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« June 18, 2008 | Today | June 20, 2008 » June 19, 2008Tonight: Time for Gallery Night, with folk art themeIt's Gallery Night in Providence from 5 to 9 tonight. The monthly free event involves the opportunity to visit some two dozen galleries and museums, with free parking at several locations, including One Citizen’s Plaza. The theme of this month’s tour is folk art. For information, go to www.gallerynight.info or call (401) 490-2042. Posted by Mike McKinney at 7:00 PM | Comment N. Kingstown school superintendent resignsNorth Kingstown School Supt. Priscilla L. Feir announced today she will be leaving her post effective June 30. In her letter of resignation to the School Committee, she said, "I have had a wonderful year, in spite of the many fiscal challenges, knowing that my work was done with the student's best interests in mind. However, I have decided to explore the opportunities that are awaiting me." "Please know that I will keep the fine people of this community in my heart and in my prayers as you move forward on taht tightrope of creating and maintaining quality eductation for all students and cutting costs to achieve the fiscal targets that have been imposed on you." The school committee is expected to accept her resignation -- despite a clause in her contract that requires 90-day notice -- and appoint an interim superintendent. That's likely to be Assistant Supt. Phil Thornton, school committee members said. Thornton, who previously served as assistant superintendent in the Chariho Regional School District, was hired by North Kingstown in December. School committee members said the discussion will focus next on whether to launch a national search, appoint Thornton superintendent -- he is yet to apply for the position -- or explore a possible consolidation with neighboring school districts, specifically, West Greenwich and Jamestown. -- Journal staff writer Maria Armental Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment Beacon Mutual to lower workers' comp policy ratesThe Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. said today it will lower its workers' compensation rates by an average of 7.2 percent as of Oct. 1. The new rate will apply to new policies or those that are renewed, the company said in a news release. The reduction will save policyholders about $10 million, according to Beacon. “Reductions in claim frequency and the efficient management of claim costs continue to be the drivers for rate decreases,” said James V. Rosati, Beacon’s president and chief executive officer. Rosati credited the company’s loss prevention and claims management programs for helping to reduce costs. Beacon Mutual, a mutual insurance company, is the largest writer of workers' compensation insurance and the largest writer of commercial property casualty policies in Rhode Island. The company is the state’s dominant workers’ compensation insurance carrier, with an estimated 14,000 policyholders. The company said it is financially secure with over $450 million in assets. In April, Beacon announced it had distributed $5.6 million in refunds to about 9,400 policyholders as part of a consent order it signed with state regulators last July. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann Companies that held an insurance policy for at least six months, from Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006, were eligible for the refund. As part of the agreement, Beacon agreed to compensate policyholders who paid inflated premiums starting in January 2005, when the company was using an outdated formula for assessing losses. Beacon adopted new rate guidelines in May 2006. An extensive state examination released in the summer revealed, among other things, widespread pricing irregularities. Beacon for years had given discounted rates to favored policyholders, plied insurance agents with unearned commissions and spent lavishly on fancy golf trips, according to the “market conduct examination.” At the time of the refund announcement, Rosati said the company had reformed its underwriting procedures “to ensure that premiums are calculated in a transparent and equitable manner.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:58 PM | Comment R.I. AG, Fall River oppose extension for Weaver's CoveOfficials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts told federal regulators this afternoon that they oppose a five-year extension sought by the company that wants to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River, Mass. With time running out, Weaver’s Cove Energy has asked federal regulators to extend its permit to build an LNG terminal by an additional five years. The company is facing a July 2010 deadline to complete the project. In 2005, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave Weaver’s Cove conditional permit to build the terminal. That permit was good for five years. In the three years since that permit was issued, Weaver’s Cove has not begun any construction. It is still awaiting a number of approvals from various federal and state agencies before any work can begin. Weaver’s Cove and Mill River Pipeline LLC, the company that would build the pipeline for the project, filed