Island doctor with a private practice and privileges in local hospitals has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The state Department of Health in a statement today says the doctor has been sick for about six weeks, and does not appear to be highly contagious. The Health Department did not identify the doctor or where he or she practiced because of medical privacy laws. "The director of health can legally release information if there is a direct public health threat," said department spokeswoman Andrea Bagnall Degos. But since the department is able to contact the patients personally, the doctor's name will not be released. “This case, like the recent case of TB in Central Falls, shows us that TB is an ongoing illness in our state," Gifford said in the statement. “As we did in Central Falls, we are conducting an extensive investigation, that typically takes two to three months, to make sure no one was infected.” The Health Department is working with the doctor’s family and co-workers, the hospitals that the doctor works with, and the RISE TB Clinic to determine whether further testing is necessary. If the department determines that any of the doctor’s patients need to be tested, the department will mail and call in notifications. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through the air, causing disease in the lungs and other parts of the body. Some symptoms include weight loss, night sweats, weakness or fatigue, loss of appetite, and more than three weeks of coughing. There are about 50 cases a year in Rhode Island, which are investigated by the Department of Health. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:41 PM | Comment Photo: This duo bundles up for Good Friday walk
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:31 PM | Comment Teenage woman charged with killing another teenWEST WARWICK -- An 18-year-old West Warwick woman pulled a knife from her waistband and stabbed to death another 18-year-old woman during a confrontation last night, the West Warwick police say. The stabbing may be linked to an ongoing argument over a man, police said, although not a man that the victim was involved with. In a statement released by the West Warwick Police Department, detectives say the victim, who has been identified in court records as Natasha Gonsalves, was with two friends yesterday evening who followed Abimbola O. Johnson home from work. According to Det. Mark Bennett, Gonsalves, a friend of the girl who had been involved in the ongoing dispute with Johnson, got out of a car and began arguing with Johnson. Johnson went into her house, at 114 Pepin St., according to the police, and came back outside with a kitchen knife in her waistband. After she returned, according to police, the two women argued, and Gonsalves charged Johnson. Johnson allegedly pulled the knife from the back of her waistband, stabbing Gonsalves. Officers received two calls in connection with the incident – one reporting a disturbance and another reporting a stabbing. The police arrived to find neighbors tending to Gonsalves, who was on the ground in front of Johnson's house. Rescue crews brought her to Kent County Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Johnson was ordered held without bail following arraignment this morning in Kent County District Court. The case was referred to a grand jury, and a bail hearing was scheduled for April 7, according to court records. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford and projo.com staff writer Mike McKinney Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:09 PM | Comment State: Disc with Social Security numbers is missingThe state Department of Administration has lost a computer disc containing the Social Security numbers of 1393 people. The department says there is no evidence that the disk has been acquired by an unauthorized party or that the information has been misused, but it has sent letters to all 1393 people, advising them to place a fraud alert on their credit file. The department is working with the Rhode Island State Police to investigate and try to find the missing disc, according to a press release from the department. The March 20th letter to the affected people said the disc could not be located "within the last two weeks." “We are committed to maintaining the privacy of individuals’ information and will continue to modify our protocols to enhance the security of sensitive information,” the department's executive director, Stephen Johnston, said in the press release. The department provides a variety of services, including budgeting, accounting, and purchasing, to customers that include the state's executive and legislative branches and local governments. Posted by Jack Perry at 12:41 PM | Comment Update: Strong-wind warning issued for R.I. airportsIf you've been outside today, you know it's windy out there. So much so that that the National Weather Service has issued a weather warning for strong winds at Rhode Island airports through 6 p.m. today. The service says that sustained 2-minute west winds at many of the airports will average about 27 knots at times today, with gusts of around 40 knots. There is a 30-percent chance of an isolated gust reaching 45 knots between 1 and 5 p.m., the service says. For those of you on the ground, a wind advisory remains in effect until 8 tonight. Strongest winds are likely to occur between 1 and 6 p.m. The advisory covers most of southern New England. West-northwest winds will increase to 25 to 35 mph this afternoon with gusts of 45 to 55 mph. These winds are likely to cause difficulty for travelers, especially those in high-profile vehicles, especially on north-south highways such as Interstates 91, 93, 95 and 495. Tree limbs may also break, and power could be knocked out in places. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:58 AM | Comment Governor's spokesman Neal to leave by end of JuneGovernor Carcieri announced today that his press secretary and chief spokesman Jeff Neal will step down by the end of June. In a press release, Neal said "it was time to begin seeking new challenges and opportunities." He said he first approached Carcieri about leaving in September, but that the governor asked him to stay on, first through January, then through the end of the legislative session. During that time, the office will conduct a search for Neal's replacement, a press release said. The announcement follows a shift at the top of the governor's communications staff. Earlier this month, Carcieri sent his director of communications, Steve Kass, "on loan" to the state's Emergency Management Agency, replacing its current spokeswoman. Kass's position as communications director for the governor is being taken over by John Robitaille. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:21 AM | Comment Power out for thousands in Providence, N. ProvidenceAbout 8,300 Providence and North Providence residents are in the dark this morning after a problem with infrastructure in Johnston. National Grid spokesman David Graves says crews are on their way to the site now, off Killingly Street, to find the problem. Apparently, he said, the power outages stem from a “recloser,” a device similar to a circuit breaker in a home. The recloser is designed to open when there is a disruption – such as a fallen limb on a power line – as a circuit breaker would. It is also designed to close again – hence the name – when the problem ends, restoring power. It will open and close several times, sometimes making lights flicker, until a problem has fixed itself, for instance, a tree branch has blown away. But if the problem remains, the circuit remains open and the lights go out. The problem has affected the Fruit Hill, Smith Hill, and Academy Avenue areas in Providence, and bordering neighborhoods in North Providence. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:47 AM | Comment Photos: Red Sox work out, tour base in Japan
While we're getting our days started here in Rhode Island, the Red Sox are finished with the first full day of their weeklong trip to Japan. Above are a few photos from the day, which included an official welcoming ceremony, a tour by four Red Sox pitchers of a U.S. military base, and a team workout in the Tokyo Dome. At 11 tonight our time (noon tomorrow Tokyo time), the Red Sox will play an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese professional team. Projo sports writer Sean McAdam and photographer Bob Breidenbach are accompanying the team on the trip, and you can stories and photos on our Red Sox page and our SoxBlog. We'll also have pitch-by-pitch coverage of next week's regular-season games in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics on the Red Sox page. Click here to see a slideshow of Bob Breidenbach's photos from today in Tokyo. Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:01 AM | Comment Warwick police ask for help with fatal accidentA 46-year-old woman is dead after a late night crash near the Kent County Courthouse in Warwick. According to the police, just before 11:30 p.m. yesterday, a 17-year-old male was driving a Volkswagen Jetta south on Route 2/Quaker Lane, approaching the intersection with Quaker Way. West Warwick resident Luisa Avila, driving north on Route 2/Quaker Lane, was making a left turn onto Quaker Way when her car, a 1990 Toyota Camry, was broadsided by the Jetta, according to Warwick Police Col. Steve McCartney. McCartney said the cause of the crash is under investigation by the city's accident reconstruction team. There is a traffic light at the intersection of Route 2/Quaker Lane and Quaker Way; police do not know if either of the drivers ran a red light. The police are asking that any witnesses contact the department at 463-4374 or on the department’s tip line, 732-8477. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:31 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features the story of a Narragansett fisherman who is calling it quits after decades of making his living fromthe sea. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:01 AM | Comment Clear, sunny and windyThe good news: We can expect clear, sunny skies today. The bad news: Talk about wind! The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory, forecasting sustained west winds up to 39 mph. and gusts up to 57 mph. Look out for downed trees and power lines. The temperature should reach about 44 degrees, but thanks to the winds, it will feel cooler all day. Skies should remain clear tonight, when the temperature drops to about 23 degrees. Winds should die down some, but still gust up to 34 mph. Saturday looks good, with sunny skies, temperatures in the high 40s and a west wind up to 13 mph. Tomorrow night will be partly cloudy, and in the low 20s with a mild, northwest wind. Easter Sunday should be another sunny one, with a high temperature in the low 40s and a low northwest wind. Sunday night will get a little cloudy, and temperatures should drop to the mid 20s. To check the weather through the weekend, see projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment A time for religious observances by almost every faithThis is a sacred time for people of many faiths with the celebrations of Purim, Good Friday, Easter and Mawlid al-Nabi. Catholics commemorated Jesus Christ instituting the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper in Holy Thursday services. Protestants and Anglicans refer to the day as Maundy Thursday, recalling the mandate -- or mandatum -- that Jesus gave while washing the feet of his disciples that they should be servants. The Jewish festival of Purim, or Feast of Lots, began at sundown (6:58 p.m.) Thursday. The holiday celebrates the rescue of the Jews of ancient Persia from a plot to destroy them. It is associated with reading the Megillah, or Scroll of Esther, noise-makers, exchanging gifts and partaking of special pastries known as hamantashen. For Muslims, Thursday was Mawlid al-Nabi, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. For followers of Baha’i, it was Spring O-Higan, which celebrates the symbolic crossing from the shore of illusion to the shore of enlightenment to overcome one’s ignorance and to honor the six paramitas of generosity, morality, patience, endeavor, meditation and wisdom. For followers of American Indian religion, Thursday marked the Spring Feast, celebrating the coming and going of the seasons through prayer, song and storytelling. For Christians, today is Good Friday. It marks the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus, observed by Protestants and Catholics. It is also the Feast of Naw-Ruz, the Baha’i New Year, and Norooz, the start of the Zoroastrian New Year. It is the most somber day of the Christian calendar, preceding Easter Sunday. Locally, the annual Good Friday Walk will be held Friday morning, with several stepping-off locations. Registration is at 8 a.m. in each locations except for the the Coventry site. Here are the locations: * Calvary Baptist Church, 747 Broad St., Providence. Call 461-7509. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:40 AM | Comment March 20, 2008Alleged architect of Internet fraud scheme nabbedFederal authorities today arrested the alleged architect of an Internet scheme that bilked nearly $13 million from people who ordered electronic goods from a company he set up over a toy store he ran in downtown Providence. David Whitaker, who has a long criminal history, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport by U.S. Secret Service agents and other federal authorities after he disembarked from a flight originating in Mexico. He had been living in Acapulco until Mexican authorities expelled him. Whitaker fled Rhode Island two years ago after the company he co-founded, Mixitforme.com, imploded amid complaints it hadn’t delivered thousands of iPods, videogame systems, cell phones and other consumer electronics ordered over the Internet by people around the country. A federal criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court lists five customers that lost some of the $13 million to Mixitforme. In all, the five wired nearly $2.5 million to the company to pay for electronics they never received. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi “I lost my house because of this,” Matthew Grosso said earlier this year. Grosso owned Interactive Learning Networks, one of the five entities listed in the federal complaint. On Dec. 28, 2005, Interactive Learning wired nearly $758,000 to Mixitforme’s account at Bank Rhode Island, money Grosso’s been chasing ever since. “I don’t ever expect to get my money back,” he said. In addition to Grosso and other customers, a Georgia-based company hired by Mixitforme to process credit-card transactions lost an additional $2.2 million, money the processor refunded cardholdersto cardholders who never received their orders, according to the 14-page complaint. The complaint notes Whitaker “spent millions of dollars of Mixitforme funds on lavish personal expenses, including . . . the purchase of four luxury automobiles, the rental of a mansion in Miami at approximately $200,000 per month, the repeated use of private airplanes, repeated stays at luxury hotels, regular use of limousine drivers, a team of security personnel and the rental of a yacht.” The 33-year-old Whitaker now faces 10 federal charges of defrauding Mixitforme’s customers and Nova Information Systems, the Georgia-based credit-card processor used by Mixitforme. Each of the fraud charges holds a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. Whitaker was taken before a federal judge in Los Angeles today, according to a government spokesman, where lawyers were expected to ask that he be transferred to face criminal charges in Rhode Island. The result of that hearing today was undetermined as of this time. It’s possible Whitaker will face additional criminal charges in other states where he once operated similar businesses, including New Mexico, where he set up another Internet operation, according to law-enforcement officials. Whitaker fled to Mexico in mid-2006 shortly before authorities searched Coyotego.com, a business he set up in Albuquerque, N.M. Federal authorities traced him to Acapulco, where he was recently charged by the Mexican government with being in that country illegally, according to Tom Connell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Providence. A Secret Service spokesman declined to say how his agency tracked Whitaker to Acapulco, though he had surfaced in Miami, Fla., and Albuquerque after leaving Rhode Island, according to law-enforcement officials and lawyers familiar with the case. Whitaker used a number of aliases in Rhode Island, New Mexico and elsewhere, according to the federal document, including “David Andrews,” “Slade Austin” and “Michael Ballard.” He also went simply by “Chase” or “Josh.” Whitaker is the third person charged in the Mixitforme case. In January, a former Warwick man pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the case. Cory Johnson, formerly of 272 Pierce Ave., is due to be sentenced June 20 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the Internet retailer. Johnson ran the company with Whitaker. A government lawyer told a federal judge that authorities could prove that Johnson signed documents claiming Mixitforme’s gross receipts totaled about $2.3 million during 2003 and 2004, years in which the company wasn’t registered to do business and that Johnson’s federal tax returns for those years don’t reflect any business income from Mixitforme. Separately, the government alleges that Johnson improperly transferred $27,000 in December 2005 from Mixitforme’s business account at Bank Rhode Island to his personal account at the bank. The 29-year-old Johnson faces up to 15 years in prison and fines totaling $500,000. Johnson has surrendered his passport to federal authorities but remains free on a $50,000 unsecured bond. He now lives in Morrisville, Pa. A former Bank Rhode Island branch manager, David Carpenter, also faces prison time for his part role in the scam, which put his Providence-based bank on the hook for more than $3 million in loseslosses. A federal judge will sentence Carpenter, 34, of Cranston, next month as a result of a guilty plea he made in December in federal court. Carpenter acknowledged in court that he accepted a bribe -- the promise of a high-paying job at Mixitforme -- in exchange for helping defraud the bank of nearly $1 million. That’s the amount initially lost by the bank before it discovered the fraud. Bank Rhode Island has since recovered the bulk of that money from its insurer. The charges against the three men arose after agents from the Secret Service, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, state and Providence police seized business records and computer equipment in March 2006 from the company’s office at 275 Westminster St. The records seizure at Mixitforme followed a move by Bank Rhode Island to push the company into state receivership in an attempt to collect at least $900,000 the bank was owed by the online electronics retailer. State receivership is a form of bankruptcy in which a court appoints a fiduciary to either sell a company or liquidate it to pay accumulated debt. A court-appointed receiver shut down Biggles Toy Store, a business related to Mixitforme that was run out of the same building at 275 Westminster St. Whitaker and Johnson, who lived together for a time in Providence, ran both companies. In phone conversations Whitaker initiated late last year with a Journal reporter, he said he started the business to sell iPods, preloaded with music, to customers they found over the Internet. He then sold the business to Johnson and they ran it together. Johnson was listed as the company owner in a business registration statement filed with the state. Whitaker went by the titles of “presidential advisor,” “counsel to the president,” and the more pedestrian “chief operating officer” while Mixitforme operated in Rhode Island, first out of a house in Cranston and then at the Westminster Street building. Whitaker and Johnson eventually moved into high-priced residences in the Peerless building, just down the street from Mixitforme’s office, according to former employees and others, a move Whitaker acknowledged to a reporter. Today’s court filing outlines a criminal record dating back to 1997, when he was arrested by the FBI in Hawaii for bank fraud and “e-racketeering.” He was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $158,000 in that case. He was arrested in New Orleans in 1998, again by the FBI, for bank fraud and sentenced to a year in prison. A 2000 arrest by U.S. Marshals for forging securities followed, though the document does not state where he served his 10-month sentence. He also served “substantial time” in federal prison for violating parole, the document states. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:54 PM | Comment Tonight: Exhibit on Iraq war at Pawtucket ArmoryAn exhibit that is part of a month-long series called "Experiencing the War in Iraq" is at the Pawtucket Armory, 176 Exchange St. until 8 p.m. Another exhibit for the series was at Machines with Magnets, 700 Main St., Pawtucket, but viewing of that exhibit closed for today at 6 p.m. The fifth anniversary of the war's start is being marked this week. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:42 PM | Comment Smoke-shop case: First account by tribal member
Tribal Administrator Anthony Dean Stanton testified in the 14th day of trial for seven Narragansetts accused of scuffling with and resisting state police as they executed a search and seizure warrant on the store on tribal land in Charlestown. Stanton learned at a tribal assembly meeting the tribe would open the smoke shop as a money-making venture, he said. As the administrator of tribal programs, he worked with the planning department to clear the land and set up the roadside trailer on Route 2. He was aware Governor Carcieri opposed its opening, but said he didn’t know why. The tribe began selling cigarettes without charging Rhode Island taxes, against the governor’s wishes, July 12, 2003. A day later a state trooper drove onto the property and spoke briefly with a tribal police officer, he said. Around noon the next day, Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas told him state police might be on their way. Thomas instructed him, Stanton said, that the tribe would shut the operation down, if they received a federal cease and desist order. There was no mention of how the tribe would respond to an order issued by a state court. Stanton was among a number of Narragansetts standing roadside as state police arrived. About 15 to 20 stormed the parking lot, he said, pushing and shoving people as they went. He heard three people, including Thomas, ask officers for paperwork. “I never heard a response,” he said. At Carcieri’s orders, state police were executing a search and seizure warrant issued by state District Court to stop the tribe from selling tax-free cigarettes. The raid turned into a scuffling match. Seven Narragansetts are on trial for charges that include resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:38 PM | Comment Judge may toss denial of Champlin's Marina expansionPROVIDENCE -- Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel today said that she may throw out the decision made by the state’s coastal agency two years ago to deny Champlin's Marina’s controversial plans to expand on Block Island’s Great Salt Pond and send the proposal back for another vote. But so many accusations of irregularities have been leveled at various members of the Coastal Resources Management Council in connection with the marina vote, she said that one of her challenges may well be in deciding who gets to vote on Champlin’s if there is a next time. “The court has made it clear there is a likelihood the (earlier CRMC) decision will not be upheld,” Vogel said in court today. “It has to decide on a remedy and what committee members will be disqualified.” She said her ruling on the case will come after lawyers present final briefs seeking to disqualify various council members and recommending other ways to resolve the dispute. The CRMC first met to hear Champlin’s application in December 2003. Over 23 hearings and now protracted court appeals, the case has grown into one of the state’s biggest and most controversial coastal issues in years, and it has prompted widespread criticisms of councilmembers on both sides. -- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord R. Daniel Prentiss, a lawyer for several Block Island groups, asked Vogel today to approve evidentiary hearings and the subpoena of telephone records for three council members who he said were pro-marina because they voted to give Champlin’s about two thirds of the expanded docks it sought. Prentiss argued that Gerald Zarrella, Thomas Ricci and Jerry Sahagian had all shown a bias in favor of the marina. Prentiss said the fact that Ricci and Sahagian signed affidavits alleging improper communications by CRMC Chairman Michael Tikoian shows they were trying to help Champlin’s lawyer Robert Goldberg in his appeal of CRMC’s 5-5 decision blocking the expansion. But Vogel said Prentiss didn’t show enough to justify hearings for either council member. Sahagian might have been imprudent in comments he made to people during the hearings, she said, but she didn’t think he said anything that would justify disqualifying him. Prentiss had different complaints about Zarrella, and they attracted Vogel’s attention. Prentiss said Town Manager Nancy Dodge and First Warden Jack Savoie have provided statements that Zarrella tried to get the town to back off on its opposition to marina expansion. Prentiss also said Zarrella told former CRMC member and Block Islander Robert Ellis Smith that Champlin’s owner Joseph Grillo is a good guy who should be allowed to expand his marina. Atty. James D’Ambra, representing Zarrella, said his client was just trying to negotiate a settlement. And if he had any bias toward Champlin’s, D’Ambra said, it wasn’t reflected in his vote. Zarrella voted to give Champlin’s about two thirds of what it wanted. Goldberg said the allegations against Zarrella involved things he did before the final vote was cast, but no one questioned Zarrella or moved to disqualify him. Now, he said, is too late. Vogel said she hadn’t heard enough to disqualify Zarrella. But she did agree to an evidentiary hearing limited to the statements from the Block Island officials that Zarrella had talked to. She denied Prentiss’s request for Zarrella’s telephone records so they could be reviewed for calls to Grillo or Goldberg. She said she was shocked that council members didn’t seem to understand the rules prohibiting them from discussing the case outside of the hearings. Goldberg has argued that four other council members, including Chairman Michael Tikoian and W. Michael Sullivan, director of the state Department of Environmental Management, should be disqualified because all discussed the case with others before they voted. Vogel said she may send the case back to the council for another vote, along with instructions to not discuss it with outsiders and to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Zarrella did not attend the hearing. Contacted later, he said he welcomes further hearings. He conceded he was trying to get town officials to compromise, but he also said he voted only on the evidence presented at the 23 hearings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:05 PM | Comment Photo: Harp seal released in Charlestown
Video: See a video of the May 18, 2007, release of 15 seals, courtesy of Mystic Aquarium Posted by Peter Phipps at 5:07 PM | Comment CNBC's The Big Idea to film segments in PawtucketCNBC is coming to Pawtucket. The cable business news network plans to film three segments for its show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, on Monday at Doherty’s East Avenue Irish Pub in Pawtucket. The show looks at new products to find out whether some of them could become big hits with consumers. Past products have included “gourmet” flavoring for pet food to make it taste like cheeseburgers or pizza, a ropeless jump rope, and a women’s energy drink. Part of the show includes a market research segment called “Will it Play in Peoria,” a reference to Peoria, Ill., the Midwest city that has long been used as a test market for a variety of products, stage shows and political campaigns. For that feature, local residents are interviewed on camera about a particular product and present their results of an informal poll about whether it will “play in Peoria.” “CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch goes to the heart of America to get real opinions from real people,” CNBC said in a statement. “We’re going to see if these products will really make millions.” The show will film that feature in the Pawtucket pub. The crew begins setting up at 12:30 p.m., and the taping is scheduled to run from 2 to 3 p.m. Three different segments will be filmed. A different one will air on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The show airs at 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on CNBC. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:57 PM | Comment Manager: Union votes no confidence in E. Prov. chiefEAST PROVIDENCE -- City Manager Richard Brown confirmed today that the local police union has voted no confidence in Police Chief Hubert J. Paquette. The union, he said, took the vote a week ago yesterday. The vote, he said, was 48 to 34, with 4 or 5 abstentions. Brown said that "before the vote I met with the members of the bargaining unit and listened to their concerns. I believe the chief has the best of the department at heart. And based on what I've heard, we can all work together to make the East Providence Police Department even better than it is now." Brown would not comment on what specific concerns were but he said several of the worries centered around communication. He said the fact that people made the time to meet with him makes him know "it's real and not just grumbling." Calls for comment from the union had not yet been returned as of this posting. Paquette could also not be reached for comment; he is on an already-scheduled vacation. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:53 PM | Comment Mass. House begins debating casino legislationBOSTON, Mass. -- The House of Representatives began debate today on an all-but-certainly doomed bill that would have allowed casino gambling in Massachusetts, less than 24 hours after Speaker Salvatore DiMasi engineered a pivotal committee vote against it. The measure called for licensing three so-called destination casinos. DiMasi argued expanded gambling would drain revenues from other businesses and increase personal bankruptcies and petty crime. While the Joint Committee on Economic Development voted 10-8 against the proposal on Wednesday, DiMasi's opposition was expected to trigger a much wider defeat in the full House. At the outset of the debate today, expected to last hours, parliamentary maneuvering was apparent, as members who support the proposal failed in an attempt to send it back to the committee for additional study. "I feel, Mr. Speaker, and my friends and colleagues in this chamber, we have not given this bill due process. We have not given this bill a fair hearing," said Rep. Martin Walsh, D-Boston. "I think that we owe it to the people of the commonwealth of Massachusetts ... to take more time, through the committee process, to look at this legislation." DiMasi threw down his gavel, telling Walsh his allotted speaking time had expired. He then recognized Rep. Angelo Scaccia, D-Boston, who favored a final vote to kill the measure. "We all know what our place is on this issue; we don't need to delay it. In fact, Mr. Speaker, our governor does not want it delayed. This issue is ripe. In fact, it's overripe. We should take up this issue today," Scaccia said. The motion to send the bill back to committee was defeated by a margin of 111-41. Gov. Deval Patrick sponsored the bill but acknowledged yesterday it was headed for defeat. "I can count," he told reporters several times. He challenged the speaker to come up with an alternative for the $600 million in licensing fees, $400 million in annual tax revenues and 20,000 permanent jobs analysts had projected the casinos would create. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:26 PM | Comment Regulators approve Long Island Sound LNG terminalWASHINGTON -- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today approved a $700 million liquefied natural gas terminal proposed for Long Island Sound. The terminal would be located 9 miles from Long Island and 10 miles from the Connecticut shoreline. Environmentalists and many elected officials oppose the project, saying it could imperil the fragile ecosystem in Long Island Sound and that a terrorist attack on the facility could result in catastrophic results. New York officials have yet to decide on issuing permits for the project. Connecticut officials have warned they will fight in court if the project is approved by federal regulators and New York. Broadwater Energy, a consortium of Shell Oil and TransCanada Pipelines Ltd., wants to build the terminal, which would be 1,200 feet long and 82 feet high. Plans have called for construction to begin in October 2009 and for the terminal to be operating by December 2010. FERC, which voted 5-0 to approve the project, says it will be the first floating terminal in the U.S. for storage and delivery of natural gas. "It's a reasonable and sensible decision by FERC," said Gary Hale, a Broadwater spokesman. "They have input from thousands of hours of efforts from the best scientific minds in the nation, environmentalists, and from the Coast Guard." Hale said the terminal is needed to meet region's growing energy needs. The New York State Energy Plan, which projects a 37 percent growth in statewide natural gas use by 2021. About half of the gas from the proposed terminal would go to New York City. Between 25 percent and 30 percent is targeted for Long Island, and the rest would go to Connecticut. -- The Associated Press Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer had planned to decide in April on whether the state should issue permits for the project. Gov. David Paterson has said he may postpone that decision. Hale said he expects delays but is confident the terminal will be built. "Some officials have talked about using Connecticut resources to go to court to appeal this, which I feel would be a waste of time and money, but I suspect that will happen," he said. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he plans to ask for an immediate rehearing and will take the state's arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. He also urged Paterson to "drive a stake through this monster's heart." "FERC's decision to approve this environmental atrocity is ill-conceived, illogical and illegal," Blumenthal said. "FERC never met an energy project it didn't like. This decision epitomizes the (Bush) administration's lawless love for Big Energy projects, no matter how dangerous or destructive." The proposed Broadwater terminal would look like a ship and be moored to the bottom of the Sound by a tower embedded in the sea floor, allowing it to rotate in response to wind tide and current. It would be linked to the Iroquois gas pipeline. In January, the staff of FERC concluded that the project would have no major environmental impact on the region. The FERC staff report said potential harm to the environment from the project would be "largely limited" to the immediate vicinity of the terminal. The report cited minimal to moderate problems that could result from the disturbance of the seabed during construction, air emissions from the vaporization of the liquefied gas, and threats of leaks from ship collisions, groundings or even terrorism. The report included 86 recommendations for mitigating potential problems, including the creation of a 5-mile safety and security zone around the terminal where commercial and recreational activity would be banned. Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:06 PM | Comment Photos: The Red Sox arrive in Japan
TOKYO -- The Red Sox are in Japan today, and there the team will be until Wednesday, as they take their spring training and begin their season across a continent and sea. During their visit, they'll play exhibition games against 2 Japanese teams and then, they will actually open their regular season in Japan with two games in the Tokyo Dome against the Oakland A's. After leaving, they'll head for Los Angeles, then Oakland, Calif., to round out their 2 1/2-week trip. Providence Journal staffers will be with them all the way, sending in their reports and photos first to projo.com via projo.com's SoxBlog. Projo.com will also cover the regular games, pitch by pitch.
Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:32 PM | Comment 8 arrested after war protest war at Guard office / Photo
Eight people were arrested on what police said would likely be disorderly conduct charges following a sit-in inside the recruiting office. The eight went without incident and were placed in police cars. Yesterday marked the the start of the sixth year of the Iraq war and saw about 50 anti-war protesters march through Kennedy Plaza to a rally held at the State House. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault. Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:30 PM | Comment Group launches stop-hate campaignPROVIDENCE -- Advocacy groups and legislators today announced a campaign against hate and hate speech in Rhode Island that will call on all Rhode Islanders to participate. The initiative was prompted by a recent incident involving a Providence storeowner who demanded to see Social Security cards of two Spanish-speaking customers, then threatened to call immigration authorities after they did not. State Sen. Juan Pichardo, one of the speakers today, said, “All this hate speech -- we need to stop this wave. It is not the America we pursue …” Miguel Sanchez-Hartwein, executive director of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy, said the campaign will involve educational forums at universities, schools, businesses and other settings, and a petition that he asked all Rhode Islanders to sign. -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:30 PM | Comment State police arrest man on child pornography chargesThe Rhode Island State Police say they have arrested an East Providence man on child pornography charges. John J. Littlefield, 57, of 39 Breeze Ave., was arrested by detectives at about 9:30 a.m. yesterday, a police news release says. He was charged with possession of child pornography and with transmission of child pornography. A judge set $10,000 bail at district court arraignment, the police say. The arrest resulted from a Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force referral and through forensic analysis by members of Rhode Island's state police computer crimes unit. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:18 PM | Comment Photo: Hendricken students walk to feed the poor
Posted by Jack Perry at 12:16 PM | Comment Ex-CVS executives are arraigned on revised indictmentPROVIDENCE -- Two former CVS executives accused of paying off a state senator have been arraigned for a second time after federal prosecutors issued a slightly revised indictment against them. John Kramer and Carlos Ortiz, both former vice presidents at the pharmacy company, made a brief appearance in federal court this morning. They pleaded not guilty last year to paying former state Sen. John Celona to promote the company's legislative agenda. They then asked a judge to dismiss a bribery charge against them, saying the indictment had vague allegations about alleged bribes paid to Celona. Prosecutors last week brought a new indictment to make the allegations more specific. U.S. Magistrate David Martin released both men on $10,000 unsecured bond. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:24 AM | Comment Lincoln teen pleads not guilty in fatal crash / Photo
Journal photo/ Andrew DickermanAndrew Bessette during his arraignment this morning. Lincoln teenager Andrew Bessette pleaded not guilty this morning to two felony charges in connection with an October 2007 accident that killed his cousin and injured another passenger in his car. Bessette appeared before Superior Court Magistrate William J. McAtee for about three minutes to enter his plea before being released on personal recognizance. His eyes were wet as he left the courtroom, and he wept quietly in the elevator as he left the building. Bessette had no comment after the proceedings, but a man who identified himself as a family member said, “it’s a tragedy, everyone is very sorry.” Bessette is facing one charge of driving to endanger – death resulting, and one charge of driving to endanger – serious injury resulting in connection with the Oct. 15 accident. The police say Bessette was driving home friends, including his cousin Marissa Lorea, 15, at about 2:30 p.m. when his car -- traveling around 70 mph. in a 25 mph. zone -- swerved to avoid another car. It went off the road and struck a tree. Lorea was killed instantly, the police said, and another passenger in the car suffered a broken neck bone. Lorea’s father, John, attended the arraignment. He said after the proceeding that he hoped “this starts the process of bringing the person responsible to justice.” Besides an initial statement to the police at the scene of the accident, Bessette had not discussed the case with the police, Lorea said. Lorea was upset that his daughter’s cousin appeared unwilling to accept responsibility for his actions. Lorea said he was unmoved by Bessette’s courtroom tears. “He’d better start weeping,” he said. “He hasn’t even started weeping. “He doesn’t weep as much as my wife. Believe me.” -- Journal staff writer John Hill Bessette was 17 at the time of the crash, which happened after the General Assembly had adopted the governor’s budget proposal to save money by treating 17-year-olds as adults in criminal matters. The law was repealed in November, less than a month after the accident. Bessette is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on May 28. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:31 AM | Comment Big fun, little environmental impact in CranstonThe City of Cranston appreciates the value of play. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation will be awarded the Big Toys Playground Award today for its environmentally sensitive playground designs and development. More than 70,000 recycled milk jugs and nearly 5,000 pounds of reclaimed scrap steel are being used in Cranston parks, many of which were renovated last year. And 100 percent natural wood fiber is being used as a safety surfacing, making it less likely that children – and adults – in the playgrounds are exposed to chemical compounds. The award ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. today at Cranston City Hall, in Mayor Michael Napolitano’s office on the 3rd floor. The award is sponsored by Big Toys Inc., a company that specializes in recycled and sustainable playgrounds. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:44 AM | Comment Rescued seal to be released this morning
A Harp seal with icy whiskers gets in shape for its release into the wild today. Summer, fall, winter, or the first day of spring – Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown is always a good place for a swim if you’re a seal. That’s because for a seal, a trip to Blue Shutters means things are looking up. It’s the beach where Mystic Aquarium’s Institute for Exploration releases rehabilitated animals. One such lucky animal will be released today; a harp seal that had beached itself at Briggs Beach in Little Compton last month. The animal was thin, dehydrated, and had an elevated white blood cell count. It had been in the same spot for more than 36 hours. After being cared for at the Aquarium’s Connecticut facility, the seal is ready to return to its natural habitat. The release is set for release at 11 a.m. at Blue Shutters Beach on East Beach Road in Charlestown. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Spring is hereRight on cue, spring is here. At 6:30 this morning, the temperature was already in the low 50s with rain throughout the state. It may not last, though. The temperature is expected to top off early, and then settle at about 50 degrees. The National Weather Service is also forecasting high, west winds gusting as high as 37 degrees. Skies should clear tonight when the temperature drops to an un-spring-like 29 degrees. Winds are expected to persist and possibly reach advisory levels: sustained winds 25 to 39 mph and/or gusts to 57 mph. Sun tomorrow with a high temperature of 44 degrees and more high, west winds, gusting as high as 44 mph. To keep an eye on the weather, see projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page marks the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq with a story about a North Kingstown family that lost a son Army Capt. Matthew J. August in the war. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format.