a joint request with FERC on Tuesday asking for an extension until Nov. 1, 2015. -- Journal staff writer Timothy C. Barmann “As the Commission may be aware, despite Weaver’s Cove’s and Mill River’s best efforts to obtain all the federal and state permits and approvals necessary to begin construction of the project, Weaver’s Cove and Mill River are still in the process of securing certain permits and approvals because of a series of unanticipated delays and decisions affecting the timely receipt of such permits and approvals,” the companies said in their two-page request. “Weaver’s Cove and Mill River have worked diligently to obtain all federal and state permits and approvals related to the construction and operation of the project, but have experienced delays beyond their control.” But Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, and the city of Fall River, said the request is “wholly deficient, unsupported, and premature.” In their nine-page response, submitted to FERC this afternoon, Lynch and the city said Weaver’s Cove has only satisfied one of the 77 environmental conditions it must meet before it is allow to construct the terminal. They said that Weaver’s Cove failed to mention that the U.S. Coast Guard found that it would be too risky to allow LNG tankers to traverse parts of the Taunton River because of the closeness of the old and new Brightman Street bridges. Coast Guard approval is one of the conditions set by FERC that Weaver’s Cove must obtain. That Coast Guard finding, Lynch and the city of Fall River argued, “is largely the reason for delays in issuing permits related to dredging and related activities, including the required dredging permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.” Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:49 PM | Comment Photo: Celtics' Garnett breaks out the cigar
Posted by Andrea Panciera at 4:57 PM | Comment Beach report: Health department opens 3, closes 2The state Department of Health today reopened to swimming these Warwick spots: City Park Beach, Conimicut Point Beach and Kent County YMCA. Water sample results show bacteria counts are now within acceptable limits. The department today closed to swimming the Atlantic Beach Club, in Middletown, and Gorton Pond Beach, in Warwick. Beaches remaining closed are Camp Grosvenor and Saunderstown Yacht Club, in North Kingstown, and Warren Town Beach. For updates about swimming at Rhode Island beaches, go to www.health.ri.gov or for recorded information call (401) 222-2751. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:42 PM | Comment Central Falls man, in U.S. illegally for 3rd time, sentencedPROVIDENCE -- A Mexican man was sentenced today to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally returning to the United States after being deported, the U.S. Attorney's office in Providence said. Gustavo Granados, 39, was convicted in 1992 in Family Court of second-degree child abuse, and was deported twice, a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office states. Granados' illegal status was discovered in January after a traffic stop in East Providence. Judge Ernest C. Torres imposed the sentence in U.S. District Court, Providence. Granados, who pleaded guilty in March to illegal re-entry, will again be subject to deportation after his term in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Prosecutor Sandra R. Beckner said at the plea hearing that the government could show Granados was deported as a felon in May 1995, and was deported again in October 1999. He re-entered the United States near Nogales, Ariz., in July 2005, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Granados most recently lived in a Mowry Street apartment in Central Falls. In January, East Providence Police made a routine traffic stop of the car Granados was driving, and contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an immigration check, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Immigration agents took Granados into custody on Jan. 15. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:38 PM | Comment House Speaker Murphy will seek another termHouse Speaker William J. Murphy, one of state government's most powerful figures, announced today that he will seek re-election to the House. If he keeps his House seat, Murphy will also seek support in January for a fourth term as speaker, according to a news release. He's been speaker for six years. Murphy, a West Warwick Democrat in a state where that party commands wide House and Senate majorities, has represented District 26 -- West Warwick, Coventry and Warwick -- since 1992. “There is no finer calling than public service, and it is a great honor to be able to represent the constituents of my district and to bring their collective voices to the State House," Murphy said in the statement this afternoon. Early this morning, after the House finished voting on the state budget, Murphy assured Journal reporters he would be running again. Rumors had been swirling that he would not. Today, notices were put in legislators' mailboxes at the State House letting them know Murphy would seek re-election. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Cynthia Needham and Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:25 PM | Comment Coming tonight: HSGameTime All-State golfTonight at 6, we continue our coverage of spring All-States by unveiling the 2008 Providence Journal HSGameTime All-State golf team. You can find the first-team and second-team All-State listings as well as All-Division and the SENE All-League team at HSGameTime. Right now, you can get watch and listen to a multimedia interview with girls golf champion Samantha Morrell, from North Kingstown High School. Here is the online schedule for spring All-States. The new teams will be announced at 6 p.m. each day. Online now: Boys tennis Posted by Mike McDermott at 3:41 PM | Comment Smoke-shop sentence: No jail time for Narragansetts