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 19, 2008Tonight: Folkies and rockers can head to ProvidenceFolkies can head to one Providence spot tonight and rockers can go to another. Those who want to drive farther should head to Boston. Allysen Callery plays folk at Tazza Caffe and Lounge, 250 Westminster St., Providence. 421-3300, www.tazzacaffe.com. 9 p.m. The Chumps, Josh Nyberg and Nick Hurley will each play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 9:30 p.m. $4. All ages. In Boston, the Pogues play rock at the Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Place. (401) 331-2211, www.ticketmaster.com. 7:30 pm. $41-$61. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment Pawtucket's new water treatment plant is operationalPAWTUCKET -- Two years after it was scheduled to be finished, the much-delayed new water treatment plant came on line today. The plant, which is pumping at a rate of 8.5 million gallons a day, went on line around noon, according to Pawtucker Water Supply Board officials. Built by Earth Tech behind the water supply headquarters on Branch Street, it has a maximum daily capacity of 25 million gallons. James L. DeCelles, the water supply board chief engineer, said the only hitch that occurred was a brief spike in water pressure that dislodged rust from some of the pipes in the water system, causing some customers' water to turn brown. There was a flurry of complaints, he said, but they abated as water supply board officials dealt with the problem. Allen Champagne, the supply board's source water manager, said the pressure spike happened because the board continued to operate the old plant while bringing the new plant on line. And the pressure valve in the new plant malfunctioned, causing the spike. The old plant, on Mill Street in Cumberland, is now off line. But it is being kept operational as backup in the event of a problem at the new plant. The new plant cost more than $40 million and took roughly three years to build. It was supposed to be finished in March 2006 but a series of issues, including shortage of stainless steel and difficulty in scheduling a contractor on a small construction site, delayed completion of the plant until about a month ago. DeCelles said the new plant, which supplies water to all of Pawtucket and Central Falls and to the Valley Falls section of Cumberland, got final state Department of Health approval yesterday. As a result, the decision was to begin operation today -- With reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment McWalters: Let me help select Providence school chiefPROVIDENCE -- The state commissioner of education met with Mayor David N. Cicilline today and told him that he wants to play a role in the selection of a new superintendent. Cicilline contacted Commissioner Peter McWalters after Supt. Donnie Evans announced his resignation on Monday, shortly before the School Board was prepared to vote on whether to renew his contract. Evans promised to remain in Providence until his contract expires on Sept. 19, which should give the city time to hire a new school leader. “They talked in general terms about the process of recruiting a new superintendent and Peter made it clear that he wants to play a role in the recruiting and hiring process,” said Elliot Krieger, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. “The state has a huge investment in Providence. The selection of a leader is part of RIDE’s engagement.” Exactly what role McWalters will play in the selection of a new superintendent remains to be seen, Krieger said. The theme of today’s meeting was that the state Department of Education remains committed to working closely with Providence to make sure that there is a smooth transition from one superintendent to another. “Providence is in its sixth year of intervention and this is the fourth superintendent in a short period of time,” Krieger said. “Both Peter and the mayor are concerned about stability and transition issues. There are many good people in the central office. Peter wants to make sure that they are encouraged to stay.” -- Journal staff writer Linda Borg McWalters reassured the mayor that the Providence schools are on the right track, pointing to the recent improvement in elementary and middle school test scores. According to Krieger, the commissioner pledged to work with Providence to help remove some of the barriers that get in the way of student performance. “There are contract issues that need to be resolved, finance issues, data issues,” Krieger said, adding that McWalters wants to review the results of several studies of the district’s curriculum and the central office. The state Department of Education has a history of involvement with the city’s schools. Three years ago, McWalters intervened in an effort to turn around Hope High School, breaking the school into three smaller schools. Under his guidance, the school brought in a new leadership team, hired new staff and restored order. Last January, the state placed the entire district under corrective action and ordered Evans to develop a plan to improve the city’s lowest-performing schools or face possible state intervention. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, a school district is classified as one in need of corrective action when two of the three grade levels (for example, elementary and middle school) have large numbers of under-performing schools. In response, Evans introduced a new math curriculum for struggling elementary and middle school students, offered additional reading programs, hired 20 reading teachers and conducted a review of the central office, led by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. At the middle schools, Evans also promised to create student advisories and offer teachers common planning time. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:50 PM | Comment Three teens charged with Molotov cocktail incidentPROVIDENCE -- Three teenage boys were charged today in connection with throwing a Molotov cocktail explosive device on to a Glenham Street synagogue's lawn early this morning, according to the police. The case is apparently not connected to last weekend's incident involving a Molotov cocktail thrown at the apartment of an Israeli student at 122 Camp St. on the city's East Side. A 17-year-old and a 15-year-old, both of Providence, and a 17-year-old of Central Falls appeared in Family Court this afternoon in connection with today's incident and are being held at the state Training School until Monday, according to the police. A Providence police officer on routine patrol on Broad Street saw three males running from Glenham Street and noticed a small fire on the synagogue's lawn. The officer used an extinguisher to put out the fire. The lawn was charred but the building was not damaged, the police said. The police said they learned through interviews that the teenagers were in South Providence and broke into a house under renovation at 88 Bogman St. The teens spray-painted walls and spread a floor sealer on floors and walls, the police said. A fourth youth stayed outside and was seen by a police officer, who came to investigate. The three boys inside fled out a front window, taking a can of 3M adhesive cleaner, which is flammable liquid, the police said. The boys found a glass bottle on Glenham Street and filled it with liquid and a liquid-soaked newspaper wick. The police said the boys intended to throw the bottle into a vacant lot across Glenham Street. The wick had been lighted, but the boys saw a police officer and tossed the bottle behind them onto the synagogue lawn.Then they ran. The police said the boys are each charged with: fifth-degree arson; conspiracy to commit fifth-degree arson; possession or carrying of explosives or noxious substances; breaking and entering without the consent of the owner; and malicious injury to the property of another. A news release says the investigation of today's incident is being done with support from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco, the U.S. Attorney's office, the state Attorney General's office, and others. The Camp Street Molotov incident occurred early Saturday morning at the apartment of Joseph Knafo, 25, an Israeli citizen who shared the space with two roommates. The device did not ignite. Knafo was moved to another home after concern emerged that the incident might have been a hate crime. Three Jewish organizations at a public safety headquarters news conference yesterday offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to arrest of those responsible for the Camp Street incident. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:17 PM | Comment Update: Hearing for escaped art dealer is continuedPROVIDENCE -- Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond this afternoon continued a hearing that had been scheduled for a Johnston art dealer who had escaped over the weekend from a federal correctional facility in New Jersey and had surrendered to U.S. Marshals this morning in Providence. Rocco DeSimone, 55, of 103 Hopkins Ave., surrendered at 9 a.m. – with his lawyer – at the Pastore Building, off Kennedy Plaza, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshal's office. His lawyer, Kevin Bristow, could not appear because of a scheduling conflict. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey has charged DeSimone with escape, according to the U.S. Marshal's office. The maximum penalty for escape is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Officials believe DeSimone fled the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., Saturday. The institution has a prison camp housing minimum-security male offenders. DeSimone, a high-powered art dealer from Johnston, was sentenced in 2005 to serve 27 months in federal prison for tax fraud in connection with the sale of a Claude Monet painting. “He didn’t just escape from Attica,” U.S. Marshal C.J. Wyant said yesterday. “It’s federal camp. I always equate it to a college dorm. He basically walked out.” DeSimone escaped just two days after FBI agents searched his home as part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering, federal authorities said. The agents seized numerous items, including a $180,000 Ford GT sports car, Japanese swords and artifacts, Wyant said. Authorities suspect DeSimone’s wife, Gail DeSimone, picked him up in a rental car after flying from Rhode Island to Philadelphia on Saturday, Wyant said. Authorities suspect that she drove him to Putnam, Conn., and that someone else later drove him to Warwick, Wyant said. Gail DeSimone surrendered to federal agents on Monday after a complaint was issued charging her with harboring an escaped prisoner. The maximum for harboring an escapee is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In August 2005, Rocco DeSimone was sentenced to 27 months in prison for filing a false tax return. A federal jury had found him guilty of fraudulently claiming income from the sale of art as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income, to avoid paying higher taxes. DeSimone also was fined $100,000 and ordered to pay all income taxes due. U.S. District Judge William E. Smith determined that DeSimone had avoided paying between $200,000 and $325,000 through the false tax return. DeSimone served about six months of his sentence before being released on bail pending the outcome of an appeal. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal in June of last year. DeSimone’s bail was then revoked, and he was returned to federal custody to serve the balance of his sentence. Federal authorities estimate that he was to be released in about nine months. During a five-day trial in March 2005, the government presented evidence that in 1999, DeSimone had brokered the sale of three paintings for $8.3 million: Canal at Zaandam, by Claude Monet, for $4.65 million; Les Mouettes, by Henri Matisse, for $650,000; and Jeune Fille Blonde, by Pierre Auguste Renoir, for $3 million. Prosecutors said that DeSimone told Janet Traeger Salz, the New York owner of Canal at Zaandam, that he had instead sold the painting for $2.7 million, pocketing most of the difference. Yet on his 1999 tax return, DeSimone reported only $1 million of that income. -- With Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:55 PM | Comment 50 protesters mark the start of sixth year in IraqPROVIDENCE -- A group of 50 protesters marked the start of the sixth year of the War on Iraq today with a march through the rainy streets of downtown Providence that ended with a rally on the State House lawn. The anti-war activists snaked past the Westminster Street headquarters of Textron Inc., the weapons manufacturer, and continued past two military recruiting offices on Weybosset Street. "The cost of just one day of the occupation of Iraq is obscene by any measure," said Martha Yager, director of the American Friends Services Committee. "When we consider that basic human needs are going unmet right here at home, we should all be saying, 'No more!' to five years of war and occupation." The protesters gathered at Burnside Park, across the street from Kennedy Plaza and U.S. District Court. They wore rain gear and carried posters urging the public to end the bloodshed. Several of the participants played marching band instruments such as trombones, trumpets and tubas. A half-dozen uniformed Providence police officers kept an eye on the peaceful gathering. Most Americans know that 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, but, she said, the public does not realize that a million Iraqis have perished. "We also need to worry about our brothers and sisters in Iraq," she said. Paul Hubbard, of the Rhode Island Mobilization Committee to End the War and Occupation, said he just returned from Washington, D.C., where 300 Iraqi veterans came out in force against the war. "We’re here not only to make a moral statement," he said. "We don’t want the war to continue for one more day." Among the other groups who participated in or supported the protest were Rhode Island Community Coalition for Peace; Workers International League; Rhode Island Unitarian-Universalists for Social Justice; Providence Branch of the International Socialist Organization; MoveOn; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Green Party of Rhode Island; Providence Students for a Democratic Society; South Kingstown Justice and Peace Advocacy; and East Bay Citizens for Peace. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:49 PM | Comment Mass. bill would ban sex offenders from voting near kidsBOSTON. -- A House member from Cape Cod urged his Beacon Hill colleagues today to support a bill banning the worst sex offenders from voting in schools or libraries, places where they could easily encounter children. Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Barnstable, said Level 3 sex offenders -- those considered at high risk of offending again -- should instead vote by absentee ballot to prevent a security lapse giving them unfettered access to boys and girls. "If someone has to use a bathroom, there's an excuse to go down the hallway, and potentially, something can happen," Atsalis told his fellow members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws. He added: "This is a bill where the Legislature is doing what doesn't happen too often: It's being proactive instead of reactive. We shouldn't wait until something happens. We should do this today so something never happens." In late January, a Level 3 sex offender was charged with raping a 6-year-old boy in the New Bedford Public Library. Corey Saunders, 26, allegedly lured the boy into the magazine stacks as his mother worked on a computer just feet away. A representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts said the voting measure is unconstitutional and impractical. Gavi Wolfe, an ACLU legislative specialist, told the committee the constitution allows for absentee ballots only in cases of sickness or out-of-town travel. "This proposal does not fit within that framework," Wolfe said. In addition, defining how people can vote threatens a fundamental right in a democracy, he said. "We should not be in the business of carving that right, slicing and dicing it so some people can do it one way and other people do it another way," Wolfe said. Wolfe also questioned how election officials would enforce such a law, since in most cases, would-be voters are already in their polling place when they check-in and receive a ballot. -- The Associated Press While most voting occurs in schools, some also takes place in other public buildings such as town halls, libraries and community centers. Under existing law, police chiefs in all 351 cities and towns must "detail a sufficient number of police officers or constables for each polling place at every election therein to preserve order and to protect the election officers and supervisors from any interference with their duties." Nonetheless, Atsalis said there's often "chaos" in polling places, which could create opportunity for a sex offender. Convicted felons are not allowed to vote while they are in prison, but they regain that right after they are released. Massachusetts elections are overseen by Secretary of State William F. Galvin and conducted primarily by city and town clerks. A Galvin spokesman, Brian McNiff, had no comment on the proposal other than to say, "That's a matter for the Legislature." Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment E. Providence police search for man who exposed himselfEAST PROVIDENCE -- The police are searching for a man they said exposed his genitals to middle school students yesterday and who was reported to have followed three middle school students to a home. The man was not on the campus when the incidents allegedly happened, but was nearby in the Brown Street area neighborhood, according to a police news release today. Officers "saturated the area" after receiving the report at about 2:15 p.m. yesterday but did not find the suspect, who they said was chased away by a student's adult relative before the police were notified. There was no physical contact between the man and the students, the police said. The police described the suspect as a white male of Hispanic descent with short dark hair and dark eyes. He is 5-foot-8 to 6-feet tall and of medium build. He was said to be in his 30s and wearing dark pants with a navy-blue zipper-type windbreaker. The windbreaker was described as gray on the inside. The East Providence School Department has started notifying students' parents, and the police are working with other agencies to try to identify a suspect. The police said they assigned more officers to the schools' area. The police recommended that children use a buddy system and not walk to and from school by themselves. Parents are advised to talk about safety steps with children. The department asks people to call 911 if any suspicious person or people, incident or conditions are seen. People with information should call the police department at (401) 435-7600. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:42 PM | Comment House panel to hear historic-buildings credit changesPROVIDENCE -- The House Finance Committee this afternoon is scheduled to hear a bill that would place restrictions on the kinds of buildings that qualify for Rhode Island's historic structures tax credit. The bill, whose prime sponsor is House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, D-Providence, would in part restrict the credit to buildings with 10 or more units. The bill would apply only to projects that have not started "substantial" construction. In other words, the changes would not be applied retroactively. Critics have asserted that wealthy organizations, such as some country clubs, have used a measure that was meant to help renovate such things as old mills -- some of which are converted into housing -- and other properties. Social clubs, as well, would not qualify for the credit. The legislation also would reduce, from 30 percent to 22 percent, the reimbursement on the "qualified rehabilitation expenditure" on a property. There are exceptions that would increase the percentage from that proposed limit. Check out the committee's full agenda. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:05 PM | Comment Defense takes stage in smoke-shop trialA Superior Court judge has upheld all except one of the charges against seven Narragansett Indians accused of fighting with the police. After the prosecution rested its case, Judge Susan McGuirl dismissed an assault charge against Thawn Harris, a tribal conservation officer who was accused in connection with a scuffle that took place in 2003 when the state police raided a tribal smoke shop. For its first witness, the defense plans to call state trooper Kenneth Jones. A jury hearing a civil suit in March 2005 concluded that Jones had used excessive force in arresting tribe member Adam Jennings during the raid. But five months later, a judge overturned the sentence, saying Jones had been justified in the amount of force used to subdue Jennings, whose ankle was broken during the raid. Extra: See photos, video, and primary source documents from 2003 raid on projo.com -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:50 PM | Comment Mass. lawmakers delay key vote on 3-casino proposalBOSTON -- Lawmakers delayed a key committee vote today on Gov. Deval Patrick's three-casino proposal, the latest twist in the contentious debate over whether to expand gambling in Massachusetts. The results of the vote by the 19-member Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies was scheduled to be released at noon today, one day after a marathon public hearing that stretched late into Tuesday night. The committee is trying to decide whether to recommend that lawmakers approve or reject Patrick's plan to build three resort-style casinos in Massachusetts. Instead, committee co-chairman Rep. Daniel Bosley announced that the poll of committee members had to be done over because it combined Patrick's casino bill with other related gambling bills. Bosley said he was unaware that under joint committee rules, a bill from the governor has to be taken up separately. "Basically I screwed up," Bosley said. "We have to call members back and let them know that all of the other bills we attached yesterday are going into a study." Bosley wouldn't give the results of the initial poll. The second poll, which will focus solely on Patrick's bill, was expected by 4 p.m. Wednesday. If the committee recommends the bill "ought not pass," it would make it much more difficult for House members to add amendments when they debate it, possibly beginning Thursday. Patrick has said he was open to amendments that might help the bill pass. Advocates and critics of Patrick's plan were anxiously awaiting the results of the committee poll - hoping for an indication that the bill, which Patrick had all but conceded was heading for defeat in the House, may still have a chance. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, the chief critic of the casino bill, had been scheduled to attend an unrelated event this morning in the Statehouse, but canceled before Bosley delayed the vote. He also made an unannounced visit to the hearing last night. -- The Associated Press Posted by Mike McKinney at 2:11 PM | Comment Photo: Young Sage sings at St. Joseph's celebration
Posted by Jack Perry at 1:41 PM | Comment Contractors trying to collect from Twin River's ownerSubcontractors helping renovate the Twin River slot parlor in Lincoln have moved in the last week to collect about $1 million in unpaid bills from the facility's owner as that company reworks its finances. UTGR Inc., the company that owns Twin River, missed a loan payment to its lenders earlier this month, sparking collection efforts by contractors that worked on the building's reconstruction. Arden Engineering, of Pawtucket, seeks $635,000 from UTGR and Legere Group, of Avon, Conn., seeks about $195,000 from Twin River's owner, according to municipal filings made in the last week. Lead contractor Dimeo Construction Co. now seeks nearly $6 million from UTGR, having added liens totalling more than $285,000 to the $5.7 million it first sought. Dimeo managed the $225-million reconstruction of the Lincoln slot parlor, overseeing its tranformation into Twin River. Overall revenue at Twin River is up sharply, but S&P is concerned about UTGR's ability to cover its loans. The new filings will do nothing to alter that opinion, according to an S&P spokesman. "Obviously, it's a negative," said Ed Sweeney, the S&P spokesman. "We're continuing to monitor the situation." -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:38 PM | Comment Red Sox will go to Japan
Red Sox 3rd baseman Mike Lowell (right) talks with manager Terry Francona (left) before the game this afternoon. The players and coaches were concerned about the Red Sox coaches not being compensated for their trip to Japan. FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A resolution has been reached between the Red Sox players, Major League Baseball and MLBPA in regards to the compensation for the coaching staff. As a result the team will travel to Japan. Red Sox player rep Kevin Youkilis will address the situation later this afternoon and we'll have more as it becomes available. -- JOE McDONALD Posted by Art Martone at 1:30 PM | Comment Red Sox will play today, after allFORT MYERS, Fla. -- An agreement has apparently been reached between the Red Sox and Major League Baseball; today's spring training game against the Blue Jays will be played about an hour late at 1:10 p.m.. -- JOE McDONALD and SEAN McADAM Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:54 PM | Comment Daniel Biechele walks out of prison
Daniel Biechele, former tour manager for Great White, walked out of the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston today at noon. CRANSTON -- The man who lit the pyrotechnic display that sparked the 2003 Station nightclub fire has been released from prison. Daniel Biechele walked out of the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston today at noon, and headed directly to the car of his lawyer, Thomas Briody. Biechele did not reply to a group of television, newspaper and radio reporters from around New England who asked how he was doing and where he was going. Briody later released this statement: "Today marks the completion of one part of Mr. Biechele’s sentence. Out of respect for the victims of the fire he does not wish to make any comment. He was a private citizen before this tragedy and he wishes to remain so. There will be no further comment." Biechele was sentenced in 2006 to 4 years after being convicted of 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He will serve the rest of his sentence on parole. Extra: See videos and photos and hear from victims and their families on projo.com -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Tom Mooney
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:17 PM | Comment Johnston escapee turns himself inA Johnston man who had escaped over the weekend from a federal correctional facility in New Jersey surrendered to U.S. Marshals today in Providence. Rocco DeSimone surrendered at 9 a.m. – with his lawyer – at the Pastore Building, off Kennedy Plaza, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals office. DeSimone was sentenced in 2005 to serve 27 months in federal prison for tax fraud in connection with the sale of a Claude Monet painting. He was being held in the Fairton Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:59 AM | Comment Rescued seal to be released just in time for spring
A Harp seal with icy whiskers gets in shape for its release into the wild tomorrow.
That’s because for a seal, a trip to Blue Shutters means things are looking up. It’s the beach where Mystic Aquarium’s Institute for Exploration releases rehabilitated animals. One such lucky animal will be released tomorrow; a harp seal that had beached itself at Briggs Beach in Little Compton last month. The animal was thin, dehydrated, and had an elevated white blood cell count. It had been in the same spot for more than 36 hours. After being cared for at the Aquarium’s Connecticut facility, the seal is ready to return to its natural habitat. The release is set for tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Blue Shutters Beach on East Beach Road in Charlestown. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:50 AM | Comment Japan trip: Red Sox vote to boycott today's gameBy JOE McDONALD FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox players today voted unanimously in a closed-door meeting that they will not take the field today against the Toronto Blue Jays unless major league baseball agrees to compensate coaches for the coming trip to Japan. The game, the last before the team leaves on its season-opening trip to the Far East, is scheduled to be televised at noon on ESPN. The controversy arose Tuesday morning when manager Terry Francona found out that the coaching staffs from both Boston and Oakland would not be paid the extra $40,000 that the players and managers will get for traveling to Japan. There has been a lot of confusion between Major League Baseball and MLBPA in the last 24 hours, and Francona is still waiting for answers. “I was promised some answers yesterday and I didn’t receive them,” said the manager. “We’re trying to get ready to play a game and I spent the morning apologizing to the coaches and being humiliated. The players are pretty adamant that something be done. “This is a touchy situation for me,” added Francona. “It’s a big deal. I don’t appreciate that coaches are [viewed as] second-class citizens. That has never sat well with me. We’re over there representing Major League Baseball, and we’ve talked about doing it with class, but this is disheartening. This is hard to understand. We were told [they would be paid] and the players believed it too. I double-checked on this this winter. This isn’t something I take for granted.” Francona said he is embarrassed by the entire situation. The Red Sox players are, too. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff in this game, but this is unbelievable,” said Red Sox player rep Kevin Youkilis prior to the team meeting this morning. “It was brought to my attention (Tuesday) and it was something I thought would never even be a problem. To have this as a problem is embarrassing. For what these coaches do for baseball, I mean, the players play but in order to have order and run these teams, they put all the hardest work in. They deserve as much as much as the players. . . For them not to be getting paid for this trip is a disgrace. It’s a disgrace to the game.” No matter if the issue is resolved before the team leaves this afternoon, Youkilis said the coaches will be taken care of internally by the players. “But for Major League Baseball not to step up . . . this is unbelievable,” added Youkilis. “It’s wrong. We all get a per diem and all that, but I thought we were all under the same thing.” Youkilis is also under the impression that when the Yankees and Rays made a similar trip to Japan to start the 2004 season, players voted on who would be compensated and he believes everyone was, including the coaching staffs. Joe McDonald, Journal Sports Writer “This time around it’s not like that,” he said. “We didn’t know that, so for us it’s very tough. We had meetings about going over there, and obviously [MLB] is not living up to their word. I don’t know who exactly is not living up to their words, but the players’ association can’t intervene in matters like this.” The MLBPA does not represent coaches other than pensions and postseason compensation. “This is a time where we wish we could help,” said Youkilis. “Tito is going to fight and battle and that’s his personality. And, he’s doing the right thing by fighting for his coaches. It’s ridiculous because these guys are the ones who make it happen and they need to reap the benefits. There is a lot of money to be made on this trip, in a lot of different aspects, so everyone who is involved should be handled in the proper way. Hopefully we can get this resolved.” Youkilis talked to the players this morning. If MLB doesn’t settle the situation, then the players would take care of it in house. “This isn’t a good thing,” he said. “We’re going to Japan and we don’t want to deal with all of this. We’ll make it work because we have great players.” Posted by Peter Phipps at 9:34 AM | Comment Sen. Whitehouse criticizes Bush on war's anniversarySen. Sheldon Whitehouse is marking the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq by criticizing President Bush and calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. And some Rhode Islanders plan to march today to the State House and in Pawtucket to protest the war. “Our troops have served this nation with courage and honor, and now, it’s time to start bringing them home," Whitehouse said in a statement. "President Bush took our country to war on false pretenses, without a plan to win the peace. His administration’s misjudgments and poor decisions have cost our nation trillions of dollars, sapped the strength of our armed forces, hurt our standing in the international community, and distracted us from the urgent tasks of dismantling al Qaeda and dealing with a resurgent Taliban. Meanwhile, they have done little to alleviate the human suffering of the Iraqi people. “It’s clear this President will do nothing to end this endless war. I will continue to push, as Rhode Islanders have urged me to do, for a redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq, and I join millions of Americans working to see that our next President will seek a new direction.” At 4 p.m. today, people will gather in Burnside Park across from the Providence Biltmore in downtown, then march to the State House for a rally to mark the beginning of the sixth year of the war in Iraq. The event is sponsored by the Rhode Island Spring Mobilization Committee. And in Pawtucket, two candlelight processions will mark the anniversary. One group will start at the Machines with Magnets art gallery, another from Tolman High School. Both groups will meet at the Visitor’s Center. An art exhibit, “Experiencing the War in Iraq,” is on display at the Center’s gallery featuring 70 pieces of artwork. Then participants will hear a Iraq veteran Scott Ewing speak, followed by a spoken-word performance by the Brown University group WORD! and a solo performance by veteran, artist, storyteller and poet Kenny Carnes. Your turn: What have we accomplished in Iraq? Posted by Jack Perry at 9:23 AM | Comment Two taken to hospital after collision in BurrillvilleTwo people were taken to the hospital yesterday after an evening accident on Route 102 in Burrillville. At about 8:40 last night, 56-year-old Daniel Stack, of Uxbridge, Mass., was driving north on Route 102, north of Bronoco’s Crossing, when his 2006 Ford Taurus crossed into the southbound lanes, according to Police Lt. Kevin S. SanAntonio. Stack’s car – which is registered to the Disabled Veterans of Massachusetts -- drove head-on into a 1997 Honda Civic, driven by 18-year-old Kristopher Plante, of Pascoag. Plante was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he is still in the trauma unit of intensive care. Stack was taken to Landmark Medical Center. His condition is unknown this morning. The accident is still under investigation. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:56 AM | Comment St. Joseph's event at City HallThe Consul General of Italy to New England will join a 12-year-old opera singer at Providence City Hall today. At noon today the city will celebrate St. Joseph’s Day in the City Council Chambers. Consul General Liborio Stellino will be the guest speaker while 12-year-old opera signer Julian Sage will give a performance. The event is free and open to the public. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:30 AM | Comment Defense to argue Narragansetts should be acquittedDefense lawyers are expected to take the floor today in the state's trial against seven Narragansett Indians charged with misdemeanors after a scuffle at a 2003 raid of a tribal smoke shop. Lawyers for the defendants are expected to argue in front of Judge Susan E. McGuirl in Superior Court, Providence, that the state did not prove its case and that tribal members should be acquitted. More than four years after the raid, and two missed trial days due to juror illness, McGuirl has set April 4 as the last day of trial, vowing to begin early and stay late if necessary. Extra: See photos and video of th 2003 raid on projo.com.
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:46 AM | Comment Rain, frozen rain and snow todayOne word: nasty. It's the day before spring's official start, but you can't tell by stepping outside. There's regular rain, frozen rain, and snow across the state. All precipitation should turn to rain later this morning and the National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature near 49 degrees with southeast winds up to 17 mph. More rain and possibly thunderstorms late tonight with some fog thrown in for good measure. The temperature should drop a bit to 40 degrees with a south wind between 15 and 20 degrees. The rain should continue into tomorrow morning, but skies will clear and the temperature is set to hit 50 degrees with west winds up to 24 mph. Keep an eye on the weather at projo.com's weather page as we move into spring. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about Providence Superintendent Donnie Evans' resignation and explores whether anyone can manage the Providence schools. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 18, 2008Tonight: The music's playing in ProvidenceSt. Patrick's Day is past and the weekend still feels distant, but those who want some revelry tonight can still find some in Providence. Chevelle, Finger 11, and God or Julie play rock at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., Providence. 331-5876, 272-5876, www.etix.com. 8 p.m. $25; $30 reserved. Matthias Muller & Christina Marien and Joseph Grimm play rock at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence. 831-9327. 10 p.m. $5. All ages. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:55 PM | Comment State rests case in trial of seven Narragansett IndiansPROVIDENCE -- The state rested its case today in the trial of seven Narragansett Indians arrested in the state police raid on a tribal smoke shop after hearing testimony from a detective who helped handcuff a defendant. Detective Shari Russell was the last of 12 state police officers to take the stand for prosecutors over as many days in Superior Court. Jurors have heard from sergeants, lieutenants, detectives and troopers. At Governor Carcieri’s orders, the state police executed a search and seizure warrant July 14, 2003, to stop the tribe from selling tax-free cigarettes on tribal land in Charlestown. The raid turned into a violent confrontation. Seven adult Narragansetts, including Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault. -- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:49 PM | Comment Nonprofit unveils plan to preserve affordable housingNORTH KINGSTOWN -- A nonprofit organization today unveiled a plan to preserve 204 affordable apartments for the next 40 years. The $23 million deal -- financed in part by state and federal money -- will enable the Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing to renovate the Heritage Village apartments on Union Drive. The apartments are rented by families with low incomes and seniors who pay only a portion of their income for rent. The rest is paid through a program subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Officials celebrated the deal during a morning news conference. But a faltering economy and increasing foreclosures portend a dark future for residents looking for other affordable housing, they said. “All around us people are losing their homes,” said Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing. Many of the foreclosed properties tied to risky loans are multi-family houses full of tenants who have “three days to get out,” Godfrey said. “There’s a huge disruption going on.” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said he would ask Congress to expand the HUD program and provide more money to local communities through block grants. A family earning less than $50,000 a year can’t afford a single-family home in Rhode Island, Reed said. And workers who are earning a minimum wage “can’t afford the rent” for a typical apartment, he added. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis “The first thing we have to do is preserve what we have,” said Reed, who urged President Bush and his administration to spend “as much time on saving affordable housing as they do on saving investment banks.” Since 2004, Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, has purchased similar housing projects in Narragansett, Providence and Johnston. The nonprofit organization owns more than 4,800 affordable rental homes in eight states and the District of Columbia. In the Heritage Village deal, POAH received $15.1 million in tax-exempt financing from Rhode Island Housing and $8 million in federal tax credits. The apartments, built in 1980 and 1981, include 100 units for seniors and 104 apartments for families. All of the apartments are subsidized by HUD. If the subsidy contracts had not been renewed, the units would have likely been converted to market-rate apartments and condominiums, which would have made it difficult for the current tenants to afford them, said POAH President Amy S. Anthony. “With these purchases, POAH and its partners in Rhode Island are ensuring that seniors and families can count on a home which is safe, well-managed and -- most importantly -- affordable,” Anthony said. Anthony said her organization has already begun work on the seven, three-story buildings on Union Drive. Before the end of the year, tenants will have new roofs and windows, renovated kitchens and bathrooms, and more energy-efficient apartments, she said. Although the nonprofit organization will spend $4 million, renovating existing apartments is much cheaper than building new ones, Anthony said. The project is needed because South County residents spend more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, she said. “That’s called a housing burden, and it falls especially hard on those with the fewest resources.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Comment Road is closed in South Kingstown following damageSOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The Church Street eastbound travel lane between Railroad and Columbia streets will be closed to the traffic until further notice, according to the town’s Public Services Department. The southerly stone parapet wall of the Church Street bridge was struck and damaged by a vehicle today, prompting the town to close the eastbound lane for safety reasons. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:10 PM | Comment Johnston art dealer escapes from New Jersey prisonPROVIDENCE -- A convicted tax fraud and high-powered art dealer from Johnston, Rocco P. DeSimone, escaped from a federal prison camp in New Jersey on Saturday, and his wife has been charged with helping him, federal authorities said today. DeSimone, 55, of 103 Hopkins Ave., was believed to have been dropped off in Warwick on Monday, and he was still on the lam today, Deputy U.S. Marshal C.J. Wyant said. DeSimone fled the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and his absence was noted at a 7 p.m. inmate count. “He didn’t just escape from Attica,” Wyant said. “It’s a camp. He basically walked out.” Authorities suspect that DeSimone’s wife, Gail DeSimone, picked him up in a rented car after flying in from Rhode Island, Wyant said. Authorities suspect she drove him up to the home of friends in Putnam, Conn., and that the friends later drove him to Warwick, Wyant said. “I don’t know why he would escape from a prison and come to Rhode Island,” Wyant said. “But we have charged his wife, and we are trying to figure out where else he could go.” Gail DeSimone surrendered to federal agents Monday after a complaint was issued charging her with harboring an escaped prisoner. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond of U.S. District Court released her, but ordered that she be confined to her house. Rocco DeSimone escaped just two days after FBI agents searched his Hopkins Avenue home as part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering, federal authorities said. The agents seized a bunch of items, including a $180,000 Ford GT sports car, Japanese swords and artifacts, Wyant said. -- Journal staff writers Thomas J. Morgan and Edward Fitzpatrick On Saturday, Gail DeSimone took a 6 a.m. US Airways flight from Rhode Island to Philadelphia, according to prison officials, Gail DeSimone called Rocco DeSimone. According to a federal affidavit, she flew to Philadelphia the same day and rented a car at the Philadelphia airport at about 5 p.m. On Sunday agents checked the DeSimone residence to see if Rocco DeSimone was there. While at the house, the agents noticed the Pennsylvania rental car in the driveway. After Gail DeSimone returned the car to a rental agency in Warwick, agents charged her with harboring her husband after his escape. In August 2005 DeSimone, then 52, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for filing a false tax return. A federal jury had found him guilty of fraudulently claiming income from the sale of art as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income, to avoid paying higher taxes. DeSimone also was fined $100,000 and ordered him to pay all income taxes due. U.S. District Judge William E. Smith determined that DeSimone had avoided paying between $200,000 and $325,000 through the false tax return. DeSimone served about six months of his sentence before being released on bail pending the outcome of an appeal. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal in June of last year. DeSimone’s bail was then revoked, and he was returned to federal custody to serve the balance of his sentence. Prosecutors said that DeSimone told Janet Traeger Salz, the New York owner of Canal at Zaandam, that he had instead sold the painting for $2.7 million, pocketing most of the difference. Yet on his 1999 tax return, DeSimone reported only $1 million of that income. The government also said DeSimone falsely claimed the $1 million as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income, which is taxed at a higher rate. After DeSimone was found guilty, Judge Smith allowed him to remain free pending sentencing. Smith turned down a request by the prosecution that $100,000 bail be imposed, saying, “To flee would be colossally stupid. He’s too intelligent for that.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:00 PM | Comment Carcieri seeks court opinion on 'anti-privatization' lawArguing the "anti-privatization" law should be declared unconstitutional, Governor Carcieri today asked the state Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on the state law passed last year that in effect bans the governor from replacing state workers with private contractors. The governor's office characterized the law in a news release today as "a last-minute, late-night amendment" to the current year's state budget. Carcieri asserts in a letter to Chief Justice Frank Williams that the law could disrupt many state services and result in the executive branch being unable to cut state spending at a perilous financial time, which the news release calls the worst "since the credit union crisis" of the early 1990s. Carcieri argues the law "unconstitutionally interferes with the responsibility of the executive branch to administer state government," his statement says, and would "grind to a halt the operation of state government and the delivery of many critical services, while costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in additional costs each year." The Journal reported in November that the General Assembly might reconsider the law. State Rep. Douglas W. Gablinske, D-Bristol, pre-filed legislation at the time that would weaken the law -- a law Republicans have criticized as a gift to labor unions. Last year, Carcieri announced plans to cut 536 state workers in coming months, a move he said at the time would save taxpayers $41.6 million. Nearly a third of those layoffs, the Journal reported, depend on the governor privatizing government services. The law “makes it virtually impossible to privatize any governmental services or renew contracts of existing services being rendered by private vendors,” Carcieri's letter argues, according to an excerpt in today's news release. He wrote to Williams that the law "impermissibly interferes with the official duties and function of the executive branch, which includes fundamentally the administration of appropriations and faithful execution of all laws requiring executive implementation from the legislative branch.” -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:20 PM | Comment Johnston zone change OK'd for Wal-Mart SuperstoreJOHNSTON -- The Town Council voted 4-1 last night to rezone a hillside Atwood Avenue parcel to accommodate a Wal-Mart Superstore, Sam’s Club and other businesses. The developer promised that the arrival of the two box stores and other businesses, perhaps even a hotel, would bring hundreds of new jobs to Stonehill Marketplace and as much as $3 million in tax revenue to the town. Kelly Coates, of Carpionato Properties, also detailed an accompanying project to widen Atwood Avenue and ease the flow of traffic into the complex, which already includes The Home Depot, Burlington Coat Factory and other retailers. The new “B-3” zoning designation makes it easier for the developers to pursue the major components of the project simultaneously, according to the town’s planner, Merrick Cook Jr. “It just speeds up and simplifies the whole process,” Cook said. The company still needs planning approval for individual buildings, but it won’t need to carry out a complicated and carefully coordinated campaign to secure different variances from the Zoning Board. -- Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds Under the previous, “B-2” designation, such variances would have been necessary for certain setback requirements and for the property’s entrances, Cook said. “B-3 is more of an interchange district,” said the developer’s law- At present, the proposal calls for a 134,723-square-foot Sam’s Club and a 176,305-square-foot Wal-Mart Superstore. The parking lots for the two box stores would have the capacity for more than 2,000 parking spaces. The plans also call for two other substantial buildings that would offer more than 220,000 square feet of retail space. Without giving any names, Coates also told officials about the potential for a hotel at the rear of the property. The council’s vote followed a public hearing attended by a large group of residents from the surrounding neighborhood. Many were worried about light pollution, noise and traffic. Councilman Ernest F. Pitochelli, who lives in the area himself, voted against the rezoning. Pitochelli was unswayed by Coates’s suggestion on property values. The developer said the project would elevate the figures. This morning, Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, a project supporter, promised that he and Pitochelli would work together to control the effects of the project. “I’m going to make sure as the mayor it has a limited impact on the neighbors,” said Polisena, who sees an opportunity to bring in tax dollars. Also, unlike some residents, Polisena believes the widening and redesign of the traffic pattern between Route 6 and Central Avenue will alleviate traffic congestion in the area. The main entrance and exit for the complex will be constructed a little farther south. A new entrance, positioned quite close to Route 6, will accept southbound traffic. The entire area will boast double traffic lanes in either direction as well as a fifth turning lane in some stretches. Also, a barrier will divide northbound and southbound traffic between Route 6 and the entrance to the expanded plaza. Both the Stonehill development firm, 195 Associates, and FM Global are paying the bill for the road project. “For the first time in history, the traffic is going to be sorted out at no cost to the taxpayers,” Polisena said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:16 PM | Comment URI takes Social Security numbers off time cardsBeginning today, the University of Rhode Island will stop putting employees’ full Social Security numbers on their time cards. By summer, according to a statement released by URI, Social Security numbers will be eliminated from all time cards and replaced with employee identification numbers. According to the statement, some University employees have recently been targets of identity theft. "In the past several months we have taken major steps to improve the safety and security of our campus community," said Robert Weygand, vice president for administration. Two employees last summer, and one in January, were victims of identity theft; another victim came forward during the investigations. Before today, time cards include employees’ full Social Security numbers. After the complaints, the university stopped mailing time cards and began delivering them. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:10 PM | Comment Millions secured for affordable housing in N. KingstownNORTH KINGSTOWN — A nonprofit organization today unveiled a plan to preserve 204 affordable apartments for the next 40 years. The $23 million deal – financed in part by state and federal money – will enable the Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing to renovate the Heritage Village apartments on Union Drive. The apartments are rented by seniors or low-income families who pay up to roughly a third of their income under a program subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. Officials celebrated the deal during a morning news conference. But a sputtering economy and increasing foreclosures portend a dark future for residents looking for affordable housing, they said. “All around us people are losing their homes,” said Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing. Many of the foreclosed properties tied to risky loans are multi-family houses full of tenants who have “three days to get out,” Godfrey said. “There’s a huge disruption going on.” -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Sen. Jack Reed said he would ask Congress to expand the HUD program and provide more money to local communities. A family earning less than $50,000 a year can’t afford a single-family home in Rhode Island, Reed said. If workers are earning a minimum wage, “they can’t afford the rent” for a typical apartment either, he said. Since 2004, Preservation of Affordable Housing, or POAH, has purchased similar housing projects in Narragansett, Providence and Johnston. In the Heritage Village deal, the Boston nonprofit received $15.1 million in tax-exempt financing from Rhode Island Housing and $8 million in federal tax credits. The apartments, built in 1980 and 1981, include 100 units for seniors and 104 apartments for families. All of the apartments are subsidized by HUD. If the subsidy contracts had not been renewed, the units would have likely been converted to market-rate apartments and condominiums, which would have made it difficult for the current tenants to afford them, said POAH President Amy S. Anthony. “With these purchases, POAH and its partners in Rhode Island are ensuring that seniors and families can count on a home which is safe, well-managed and – more importantly – affordable,” Anthony said. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 1:41 PM | Comment 2 killed, 2 injured in accidentsTwo men are dead and two were injured in separate accidents -- one of them late last night on Route 95 in East Greenwich and the other early this morning on a side street in Central Falls. “It was a clear, dry night,” state police trooper Scott Hemingway said. But for some reason, the state police responded to a handful of accidents, including two fatal crashes. The first accident was on Route 95 just north of Exit 7 in East Greenwich, at about 11:15 p.m. The witness followed the vehicle and saw the crash. Twenty-two-year-old David Roy, of Warwick, was killed. William Chapman, 40, of Coventry, was seriously injured and is in critical condition today at Rhode Island Hospital. Swanberg said that the police "have a suspicion" as to who was driving the car that the witness reported seeing. But, he said they are waiting for another witness to give a statement. About two hours later, Central Falls police and rescue responded to an accident in front of 84 Hedley Ave, according to Central Falls Fire Chief Rene Coutu. Excessive speed was likely a factor in that accident, Coutu said; witnesses reported seeing the vehicle, a Cadillac SUV, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road earlier in the night. The SUV smashed into a parked car on Hedley Ave and flipped, killing the driver, Kevin Cesario, whose age and town of residence were unavailable. The passenger, Lewis Haduk, was able to get himself out of the vehicle after it came to a rest. He was taken to the hospital, treated, and released, according to Rhode Island Hospital. The state police are investigating both accidents. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:40 PM | Comment Cicilline backs call for stronger public transitProvidence Mayor David N. Cicilline stopped by the city’s train station in downtown this morning to support the findings of a new report outlining the need to develop stronger public transit systems in Providence and across the state. Improving bus service, extending rail lines and adding new modes of transportation such as a citywide street car network would add to the benefits mass transit already brings to Providence and the state, transit advocates said. According to the report released by the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority in 2006 saved one million gallons of oil, avoided 4,874 metric tons of global warming emissions and saved rush hour commuters in the greater Providence area 976,000 hours of time spent struck in traffic. “Rhode Island’s dependence on gasoline and automobiles is choking our health and environment,” said Chris Wilhite, Rhode Island director of the Sierra Club . “By transforming our car-driven transportation system into a system with clean, affordable transportation alternatives, we can significantly reduce our dependence on imported oil and reduce traffic.” Cicilline said the city’s Transit 2020 plan is continuing to go forward. RIPTA recently sent out a Request for Proposal to solicit a transit expert to help the state formulate a more specific plan. That plan will ultimately be sent to the federal government to apply for money for the projects. -- Journal environmental writer Natalie Garcia Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:10 PM | Comment Gov. Patrick concedes he faces defeat on casinosBOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick conceded today that his proposal to build three resort-style casinos in Massachusetts faces likely defeat in the House, but he pressed lawmakers to allow for a full and open debate. “I have no illusions about the plans in the House for this legislation,” he said at a legislative hearing on his bill. “I’m simply asking that an open debate begin, rather than end, today.” The hearing could determine the fate of Patrick’s bill, which he says would generate new jobs and revenue for the state. Opponents warn the proposal exaggerates the economic benefits and would bring increased crime and poverty. If lawmakers choose not to support it, the bill could come up for a vote as early as Thursday in the full House, where Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has strongly lobbied for its defeat. Patrick has said the casinos would create tens of thousands of construction jobs and 20,000 full-time permanent jobs and bring in $200 million in fees per license plus an estimated $400 million a year in new revenues. -- The Associated Press “Casinos in Massachusetts will be neither a cure-all for all of our fiscal needs nor an end of civilization as we know it,” he said to an overflowing crowd of mostly casino supporters in Gardner Auditorium. Earlier in the day, though, DiMasi told a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast he could not support the governor’s plan because it would ultimately harm residents. “We will absolutely and no question have increased bankruptcies, foreclosures, divorce, broken families, increased property crimes, domestic violence and on and on and on,” DiMasi said. “The cost of cleaning up the human devastation brought by casino gambling is too great.” “After six months of debate on this bill, I believe the evidence is not there, the case has not been made and time is running out,” DiMasi said. “Right now, my answer is no.” Before the hearing, hundreds of casino supporters rallied on the Boston Common to urge lawmakers to support Patrick’s plan. Many of the union members at the rally wore hard hats and carried signs saying “Casinos equal 20,000 jobs for Massachusetts and I need one of them.” Robert Haynes, Massachusetts president of the AFL-CIO, urged his members to attend the hearing and push their state lawmakers to back Patrick’s proposal. “I want to know which legislator is going to deny you a job, who’s going to pay your mortgage when you can’t pay, who’s going to leave 20,000 workers in an unemployment line,” Haynes said. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:53 AM | Comment CVS Caremark agrees to settle Medicaid fraud claimsCHICAGO — Pharmacy chain CVS Caremark Corporation has agreed to pay almost $37 million to the federal government, Massachusetts, 22 other states and the District of Columbia to settle claims it billed Medicaid programs for a more expensive formulation of an antacid. The investigation began more than five years ago after a suburban Chicago pharmacist alerted authorities. Attorneys say Rhode Island-based CVS gave Medicaid patients Ranitidine capsules instead of less expensive tablets. The drug is a generic version of the heartburn medication Zantac. Authorities say the switch is illegal and allowed the company to charge state Medicaid programs more and reap a bigger profit. Lawyers say CVS admits no wrongdoing in the case. The settlement was announced today. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:45 AM | Comment Biechele to be released from prison tomorrowThe man who set off pyrotechnics at a concert that sparked the 2003 Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people is set to be released from prison tomorrow. Daniel Biechele, former tour manager for the band Great White, has been in prison since May 2006 after pleading guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to four years, and is being released on parole. According to the state Department of Corrections, Biechele will be released at an out-of-state location. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:50 AM | Comment Special Senate primary in Woonsocket-CumberlandResidents in Senate District 20 today can vote in a special election that will ultimately decide who fills the seat of the late Sen. Roger Badeau. The 71-year-old senator died Jan. 25. Since there is no Republican or third party candidates, the winner of today's Democratic primary election will go on to fill Badeau's seat for the district, which includes parts of Cumberland and parts of Woonsocket. The following candidates are in the running:
Thomas J. Scully, 60, of Cumberland, a Spanish and French teacher at Western Hills Middle School in Cranston. Scully served 12 years on the Town Council and 2 years on the School Committee. Find out on projo.com when and where to vote. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:25 AM | Comment Seniors, have a rebate question? Ask the expertsSeniors who want to know more about the economic stimulus package – including what’s required to be eligible for a rebate check – can ask the experts. Representatives from the IRS and the AARP are joining Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on a series of meetings to answer questions and clarify what senior citizens need to do to ensure they receive checks. Among other things, seniors who don’t typically file a tax return will have to do so this year to qualify for rebates. The first of several meetings is today at 10:15 a.m. at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center, 420 Main St. in Pawtucket. More events are scheduled, including Wed., March 26 in Westerly and Fri., March 28 in Cranston. Extra: Find out now when you'll receive your rebate check. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:20 AM | Comment States’ first CO2 allowance auction set for Sept. 10MONTPELIER, Vt. — Ten northeastern states hoping to crack down on power plants and other large-scale greenhouse gas emitters announced plans for a carbon dioxide allowance auction, to be held Sept. 10. The participating states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont — want to sell allowances as part of a cap-and-trade program to take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2009. Some legislative approvals are still pending in the states before the first-of-its-kind auction — on behalf of all 10 — is held, officials said. Under RGGI, governments would cap the amount of carbon dioxide that factories and plants are allowed to discharge annually and then the companies would have to buy enough allowances to cover their emissions, with excess allowances sold at a profit on the secondary market. The states have set a cap — effectively a CO2 emissions budget — of about 188 million tons, which is the amount of carbon dioxide power plants expect to discharge in 2009. Starting in 2015, the cap would be reduced by 2.5 percent annually, ultimately resulting in a 16 percent emissions reduction from projected “business as usual” amounts, according to RGGI. -- The Associated Press “It’s the first time states have gotten together and sold credits like this,” said George Crombie, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. “It’s noteworthy because what the eastern states are doing is setting the foundation for a national cap-and-trade system for the United States.” Utility companies are expected to be the prime audience. “If they want to use our air to dispose of their wastes, they’ll need pollution allowances,” said RGGI chairman Pete Grannis, who is New York state’s environmental conservation commissioner. Some actually like the idea, he said. “Some companies that now produce power through clean energy see this as a way to equalize things. They’ll be able to produce their power without having to buy as many pollution allowances to do it. There’ll be winners and losers. The whole purpose of this is to encourage companies to clean up their act and produce their energy with fewer greenhouse gases,” said Grannis. Steve Costello, a spokesman for Central Vermont Public Service, said that utility supports the goals of the greenhouse gas-reduction effort. “In our view, market-based cap-and-trade programs ... have proven to be very efficient and cost-effective mechanisms for securing reductions of pollutants while causing a minimum of economic dislocation,” said Costello. “We enthusiastically support the goals of RGGI, and believe it will have a significant impact on all of these gases.” Grannis called the auctions pioneering events. “It’s probably the first anywhere in the world where pollution allowances are auctioned up front, as opposed to being traded on the open market,” he said. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Comment Cianci speaks at Brown: Politics, prison and ProvidenceFormer Providence mayor and convicted felon Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. is speaking heading to the east side today to speak at Brown University. Cianci, Providence’s mayor from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002, was indicted on federal racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering and mail fraud charges. He was released from prison in May 2007 after serving a nearly 5-years sentence for conspiracy. Since his release from prison, Cianci has been hosting a radio show. Tonight, as a guest of the Brown Lecture Board, he’ll talk about his political career, his time in prison and the future of Providence. The lecture is at the Salomon Center, room 101. It's set to begin at 8 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:22 AM | Comment Irish police officers to visit Providence todayPROVIDENCE -- Fourteen police officers from Ireland and Northern Ireland are coming to the city today to check out its community policing efforts. Chief Dean M. Esserman, who traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, two years ago extended the invitation, according to a news release from Mayor David N. Cicilline's office. Cicilline will meet with the them in his City Hall office tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The delegation is in the country for a 10-day seminar at Boston College’s Irish Institute with emphasis on "establishing an effective channel of communication between law enforcement and the community," the release says. The Irish police officers will also look at community policing efforts in Boston and Miami. The delegation is expected to visit Providence neighborhoods and learn more about the police department's efforts to "build relationships with its community partners," the release said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Two days of winter left, and still snow to comeAnother sunny, brisk day, with the National Weather Service forecasting a high temperature near 48 degrees and milder, south winds around 7 mph. We may see a last-ditch winter snow shower late tonight, then turning to a mix after 3 a.m. Expect cloudy skies and a low temperature just around freezing with mild south winds. The wintry mix should continue tomorrow, turning to rain after 9 a.m. with south winds of about 10 mph and a high temperature near 45 degrees. Check projo.com's weather page for updates on the coming snow. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story on the resignation of Providence Schools Superintendent Donnie Evans. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 17, 2008Tonight: Going green at Rhodes-on-the-PawtuxetPlenty of people will be going green this evening. The state's biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration is at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, 1 Rhodes Place, Cranston, which began at 2 p.m. and goes to 11 p.m. St. Michael’s Church in Providence hosts the celebration, which raises money for programs for the poor. Irish step dancers perform until 7 p.m., when the New York Irish Show Band takes over and performs until 10:30 p.m. Admission is $10, and food can be purchased. For more St. Patrick's things-to-do, check the the Journal's listings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment Reward offered in search for attacker on Jewish studentPROVIDENCE -- Three organizations today announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction "of those responsible for the March 15 attack on the apartment of an employee of the Brown/RISD Hillel and the Jewish Agency for Israel." The organizations are the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, Brown/RISD Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League. The announcement was made at a news conference in conjunction with the Providence Police Department. A Molotov cocktail was thrown into the 122 Camp St. apartment on the city's East Side early Saturday. The apartment is shared by Josef Knafo, 25, a graduate student from Israel,and his roommates. The Molotov cocktail did not explode but a second liquid-filled bottle landed in the yard outside the building, exploded and burned itself out early Saturday. The incident led to an investigation by several agencies including the FBI. If somebody were to claim the reward, Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Kennedy said the police department would participate in the decision-making on whether to pay the reward -- in terms of whether the information leads to arrests. The building is a triple-decker house with one apartment on each floor. One person lives on the ground floor. Three people live in the second-floor apartment, including Knafo, who was the alleged target. One person lives in the third-floor apartment. The police said today that everyone is living in the house except for Knafo, who has been moved to another residence. Knafo, who is from Afula, Israel, has been in the United States as an emissary for the Jewish Agency for Israel. The organization sends young people around the world for educational, religious and cultural programs. Kennedy yesterday said Knafo was in the apartment kitchen when he heard a bang. After looking out the window and seeing fire on the ground, he came upon the unexploded bottle inside his bedroom. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Gregory Smith and Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:35 PM | Comment State urges high court to reject appeal on paint verdictThe state of Rhode Island filed legal papers today urging the state Supreme Court to reject an appeal by three corporations that are seeking to overturn a jury’s verdict two years ago that found their lead-based paints created a nuisance by poisoning children throughout the state. “Having evaded their responsibility to the state and to its citizens for decades, these defendants now come before this court seeking immunity for their role in creating this public nuisance,” said the brief filed by Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch’s staff and private attorneys at Motley Rice, LLC. “Armed with little more than alarmist proclamations and doomsday rhetoric, they ask that this court take a bold, unprecedented step that would eviscerate over a century of established Rhode Island law. “In one fell swoop, defendants attempt to rewrite the law on public nuisance, carving out judicial immunity for themselves and ensuring that they will never be held accountable for the consequences of their actions,” the state argued. The two sides are scheduled to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court May 15. The state’s arguments today were backed by briefs from more than 50 organizations and public health experts. -- Journal environmental writer Peter B. Lord Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:12 PM | Comment Six arrested on drug charges in Fall RiverFALL RIVER -- The police have arrested six people in connection with an alleged heroin dealing operation on Valentine Street, according to a report released today. At about 9:50 p.m. Friday, detectives executed a search warrant at 41 Valentine St. After repeatedly knocking on the door, they said they forced their way inside, where they found three people, 141 bags of suspected heroin, and $71 in cash. While the police were inside the house, one of the residents continued to receive calls from would-be customers, the police said. Two callers were arrested when they later came to the house. A third caller, who asked to be met elsewhere, was also taken into custody by the police. Courtney Lapointe, 31, Michelle Gonsalves, 33, and Phillip Leonardo, 32, all residents of 41 Valentine St., were each charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws. In addition, Lapointe faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin. Maria Gheewala, 31, of 6858 Whitman Way, Sarasota, Fla., and Frank Mello, 39, of 123 Duluth St., Fall River, were charged with conspiracy after they went to 41 Valentine St. allegedly trying to purchase heroin. Charles Dosvais, 30, of 386 Durfee St., Fall River, was also charged with conspiracy after trying to have drugs delivered to his residence, according to the police. -- Journal staff writer Alex Kuffner Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:10 PM | Comment Van Halen's Providence show rescheduled to May 25Guitarists and air guitarists partial to speed-is-king solos can exhale -- the Van Halen concert has been rescheduled for Sunday, May 25, at Providence's Dunkin' Donuts Center, according to concert promotion agency LiveNation. For those who just want to hear in person the keyboard line from "Jump" one more time, breathe a sigh of relief. The hard rock band, which rose to wide fame in the 1980s, has reunited with original singer David Lee Roth and has been touring the country. The band postponed its tour, including the originally scheduled March 24 show at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, while guitarist Eddie Van Halen undergoes tests "to determine a course of treatment" for an illness that was not disclosed. The guitarist popularized the "tapping" technique in rock guitar, in which the player creates notes using both hands on a guitar's fretboard, which can create fleet-fingered, flowing solos. Today's announcement is for all of its previously postponed North American tour dates. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:00 PM | Comment Bear Stearns fallout rippling through R.I.The collapse this weekend of Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns will send ripples across the Rhode Island economy, according to two New England business experts interviewed yesterday. “The easiest way to envision it, it’s kind of like a spider web,” said Mark M. Higgins, dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Rhode Island. “What happens with one piece of the economy will have an effect on somebody else.” The collapse will make it harder to buy a car, pay off credit cards and finance a college education, according to Higgins and Augustine Faucher, director of macroeconomics at Moody’s Economy.com. “It’s gotten a lot more difficult to get a loan nowadays,” said Faucher. The problem is what economic experts refer to as “credit tightening.” Bear Stearns was pulled under by heavy investments in the mortgage industry, which has been strained by soaring foreclosures, especially on sub-prime loans that borrowers can no longer afford. In part, concern isn’t for the failing loans at Bear Stearns, because they have already done their damage. “There’s a lot of bad debt out there,” said Faucher. “The problem is we don’t know who’s holding it.” -- Journal staff writer Paul Edward Parker That uncertainty has made banks much more cautious in lending, both to consumers and to each other. Banks carrying bad debt don’t want to take on more that they might not be able to cover, and banks are wary of lending to each other, in case the borrower bank collapses as Bear Stearns did. And Higgins said the fallout will extend beyond the web of banking interests. Everyday people whose money was — directly or indirectly — invested in Bear Stearns, will now find themselves crunched for cash. That could lead to further problems with bad mortgages, which could spiral into more difficulty for banks. The collapse has other indirect effects, he said. “People forget there’s people working for Bear Stearns. Everybody thinks of this as a corporation ... but it’s a person, it’s the employees of the entity.” Those people could find themselves out of a job or taking home substantially less pay. And, Higgins said, Bear Stearns had a policy requiring employees to donate 4 percent of their earnings to charity. That is money the charities count on, but now may not receive. Also, as mortgages are harder to come by, fewer people buy houses and house prices decline. This, Faucher said, leads to homeowners being less willing to spend money as their home becomes worth less, creating more drag on the economy. “Consumers are cutting back already.” The long-term effects of the Bear Stearns collapse will be psychological, as well as financial, said Higgins. He said steps must also be taken — by the financial community or the government — to demonstrate either that Bear Stearns was a fluke or that steps have been taken to prevent the same thing from happening again. “No one will have any confidence, and a lot of what happens with the stock market is based on confidence.” While both agreed the economy is in recession, they offered slightly different forecasts for where it is headed. "I can’t foresee coming out of this before the fall,” said Higgins. “If things continue along this path, it’s going to be a pretty severe recession,” Faucher said, but added that he expects the federal government will take steps to shore up the economy, such as buying mortgage-backed securities to limit potential private losses. If that is the case, he said, “we think the recession is going to be pretty shallow and only last through the first half of 2008.” And they agreed on the key step consumers can take to ride out the recession. Said Higgins, “You want to stay out of debt.” Said Faucher, “People have got to watch what they’re doing.” Posted by Karen Bordeleau at 5:30 PM | Comment Murphy's Law: All pols deserve to be roastedSt. Patrick’s Day was celebrated today with House Speaker William Murphy’s annual "Murphy’s Law" luncheon in downtown Providence, where the one-liners and zingers flew from Murphy and landed on business leaders, State House political figures, lobbyists, judges and members of Rhode Island’s Washington congressional delegation. The meal featured the traditional Irish fare of corned beef and cabbage at the Federal Reserve on Dorrance Street. Murphy served up his own ration of humor at today’s event, the fourth annual "Murphy’s Law" luncheon. Everybody who is anybody in Rhode Island politics attended; the head table was held down by Governor Carcieri, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, Atty. Gen. Patrick Lynch, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, General Treasurer Frank Caprio, Providence Mayor David Cicilline, and House Majority Leader Gordon Fox. Bob Burke, owner of the Federal Reserve, kicked off the verbal roasting with a welcome for former Providence Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr. Burke said that Cianci, released from federal prison last July, couldn’t make last year’s St. Patrick’s luncheon because "he was unable to get parole.’’ Among the targets today was New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s downfall; the state budget shortfall; the December 13, 2007 snowstorm; the transfer of Steve Kass, Carcieri’s former communications director, to a job at the state Emergency Management Agency; and various peccadillos of Rhode Island lawmakers and state officials. Murphy twitted his top lieutenant, Majority Leader Fox, who has a name similar to the false one used by Spitzer for his assignation with a prostitute in Washington’s Mayflower Hotel. "We all know that Gordon Fox would never spend $4,300 on a woman,’’ said Murphy. "A bellhop, that might be a different story." Joking about criticism that the General Assembly has not followed through on putting into the 2002 Separation of Powers referendum, Democrat Murphy said of Republican Carcieri, "We’re still trying to separate the governor from his powers." The queues at the state Division of Motor Vehicles are so long, Murphy said, "that drug dealers still have to wait four hours to get a fake license." -- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay Chiding Mike O’Connell, chairman of the West Warwick St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Murphy said O’Connell didn’t seem to know that Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week. "Thanks to Mike and others like him I continue to represent the people of West Warwick." In a shot at Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a well-born Protestant, Murphy said that after Spitzer was caught in the Mayflower hotel with a prostitute, Whitehouse ``should not tell anyone that you’re connected to the Mayflower.’’ Murphy also lampooned some of his GOP House opponents, including Rep. Robert Watson, R-East Greenwich, Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventry and Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, as Larry, Curly and Moe of "The Three Stooges." Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams, an Abraham Lincoln afficianado, was spoofed in a large photograph showing him wearing a top hat that mimicked one worn by Lincoln. Cianci arrived with a few bon mots of his own. As Burke, especially, droned on, Cianci said the luncheon was ``going on longer than my prison sentence.’’ Cianci joked that Italian immigrants were once accused of bringing organized crime to American shores by establishing La Cosa Nostra. But it was Irish immigrants who really set up an organized cartel, Cianci said. ``They called it the Democratic Party.’’ To the tune of the St. Patrick’s Day perennial `The Wild Rover,’ Montalbano sung a tune about the state’s budget problems and the downturn in state gambling revenue from the Twin River slot machine emporium. ```Well, we’re half a billion in the hole this year, and how we will fix it Il have no idea. I thought we knew the ways and means but they’re not showing up to play slot machines. And it’s no, nay never, never, no nay never no more, do they play at Twin River, no never no more,’’ sang Montalbano. Rep. Richard Singleton, R-Cumberland, sung a rousing rendition of `O Danny Boy.’ And Harry Casey, an aide to Murphy, finished with a benediction,’’May the road rise up to meet you, may all your glasses be filled with plenty and may you never be subpoened by U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente.’’ A portion of the proceeds from the $40 per person event went to the Rhode Island Food Bank. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:15 PM | Comment Carcieri nominates six to clean house at landfillPROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today nominated six new board members for the state's $70-million trash agency. The move comes in the wake of a preliminary audit report that found potential “irregularities and appearances of impropriety." Carcieri's nominees, who would replace most of the current panel, are: * Carole Bell, of Cranston, a senior program manager with Science Applications International Corporation, who works "in the environmental compliance and waste management/prevention arenas." Environmental Council of Rhode Island recommended her. * Bradford Gorham, of Foster, a lawyer and former state senator "who led efforts to establish and improve the recycling programs of the corporation." * Douglas Jeffrey, of Johnston, who is president of Signature Properties, a broker and a developer of urban residential properties. Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena recommended Jeffrey. * Michael Quinn, of Warwick, retired State Police major and current executive director of campus safety and security and adjunct professor at Johnson and Wales University. * Sue Sheppard, of Lincoln, retired former Lincoln town administrator. * John Ward, of Woonsocket, current Lincoln finance director and Woonsocket City Council member and a certified public accountant. “The Bureau of Audit’s preliminary report demonstrates that the Resource Recovery Board of Commissioners needs new leadership and a new direction,” the governor said in an afternoon statement. “It is now clear that the Central Landfill has been mismanaged for years. I have already asked the Bureau of Audits to continue and complete their investigation. I have also provided copies of the bureau’s preliminary findings to the State Police, the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for their review. The report says several transactions were poorly planned, insufficiently documented, and suggested potential conflicts involving Resource Recovery board members Austin Ferland, John St. Sauveur and executive director Sherry Mulhearn. The report also singles out former Johnston Mayor William A. Macera, who supported the creation of a controversial industrial park while “members of his own family would benefit through land sales.” The trash agency, known as the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, is overseen by an eight-member board including the Department of Administration administrator or his or her department designee and seven governor-appointed members. Two of the seven must be residents of Johnston, where the state's Central Landfill is located. Carcieri is submitting the nominees to the state Senate for advice and consent. Extra: Read a summary of the preliminary audit's findings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment Teenager who died in Providence car crash is identifiedPROVIDENCE -- The teenager killed when the car he was driving went off Jewett Street and struck a tree yesterday was Victor Fernandez of Providence, according to the police report. Fernandez, 17, of 245 Mt. Pleasant Ave., was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:40 p.m. yesterday. Passenger Luis Coronado, 17, of 302 Lowell Ave., Providence, was admitted to Hasbro Children's Hospital. The car, which the police said Fernandez was driving east on the two-lane Jewett Street shortly after 4:30 p.m., veered, climbed a curb and hit a tree. The collision forced the car to spin around and come to a stop in both lanes, facing northwest in front of 211/213 Jewett St., according to the report. A debris trail stretched about 70 feet east from the impact. The police used an extrication device to remove Fernandez from the 1993 two-door Honda Civic. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:53 PM | Comment Priest removed from ministry amid sex allegationA retired Massachusetts priest, who allegedly committed sexual misconduct with a child at a residence in 1979, has been removed from the ministry. The Rev. Bento R. Fraga was a pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Attleboro at the time, the Diocese of Fall River said today in a news release. The diocese learned of the allegation in January and, per policy, turned the issue over to the Review Board. "After a full investigation, although Father Fraga has denied the allegation, the board has determined that the allegation is credible," the statement said. The statement does not go into specifics of the allegations, but says it was a "single claim of sexual misconduct with a minor." The diocese states that it has reported the allegation to the Barnstable County District Attorney's office. Fraga retired as pastor in June 2005 and has not been assigned to any parish since then. But, until this decision, he had the "faculties," or permission, to continue ministering as a priest. During retirement, he opted to reside at St. Anthony Parish in Taunton, Mass., "where he frequently assisted," the diocese said. Bishop George W. Colemen's letter about Fraga's removal was distrubuted at this weekend's Masses at all parishes where Fraga had served since his 1956 ordination. Bishop Coleman is "deeply troubled by this matter," the diocese said, and at his request, Catholic Social Services counselors were at weekend Masses at the two Taunton parishes -- St. Anthony's and St. Paul's -- where Fraga most recently served. The diocese asked that anyone with information that might help in the case should contact Arlene McNamee of Catholic Social Services' Office of Children Protection at (508) 674-4681, the Barnstable County District Attorney's office at (508) 362-8110 or the Bristol County District Attorney's office at (508) 997-0711. The diocese statement listed Fraga's assigments as: * 1956, assigned assistant, St. John of God Parish, Somerset. * 1969, assigned assistant, St. Joseph Parish, Taunton. * 1972, assigned assistant, Holy Ghost Parish, Attleboro. * 1974, assigned pastor, Holy Ghost Parish, Attleboro. * 1985, assigned pastor, St. John the Baptist Parish, New Bedford, Mass. * 1987, assigned pastor, St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Provincetown, Mass. * 1992, assigned pastor, St. Paul Parish, Taunton. * 2005, requested retirement at age 75. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:17 PM | Comment Chicken products recalledAn Alabama company is recalling more than 940,000 pounds of chicken products -- including gizzards, liver, hearts and necks – after a problem was discovered with sorting equipment. Cagle’s Inc., based in Collinsville, Ala., announced that it will voluntarily recall the products after an inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services. According to a statement released by the USDA, Cagle’s installed new sorting equipment in November, but, according to the FSIS inspection, the equipment was not properly sorting the organs from condemned carcasses from those meant to enter the food supply. The recall affects products sold between Dec. 3, 2007 and March 12, 2008. No illnesses have been reported. Click below for a full list of products affected by the recall. • 3-lb. bulk packages of "Cagle's MRB BREADED GIZZARDS." Each label bears a product code of "49113." • Bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKEN GIZZARDS." Each label bears a product code of "61913," "61914" or "61915." • 50-lb. bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKEN LIVERS." Each label bears a product code of "62150." • Bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKEN LIVERS." Each label bears a product code of "62921," "62924" or "62931." • 13-lb. bulk packages of "OUR PREMIUM DELI PRE-BREADED CHICKEN LIVERS." Each label bears a product code of "12210." • 13-lb. bulk packages of "OUR PREMIUM DELI PRE-BREADED CHICKEN GIZZARDS." Each label bears a product code of "21210."
• 33-lb. bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKEN SKINLESS NECKS." Each label bears a product code of "63191." • 33-lb. bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKEN SKINLESS NECKS." Each label bears a product code of "63005." • Bulk packages of "Cagle's FRYING CHICKENS WITH SKINLESS NECKS." Each label bears a product code of "39003." Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 2:40 PM | Comment Photo: Prepping for a St. Patrick's Day dance
Posted by Jack Perry at 2:04 PM | Comment Driver indicted after teen struck, seriously injuredA South Kingstown woman has been indicted on charges she was driving drunk and "with reckless disregard" when authorities say she struck at high speed a 17-year-old girl who was standing on the Route 1 shoulder last year. Heidi Harrall, 45, of 24 West Side Road, is named in the indictment handed up Friday on one count of driving under the influence, serious bodily injury resulting, and one count of driving to endanger, personal injury resulting, the state Attorney General's office announced today. Authorities allege that Harrall's car struck Sylvia Bogusz last June 23 in South Kingstown, seriously injuring Bogusz. The police have said Harrall was driving at more than 90 mph. Bogusz was hit after having driven her car with a flat tire onto the shoulder. She put on her emergency lights, got out, walked to the shoulder and made a phone call to her mother. Harrall was driving Route 1 south when she tried to pass a car, the authorities have said, crossed the yellow line, swerved, lost control, and drove onto the shoulder, where Bogusz stood. Bogusz was found unconscious and bleeding in Route 1's southbound lane. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:30 PM | Comment Irish police to observe Providence's community policingPROVIDENCE -- Fourteen police officers from Ireland and Northern Ireland are coming to the city tomorrow to check out its community policing efforts. Chief Dean M. Esserman, who traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, two years ago extended the invitation, according to a news release from Mayor David N. Cicilline's office. Cicilline will meet with the them in his City Hall office tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The delegation is in the country for a 10-day seminar at Boston College’s Irish Institute with emphasis on "establishing an effective channel of communication between law enforcement and the community," the release says. The Irish police officers will also look at community policing efforts in Boston and Miami. The delegation is expected to visit Providence neighborhoods and learn more about the police department's efforts to "build relationships with its community partners," the release said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:39 PM | Comment Amtrak train derails in ConnecticutWINDSOR LOCKS, Conn.— Amtrak service has been suspended between Hartford and Springfield, Mass., after a train derailed because of an apparent mudslide. An Amtrak spokesman says no one was injured when the shuttle from New Haven to Springfield went off the tracks north of Windsor Locks about 10 a.m. Monday. The six people on board at the time are being taken to Springfield by bus. In Providence, a contract worker was killed on the tracks Thursday after being hit by the Acela train, and in New Hampshire Friday, a person was killed near the Vermont state line, after being struck by the Vermonter train. Also Friday, a Washington-bound Acela train hit a woman crossing the tracks in Connecticut, seriously injuring her arm and killing her dog, authorities said. Train service between Hartford and Springfield has been suspended at least for the rest of Monday because there is only one track in that area. Buses will be provided to take riders between the two cities. Once in Hartford, they can continue on to New Haven as normal. Riders with questions can call 1-800-USA-RAIL. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:44 AM | Comment Smoke shop trial marches on toward April 4State police trooper Ann Assumpico returned to the stand today to face cross examination in the trial of seven Narragansett Indians who are facing a variety of misdemeanor charges after a scuffle during a 2003 state police raid on a tribal smoke shop. Under direct examination Monday, Assumpico testified about her confrontation with conservation officer Thawn Harris, and councilman Hiawatha Brown pushing on a door that her arm was stuck in. The trial is set to continue until a 12:45 p.m. lunch break. Last week, after two days were missed due to a sick juror, Judge Susan E. McGuirl said the trial would end by April 4. “It’s got to be done,” she said, even if the days had to be longer. Extra: See video footage and photos from the raid at the Journal's smoke-shop section. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:36 AM | Comment Lesbian pair married in Mass. seeks annulment in Mo.ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- A lesbian married in Massachusetts has filed for an annulment from her wife in Missouri. Charisse Y. Sparks and Janet Y. Peters Mauceri Sparks were married in Boston three years ago and moved to Missouri shortly thereafter. Late last year Charisse Sparks went to Buchanan County court to dissolve the marriage. The filing creates a legal challenge in a state that voted overwhelmingly four years ago to limit marriage to unions between one man and one woman. Judge Daniel Kellogg said the case is being treated as an annulment. In her petition, Sparks does not recognize her marriage. The other woman argues the marriage is legal. Kellogg has taken the matter under consideration and scheduled another hearing for April 2. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 11:03 AM | Comment Gas prices continue to climbGasoline prices jumped another four cents per gallon last week and are now within five cents of an all-time high, according to AAA Southern New England. The average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.189 per gallon at the self-service pump, according to AAA's weekly survey. The price for regular unleaded gasoline has increased 20 cents over the past five weeks, but people driving cars and trucks that take diesel fuel are suffering the most. The price for diesel fuel has increased 65 cents per gallon over the same period, crossing the $4 per gallon mark. A year ago at this time, drivers were paying $2.579 per gallon for regular, unleaded gasoline.
Posted by Jack Perry at 10:59 AM | Comment State to file response to lead paint companies' appealPROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for the state are asking Rhode Island's Supreme Court to uphold a two-year-old jury verdict against three former lead paint manufacturers. The state is expected to file court papers later today in response to the companies' appeal of the verdict, which could force the companies to spend billions of dollars to clean up hundreds of thousands of contaminated homes. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on May 15. Meanwhile, two public health experts are evaluating the state's proposed $2.4 billion cleanup of older properties. Extra: Read Poisoned, the Providence Journal's series on lead paint poisonings in Rhode Island -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:41 AM | Comment Brown president says school, police working togetherBrown University’s president said in a letter that even though a weekend act of violence against a graduate student took place off-campus, the University is looking at the situation to determine if there is more the school can do to prevent “this kind of activity” from happening. Brown President Ruth Simmons sent the letter a day after a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the apartment of Josef Knafo, 25, an Israeli graduate student who works at the Brown/Rhode Island School of Design Hillel House. One of the cocktails exploded outside of the house Knafo lives in, the other crashed through a window into the apartment, but did not explode. No one was injured. In a statement published on the Hillel House Web site, Simmons said interim vice president of campus life and student services Russell Carey is working with staff to address any safety concerns and find new housing for Knafo. “There is nothing more unsettling on a campus than to have acts that might seek to spread fear, intimidate, or harm individuals,” the statement reads. “Swift action to condemn such behavior and strongly restate our values of openness and mutual respect is an essential step at such moments.” Knafo, 25, has been in the United States as an emissary for the Jewish Agency for Israel, an agency that sends young people around the world to conduct cultural programs. Deputy Police Chief Paul J. Kennedy said he does not know whether the attack, which happened at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, was the result of a personal grudge or for a “global reason,” but that the department is taking the incident very seriously. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:02 AM | Comment Looking for something to do on St. Pat's Day?St. Patrick’s Day is finally here and, while many events were staged over the weekend, there is still some celebrating left over for today. A Celtic Sojourn, Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. (617) 931-2000. Featuring vocalist Karen Casey, Kiernan Jordan and Dancers, accordionist Sean Gannon and fiddler Amanda Cavanaugh, vocalist John Spillane, neo-trad trio Buille and host Brian O’Donovan of WGBH-FM Radio. 7:30 pm. $31-$36. Damhsa Irish Dance Studio Presentation, Warwick Mall, Routes 2 and 5, Warwick. 2 pm. Free. Fishing With Finnegan. Irish music. •North Providence City Hall, 2000 Smith St., North Providence. 232-0900. 10 am. Annual flag raising ceremony. •Mayor David N. Cicilline is inviting the public to a St. Patrick's Day celebration featuring Irish music and dance at noon today in City Hall.
Rory Malloy, Irish music, Mulhearn’s Pub, 507 North Broadway, East Providence. 438-9292. 3 pm. Calley McGrane and the Exiles, Celtic and rock music, Twin River, Fado, 100 Twin River Rd., Lincoln. 723-3200, (800) 720-7275, www.twinriver.com. 8:30 pm-12:30 am. No cover. 18+. Murphy’s Law Luncheon, featuring Rhode Island House Speaker William Murphy at Federal Reserve, 60 Dorrance St., Providence. 273-8953. Corned beef and cabbage luncheon with all the fixings. Noon. $40. By reservation. St. Michael’s Church St. Patrick’s Day Celebration (10th Anniversary), Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, 1 Rhodes Place, Cranston. 785-4333; www.rhodesonthepawtuxet.com. 2-11 pm. John Connors and the Irish Express, 2-6 pm; Irish Step Dancers, 6-7 pm; Show Band, 7-10:30 pm. $10. Food available for purchase. St. Patrick’s Day Family Ceili, Local 121, 121 Washington St., Providence. 274-2121. Irish social dance with music by Jimmy Devine and Friends with set and ceili dances called by Barry and Pat Callahan. No partners or experience necessary. 6-9 pm. $5. Traditional Irish food available. St. Patty’s Day Dinner, Prince’s Hill Deli, 328 County Rd., Barrington. 245-1900. Corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatoes and Irish bread. 11:30 am-6:30 pm. $9.95. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:49 AM | Comment Governor to recommend new board for trash agencyThe governor said Friday that he will submit nominations today for new board members to serve on the state’s $70-million trash agency after a 33-page report found possible “irregularities and appearances of impropriety.” The report says several transactions were poorly planned, insufficiently documented, and suggested potential conflicts involving Resource Recovery board members Austin Ferland, John St. Sauveur and executive director Sherry Mulhearn. The report also singles out former Johnston Mayor William A. Macera, who supported the creation of a controversial industrial park while “members of his own family would benefit through land sales.” Extra: Read a summary of the preliminary audit's findings.