PROVIDENCE -- The three Narragansett Indian tribal members found guilty of assaulting and scuffling with state police during the 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop will not have to spend time in jail. The outcome is almost anti-climatic, coming as it does after almost five years since the controversial raid pitted the tribe against the state, several court actions costing hundreds of thousands of dollars that spun off from the original case and and a six-week trial on the misdemeanor charges, featuring photos and videos of the raid. At midday, Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl filed the case of Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas and one tribal member, ordering them to provide community service by talking to schoolchildren about tribe history. She issued a suspended sentence for the third defendant. Thomas's case was filed for one year, and he will have to provide 150 hours of community service. Thomas had been found guilty of assaulting a trooper. McGuirl said she opted for a filing because because a conviction could have an impact on Thomas's ability, as the tribe's leader, to act as the signatory when dealing with federal agencies. "I do not see merit in punishing [Thomas] as chief sachem," McGuirl said. First Councilman Randy Noka's case was also filed for one year. He was ordered to do 25 hours of community service. Noka had been found guilty of disorderly conduct for grabbing at an officer as police came onto tribal land. According to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the attorney general, a filing is not a conviction. Thomas and Noka must remain on good behavior for a year and then can seek to have the count expunged from their record, he said. Tribal councilman Hiawatha Brown, who had been convicted of assaulting a trooper by slamming her arm in a door, was given a one-year suspended sentence with one year of probation on his assault conviction. He was also given a six-month suspended sentence with six months of probation on a disorderly conduct conviction. On the courthouse steps after the sentencing, Thomas was asked to respond. "It is what it is," he told reporters. "We felt the law was on our side." The tribal members indicated they would look at whether to appeal the case. After the sentencing, Noka told reporters it is "certainly not over in my mind." Your turn: React to the sentencing. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Asked about appealing, Thomas raised again the defense's accusation that one juror banged a water bottle like a tom-tom and that another juror, allegedly saying of a chief sachem "he's nothing," questioned why tribal members rose from their seats when Thomas took the stand. Devereaux raised those contentions on Tuesday in court -- the prosecutor dismissed the accusations as speculation and interpretation about the others’ actions -- and ultimately McGuirl did not order a new trial. "In my mind," Noka said, "there's still unanswered questions," including "what was done to our tribe members." Earlier today, the defense lawyer for the three asked for leniency at a sentencing hearing, referencing the tribe's historically troubled relationship with the state. "Isn't it time for us, the state of Rhode Island, to step for forward and extend a hand to them," said defense lawyer William Devereaux before the sentencing. But Pamela Chin, the prosecutor, asked that the three be held responsible for their actions that day and she said that they had been spoiling for a fight. "These are the tribal leaders, these are the people leading people, and they led them into a fight with state police," said Chin. For Thomas, the state asked for probation and community service. The state asked that Brown get one-year suspended sentence with probation for the assault charge, and six months suspended with probation for the disorderly conduct. For Randy Noka, the state asked for a six-month probation with 25 hours of community service. Each tribal member spoke on his own behalf. The sentencing comes two days after McGuirl denied two bids for a new trial for the three. She rejected defense lawyers’ arguments that the jury was tainted by racial bias. She also denied another motion for a new trial that asserted that the prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict. The three had been among six Narragansetts on trial on charges stemming from the raid. Three others -- Bella Noka, Adam Jennings and Thawn Harris -- were acquitted by the jury last April.
The criminal cases were on hold for more than three years until federal courts ruled the state can enforce its laws on tribal land under a 1978 agreement that gave the Narragansetts their 1,800 acres. Extraordinary attempts were made to resolve the cases short of trial. In addition to Judge McGuirl’s efforts to reach a plea deal, the state Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of trying to mediate the matter. The state’s high court also made a critical ruling that spared Carcieri from taking the stand, overruling a decision by McGuirl. Defense lawyers had wanted to question the governor about his orders that day. In a related case, a federal judge last month ordered a new trial for a state trooper, erasing a jury’s verdict that the officer used excessive force when he twisted Jennings' ankle until it broke during the raid. In granting the state’s motion for a new trial, Judge Ernest C. Torres wrote that the state police testimony proved more believable than that of defense witnesses and Jennings. Two weeks after the raid, an internal state police investigation found that state police had "acted well within their legal authority when executing the search warrant." -- With Journal archival reports Extra: Look back at the raid, in photos and video, and its aftermath. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:58 PM | Comment Today's front page: Con man gets 16 yearsToday's front page features a story about con man John P. Kluth's being sentenced to 16 years in prison for scamming 30 people out of thousands of dollars. Download a copy of today's front page in .pdf format. Posted by Jack Perry at 2:33 PM | Comment Senate panel poised to vote on 'quash and destroy' billPROVIDENCE -- In the rush to adjourn this year’s legislative session this week, a Senate committee is poised to vote this evening on a bill sought by the criminal-defense lobby to automatically “quash and destroy’’ criminal records, no matter how serious the crime. The bill introduced by Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence, cleared the House last month on a 46-to-17 vote, despite objections from the attorney general, the state police and the governor who question how state agencies and other employers can do the meaningful background checks required, in many cases by law, if criminal records are erased. Co-sponsors included: Reps. Grace Diaz, D-Providence, Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston, and Frank Ferri, D-Warwick. Advocates say clean records are essential to the kinds of jobs that would provide an individual a second chance. For example, current state law bars people with certain felony convictions from obtaining state licenses to work in nursing, social work and auto repair: this would provide a way around that. "So now we are rewriting history and telling the newspaper they can’t refer to something that everybody knows about?" Rep. Laurence Ehrhardt, R-North Kingstown, asked rhetorically during last month’s House debate. Rhode Island law already allows the “expungement’’ of a single non-violent crime by a first-time offender five years after the individual has completed a sentence for a misdemeanor and 10 years after completing a sentence for a felony. -- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House bureau Despite efforts over the years by the minority community, the criminal defense bar and the gun lobby to shorten the waiting periods, this law remains intact and was used to remove 4,360 misdemeanors and 625 felonies from the public record last year alone, and 28,417 criminal cases from the public record since 2000. The bill that is headed for a Senate Judiciary Committee vote tonight, H7583, would automatically “quash and destroy’’ any record of a crime for which the accused received a deferred sentence, regardless of the individual’s criminal history or the nature of the crime. Deferred sentences are often the result of a plea bargain with state prosecutors, in which the state is spared a trial and the accused is spared time in jail as long as they keep the peace for a period of time that usually runs five years. In recent years, such sentences have gone to accused stalkers, embezzlers, an admitted accomplice to a gunpoint robbery in Waterplace Park who traded testimony for a reduced sentence, an executive secretary to the Barrington Police chief who stole town money, one of the admitted co-conspirators in the Lincoln bribery scandal and at least one child molester. The legislation to purge these cases from the public record was sparked by a November decision by the Rhode Island Supreme Court on the treatment of cases in which the admitted criminal had been given a deferred prison sentence. The court’s decision centered on two admitted criminals foiled by a judge in their efforts to get their records expunged. One had pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery; the other to a drug-possession charge. Both received deferred sentences. They both appealed to the high court after a judge ruled them ineligible for expungement: the first because he had committed a violent crime, and the second because she got into further trouble. "Because they never were actually sentenced," their lawyer argued that "they had not been convicted of any offense and therefore all records involving their arrest and plea should be erased." But the Supreme Court disagreed. Since "a plea of nolo contendere is an implied confession of guilt," the court said "it follows that such a plea constitutes a conviction for purposes of weighing who is and is not eligible for expungement, even when it has been followed by a deferred sentence." The bill headed for the Senate committee vote would allow the automatic erasure the Supreme Court rejected as ill-reasoned. Posted by Andrea Panciera at 2:17 PM | Comment 2 p.m. southbound train packed with Celts fans / Photo
-- Brandie Jefferson, projo.com Posted by maria caporizzo at 2:12 PM | Comment Budget moves on to Senate, House moves on to billsPROVIDENCE -- The 9-hour budget debate last night was just the beginning. After passing a budget, the House must now move on to the real work of voting on hundreds of bills still before them this session. Legislative leaders had originally said they hoped to adjourn by tomorrow. But in an interview in the early hours of this morning, a bleary-eyed House Speaker William J. Murphy said lawmakers may be forced to return on Saturday to finish up the mountain of legislation. Only time, and a lot of work, will tell, he said. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on the budget shortly after 4 p.m. this afternoon. “They’ll likely report [the budget] right out to the Senate floor and we could take it up as soon as today,” Senate spokesman Greg Pare. As one longtime House observer put it, the insiders known never to try to predict the end on Smith Hill. -- Cynthia Needham, State House bureau Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:55 PM | Comment Photos: Chanting, sweaty, happy Celts fans
Fans stood packed, shoulder to shoulder, face to sweaty back, for a glimpse of their heroes in the "rolling rally" celebrating their NBA victory.