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 9:04 AM | Comment Mass. man to face murder charges todayA 31-year-old Massachusetts man is scheduled to face charges today for the murder of a man outside a Pawtucket methadone clinic. Police say John Duffy and the victim, Ronald Leone, were standing in line outside the Addiction Recovery Institute in October 2007 when they got into an argument about holding the place in line for a woman. Police say Duffy got upset that Leone wanted to allow the woman to return to her place in line after she had left. The argument escalated and, police say, Duffy stabbed Leone at least twice; once in the head and once in the side. Duffy is scheduled to appear in Superior Court, Providence, today. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:23 AM | Comment Photo: A deer pause in Lincoln
Posted by Jack Perry at 7:52 AM | Comment Irish dancing and music today at Providence City HallPROVIDENCE – Mayor David N. Cicilline is inviting the public to a St. Patrick's Day celebration featuring Irish music and dance at noon today in City Hall. The celebration will include traditional Celtic sounds, Irish step dancing by the Goulding School of Irish Dance and a performance by Cheryl Brodsky, a student from the music school of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. William J. Gilbane, Jr., president & chief operating offficer of Gilbane Building Company, is the guest speaker. A light lunch will be served. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment A sunny but brisk St. Patrick's DayYes, it's March, but don't put the winter coat away yet. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 49 degrees, which isn't so bad, but a north wind gusting up to 32 mph will make it feel colder. Tonight expect clear skies and a low 21-degree temperature. The wind should die down some, to between 6 and 13 mph. More sunny skies tomorrow with a high temperature near 45 degrees an a north wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south as the day goes on. To check up on the weather through the day, see projo.com's weather page. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front pageToday's front page features a story about concerns that the state's new $61-million juvenile detention center is already too small. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 7:00 AM | Comment March 14, 2008Tomorrow: St. Patrick's Day parade steps off in NewportNEWPORT -- Go green in the City by the Sea tomorrow. The city's St. Patrick's Day parade tomorrow kicks off at 11 a.m. beginning at City Hall on Broadway. The city has advised people heading into Newport to avoid Broadway. Best ways into the city with available public parking are westbound on Memorial Boulevard, right onto Bellevue Avenue (northbound), left on Church Street and right into the Waterfront parking lot (between Church and Mary streets). Or take Farewell Street south to America’s Cup Avenue and right into the Gateway parking garage. People should expect heavy traffic downtown from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and limited parking. Those in the parade will start setting up on lower Broadway about 9 a.m. Parking will be banned from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- and cars towed otherwise towed -- on Broadway from Cranston/Equality Park West to Washington Square; Equality Park Place and Equality Park West; Dr. Marcus F. Wheatland Boulevard from Equality Park to Oak Street; Washington Square from Broadway to Thames Street; Thames Street from America’s Cup to Morton Avenue; and, Carroll Avenue from Morton to Harrison avenues. Expect regulations on noise and open containers of alcohol in public to be in force, the city has said. For more St. Patrick's Day events around the region, check out these listings. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:05 PM | Comment DEM names new parks and recreation chiefRobert Paquette of West Greenwich has been appointed chief of the state Department of Environmental Management's Division of Parks and Recreation, DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan announced today. Paquette will oversee the running and maintaining of state parks, beaches, historic sites, campgrounds, and roadside picnic/rest areas. He will also oversee the administration of the state water and recreational safety program. For the past 12 years, Paquette has served as regional park manager for a region that takes in Goddard Memorial, Beavertail and Fort Wetherill state parks, six rest areas, Rome Point/John H. Chafee Nature Preserve, and a nine-hole golf course. He headed up the running and maintaining of those locations, supervising 12 full-time staffers and about 50 seasonal employees. Paquette has worked for DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation for 27 years, the DEM news said. He's also worked in the Division of Forest Environment. Paquette holds a bachelor's degree in management from Johnson & Wales University. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:31 PM | Comment Police seek help finding suspect in abduction attemptWOONSOCKET -- The police today asked for the public's help in finding and identifying a man who attempted to abduct a Woonsocket High School girl while she walked to school on Tuesday morning. The police said the suspect is described a light-skinned, Hispanic male, about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8 tall, with a medium build and short dark hair with sideburns attached to a well-kept beard. He was wearing a baggy black T-shirt bearing a design and baggy light-blue jeans. He was in a medium-size, dark-colored, four-door older model car with wood grain around the stereo. It had gray cloth seats, was neat inside, and had square door handles and what appeared to be manual door locks. The Woonsocket police ask that anyone with information call (401) 766-1212. The police also announced this week that six state troopers are working with the city's police to add to patrols following the abduction attempt. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:51 PM | Comment N. Providence High teen accused of assault at schoolNORTH PROVIDENCE -- A 16-year-old student at North Providence High School has been arrested after being accused of assaulting the school resource officer and an assistant principal in the school, police said. Deputy Police Chief Paul A. Marino said the teenager lost control of his temper and got into a scuffle yesterday with Patrolman David Henry, the school resource officer. Several police officers and school officials had to restrain the student. "They were suspending him from school, and he didn’t want to go,’’ he said. Marino said neither the police officer or assistant principal were seriously injured. According to a police report, the teenager and his girlfriend got into an argument shortly after 10:30 a.m. in the school nurse’s office. He moved to the hallway and started swearing at Christen McLaughlin, an assistant principal. She told police that the teenager headed to door that would take him outside and she warned him that he would be "truant,’’ if he left the building. The teenager left and returned a few minutes later. The police report said that Officer Henry approached the teenager, who became unruly and shouted obscenities at him. Henry told the him to "calm down,’’ and "leave the building,’’ the report says. -- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski
Two other police officers, Mike Zaccagnini and John Piluso, arrived at the high school and helped Henry take the teenager into custody. On the way out, the boy allegedly kicked the police cruiser, leaving a dent in the right rear end. At police headquarters, the teenager was charged with two counts of simple assault for allegedly striking Henry and McLaughlin, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, vandalism to town property and willful trespassing on school grounds. He was placed in a jail cell pending an appearance in Family Court in Providence. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:53 PM | Comment Charge: R.I. Hospital security guard stole patients' IDsPROVIDENCE -- A former Rhode Island Hospital security guard was arrested today by U.S. Secret Service agents on charges that he stole identity information from emergency room patients. He then allegedly used the information to open cell phone and charge accounts. The complaint also charges the manager of a RadioShack store in Cranston for playing a role in opening accounts at the store. Michael Bermudez, 26, of Regent Avenue, Providence, the security guard, and Hector Alvarez, 29, of Sisson Street, Providence, and RadioShack manager, are charged with conspiracy, identity theft, and trafficking in unauthorized access devices -- all felonies and therefore subject to federal grand jury review, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office announced today. Both men appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond. No plea was entered. Almond released Alvarez on an unsecured bond. Bond was also set for Bermudez. But because he is wanted in New York for a parole violation, he was not released. The government also charged Robert Valerio, 25, a clerk at the Cranston RadioShack. He is believed to be in the Dominican Republic. An arrest warrant has been issued for Valerio, who is formerly of Thackery Street, Providence.
According to an affidavit, a collection agency sought payment of a RadioShack credit card debt of $1,632 from someone who had been a Rhode Island Hospital patient. But the former patient filed a complaint with the Cranston Police, saying he never opened the account in question. The patient also found out a cell phone account had been opened in his name at the Garfield Avenue RadioShack store -- an account with an outstanding balance of $1,353. Secret Service agents probed the matter and found several people who had bought what they thought were pre-paid cell phones for $50 each, and that a man named “Mike,” who was a Rhode Island Hospital security guard, was selling the phones. The phones stopped working about two weeks after people bought them. According to the affidavit, since summer 2006, Bermudez had been going to the Cranston RadioShack every few weeks with people's personal information. With the help of Valerio, Alvarez or another person, Bermudez opened cell phone accounts in other people's names, activated phones for those accounts, and then attempted to sell the phones. Bermudez would arrive at the store in hospital security guard uniform, according to the affidavit, with identity information written paper slips. A Secret Service agent found that Bermudez had worked second shift in the hospital's emergency room and had access to all emergency room areas. The security guard company fired Bermudez in February "for reasons not directly related to the charges filed today," the news release said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:45 PM | Comment Ex-House majority leader reports to prison at Fort DixPROVIDENCE — Ex-House majority leader Gerard M. Martineau, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges last fall, has begun his three-year prison sentence. He arrived today at the federal prison at Fort Dix, N.J. -- where former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. also served his corruption sentence. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thomas Connell confirmed that Martineau reported to the prison today. Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi on Feb. 22 sentenced Martineau to three years and one month in prison and ordered him to pay $100,000 in fines. She also ordered him to serve two years probation after completing his prison sentence. Martineau appeared before Lisi in November and pleaded guilty to two felony charges of depriving Rhode Islanders of the right to honest services — for $891,500 worth of paper- and plastic-bag contracts from the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross. In return, Martineau admitted, he used his position to influence health care and other legislation to the benefit of those two companies. Martineau is the second public official, after former Sen. John A. Celona of North Providence, to be sentenced to prison on corruption charges stemming from the four-year probe of influence-peddling at the State House. The investigation, dubbed Operation Dollar Bill, was launched after disclosures in The Providence Journal of Celona’s hidden ties to CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Roger Williams Medical Center. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mike Stanton Posted by Jack Perry at 4:37 PM | Comment Update: Probe of Amtrak fatal could take up to yearPROVIDENCE -- A three-investigator team from the National Transportation Safety Board will try to figure out why a northbound Amtrak Acela train struck three workers in Providence yesterday, killing one and injuring two others. The investigators will spend about a week on scene in Providence, but it could be nine months to a year before they issue a report on the accident's probable cause, Ruben Payan, NTSB lead investigator, said at a news conference this afternoon. Payan described the area just north of the Providence station -- and Acela stop -- as having a "sharp curve" and said whether that played a role will be part of the investigation. The train was on a stretch of track bounded on both sides by sloping ground leading up to a chainlink fence. When it came to a stop, part of the train had passed under the Charles Street overpass, where the corridor narrows. Among other things, the NTSB team will do interviews and review the Acela train's event recorder, which Payan likened to an airplane's black box. The recorder should indicate such factors as the train's speed, use of brakes and whether any warnings were given. Amtrak said yesterday that the train was going below the authorized speed limit of 55 mph on that stretch of track. This morning, Amtrak today identified the man who was killed as a contract employee with an architectural engineering firm. Gary Graves, who worked for HNTB Holdings, of Kansas City, Mo., was struck at about 1:15 p.m. yesterday while he and two other workers were inspecting the tracks, according to Tracy Connell, an Amtrak spokeswoman. The cause of Graves' death was multiple blunt traumatic injuries, the state Office of the Medical Examiners office said this afternoon. The office identified Graves as being from Delaware. The other two workers were Amtrak employees but their names have not been released. One was seriously hurt and the other was treated and released from a hospital, according to Randal Brassell, an official with a union representing Amtrak workers. As policy, the National Transportation Safety Board does not identify people who are injured or killed in incidents it probes, leaving that to the transportation company involved or local hospitals. An Amtrak official, Michael DeCataldo Jr., who attended the news conference refused to answer questions, deferring to a company spokesman.
-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Asked if any of those involved had undergone substance tests, Payan said he needed to check with the NTSB official who handles that aspect. While the NTSB is lead investigator, the Federal Railroad Administration is doing its own investigation. No one on board the train was hurt and passengers remained on the train until it continued on its way 2 1/2 hours later. According to Connell, there were 162 passengers and 6 crew members on board. The incident drew Amtrak police, city police and fire and rescue workers, state medical examiners office staff and, for a time, Mayor David N. Cicilline. A green tarp was placed over part of the side of the sixth or seventh car while recovery personnel worked from underneath to remove the person who had been killed. Amtrak service in the area in both directions was halted for about 2½ hours yesterday while the Acela remained just north of the Providence rail station. At 3:48 p.m. yesterday, service was resumed, Amtrak said in a statement sent at 4:15 p.m. The train, number 2154, was also released and continued on to Boston. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:18 PM | Comment Tell-Tale starts filming in Rhode Island next weekTell-Tale, a thriller based on author Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and whose producers backed Gladiator and Top Gun, will launch principal photography on Monday, with locations expected to include Burrillville and Providence. The production is slated to continue through April, Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office, said in a news release. Slated to star in it are Josh Lucas, Lena Headey and Emmy-winning Brian Cox. Ridley Scott, who directed Gladiator, and his brother Tony Scott, who directed Top Gun, are producing the movie. The movie will tell the story of a man whose transplanted heart "leads him on a dangerous journey to find who murdered its donor," the film and television office statement said. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:10 PM | Comment Train worker died from multiple blunt traumatic injuriesThe cause of death for Gary L. Graves, the 65-year-old contractor who was struck and killed by an Amtrak Acela train in Providence yesterday, was multiple blunt traumatic injuries, the state medical examiners' office announced this afternoon. The medical examiners' office identified Graves as being from Delaware. Graves, who worked for HNTB Holdings of Kansas City, Mo., and two other workers were inspecting the tracks when the accident occurred, according to Tracy Connell, an Amtrak spokeswoman. Amtrak has refused to identify the two workers who were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:12 PM | Comment Company recalls seafood after possible contaminationBOSTON — A Boston seafood company has issued a voluntary recall of its cooked langostinosbecause of possible listeria contamination. The recalled “Icybay Cooked Langostinos” from Slade Gorton & Company were sold in one-pound packages to retailers in Massachusetts and Maryland and in five-pound packages to wholesalers in 19 states. The company initiated the recall Friday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found a sample believed to be contaminated with Listeria Monocytogenes, which can cause fatal infections. Slade Gorton & Company says it and the FDA are investigating the source of any potential problem. The company says no sicknesses related to the product have been reported. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 3:07 PM | Comment Diocese to close one school, build anotherPROVIDENCE -- The Diocese of Providence’s Catholic School Office today announced that St. Leo the Great School in Pawtucket will close at the end of this school year because of declining enrollment and increasing operational costs. However, the office also announced that it's keeping open two other schools that have struggled with enrollment -- Burrillville’s Father Holland School and Warwick’s St. Kevin School. And the office announced that Immaculate Conception Parish in Cranston will build a new school to replace the Cranston/Johnston Catholic Regional School. A decision on Sacred Heart School in East Providence, which has also struggled with declining enrollment, will be announced next month. Parents were notified of St. Leo's closing through a letter sent home with students yesterday afternoon, according to a release from the Diocese of Providence's Catholic School Office. Faculty and staff were notified yesterday afternoon and will receive priority application status at other Catholic schools in the state, the diocese said. In a letter to parents, Father Kevin Fisette, pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish, said efforts would be made to place students in other Catholic schools. The school will host an open house at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday during which area Catholic schools will discuss their programs. St. Leo the Great needs a minimum of 165 students, but reported 92 paid registrations for the 2008-2009 school year. In 2004, there were 318 students enrolled. The school can accommodate up to 400 students. According to the diocese, the new school at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Cranston will replace the Cranston/Johnston Catholic Regional School and will become the Immaculate Conception Catholic Regional School. The 42,000-square-foot school will serve a maximum of 325 students in kindergarten through the 8th grade. Proceeds from the sale of the existing Cranston/Johnston Catholic Regional School will go toward the estimated $9.2-million construction cost of the new school. Construction will begin this spring with a targeted completion date of August 2009. Posted by Jack Perry at 3:05 PM | Comment Federal team in Providence to probe fatal train accidentPROVIDENCE -- A team of three investigators from the National Transporation Safety Board will try to determine why an Amtrak train struck three workers in Providence yesterday, killing one of them and seriously injuring two others. The investigators will spend about a week in Providence, but it could be nine months to a year before they issue a report on the accident's probable cause, Ruben Payan, lead investigator for the NTSB, said at a press conference this afternoon. Among other things, the team will conduct interviews and will review the Acela train's event recorder, which Payan likened to an airplane's black box. The recorder should indicate such factors as the train's speed, use of brakes and whether any warnings were given. Amtrak today identified the man who was killed as a contract employee with an architectural engineering firm. Gary Graves, who worked for HNTB Holdings, of Kansas City, Mo., was struck at about 1:15 p.m. yesterday while he and two other workers were inspecting the tracks, according to Tracy Connell, an Amtrak spokeswoman. The other two workers were Amtrak employees. Their names have not been released. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mike McKinney Posted by Jack Perry at 2:43 PM | Comment Strength in numbers: 20 workers share $200,000 prizeTwenty co-workers from a Central Falls-based company claimed a $200,000 Powerball prize yesterday afternoon, the Rhode Island Lottery announced today. They have played the lottery game since summer "whenever the jackpot is high enough" to pique their interest, a Rhode Island Lottery news release says. The $200,000 ticket, matched the first five numbers but not the Powerball number, was drawn for Wednesday night’s $238.6 million Powerball. The ticket was bought from the Store 24 at 390 Broad St., Central Falls. Saturday’s estimated Powerball jackpot is $275 million. It would rank as the seventh biggest jackpot in Powerball history if someone hits it. Click here for more information on the multi-state Powerball game and the latest drawings. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:42 PM | Comment Contractor places lien on Twin River slot parlorDimeo Construction Co. put a lien on the Twin River slot parlor in a move to secure $5.6 million for work the Providence company has done on the Lincoln property, according to a municipal filing. Dimeo filed the lien Wednesday in Lincoln Town Hall. The filing follows disclosure that UTGR Inc., the company that owns Twin River, missed a loan payment to a lender. Due last week, the missed payment triggered a ratings downgrade on UTGR by the Standard & Poor's Corp. ratings unit. UTGR has entered into a pact with its lenders, known as a forbearance agreement, that allows the company to work out payment plans with its lenders and creditors such as Dimeo. UTGR's owners, BLB Investors, bought the slot parlor, then known as Lincoln Park, for $435 million in 2005. It then launched a $225 million renovation project. Dimeo was supposed to be paid $171 million for its work at the slot parlor, since renamed Twin River. The lien covers the unpaid balance. -- Journal staff writer Paul Grimaldi Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 12:11 PM | Comment Providence parks director to head city operationsPROVIDENCE -- The city's superintendent of parks has been appointed the city's director of operations. Alix Ogden has worked as the parks director for four years, during the construction of the Roger Williams Botanical Center and a reorganization of the Parks Department. “She is a true innovator who sets high standards for herself, her department and employees, and understands the importance of working collaboratively with other city departments and outside agencies,” Mayor David N. Cicilline said in a statement announcing the appointment. “Alix has exactly what it takes to continue the transformation of operations into a 21st-century organization.” Ogden will begin her new job March 31. Deputy Parks Sup |