-- Words and photos by Brandie Jefferson, projo.com Posted by maria caporizzo at 1:49 PM | Comment In Boston, the Celtics begged the crowd to go wild
Celtics basketball fans descended on the city by the thousands today, and sustained a level of chants, hoots and hollers never before witnessed by this reporter. Fans stood packed, shoulder to shoulder, face to sweaty back, for a glimpse of their heroes in the "rolling rally" celebrating their NBA victory. When they came, they really brought it. Music blared, trophies hoisted, arms outstretched, the players stood on the city’s “duck boats” begging the crowd to go wild. So what else was there to do? The crowd went absolutely insane. This reporter, standing over the crowd on a media platform, saw: Tossing beachballs, women sitting on shoulders of men, arms thrown up over heads, red-faced screaming, and waving banners that said it all: "We beat LA." -- projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson Posted by Andrea Panciera at 1:01 PM | Comment Police: Entwistle looked for sex before wife's slayingWOBURN, Mass. -- A police detective has testified that Neil Entwistle posted a profile on a swingers Web site in the weeks before his wife and baby daughter were slain, saying he was looked to meet "American women of all ages" for sex. Entwistle is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Rachel, and their 9-month-old daughter, Lillian Rose, at their Hopkinton home in January 2006. Medford police Detective Lawrence James testified today that Entwistle used his credit card to purchase a monthlong membership in "AdultFriendFinder.com" in December 2005. He then posted a profile, describing himself as an Englishman looking for "1-on-1 discrete relationships with American ladies." The Web site bills itself as "The World's Largest Sex & Swinger Personals Community." Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 11:39 AM | Comment Sentencing expected soon in tribal smoke-shop casePROVIDENCE -- Sentencing is expected shortly for three Narragansett Indian tribal members convicted of assaulting and scuffling with state police during the 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop. The defense lawyer for the three asked for leniency at a sentencing hearing before Superior Court Judge Susan E. McGuirl today, referencing the tribe's historically troubled relationship with the state. "Isn't it time for us, the state of Rhode Island, to step for forward and extend a hand to them," said defense lawyer William Devereaux. But Pamela Chin, the prosecutor, is asking that the three be held responsible for their actions that day and she said that they had been spoiling for a fight that day. "These are the tribal leaders, these are the people leading people, and they led them into a fight with state police," said Chin. For Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, the state asking for probation and community service. The state is asking that Hiawatha Brown get one-year suspended sentence with probation for the assault charge, and six months suspended with probation for the disorderly conduct. For Randy Noka, the state is asking fror a six-month probation with 25 hours of community service. Each tribal member spoke on his own behalf. The sentencing comes two days after McGuirl denied two bids for a new trial for the three. She rejected defense lawyers’ arguments that the jury was tainted by racial bias. She also denied another motion for a new trial that asserted that the prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:38 AM | Comment Celtics' Pierce at parade: 'Now we get to enjoy our own'
"We're tired of watching these parades on TV. Now we get to enjoy our own," said Pierce, wearing a championship cap and holding the MVP trophy. "I haven't had any sleep yet, so now I'm still enjoying it." Pierce led the Celtics to the team's 17th championship, culminating in Boston's victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6. A sea of fans in green lined the streets of the city Thursday, from the TD Banknorth Garden to Copley Plaza to pay tribute to the team as they rolled through town on 16 World War II-era amphibious vehicles. The rally was similar to five other staged since 2002 - two Boston Red Sox World Series victories and three Super Bowl championships for the New England Patriots. But Thursday, it was all green. "I'm having a great time, as you can see," Kevin Garnett said, stopping to point to his broad, toothy grin. -- Associated Press All along the route, fans held signs declaring "Sweet 17" and "Have a Cigar," a reference to the late patriarch Red Auerbach, who had a hand in the franchise's first 16 titles. President Bush called team owners Wyc and Irv Grousbeck to offer congratulations. Wyc Grousbeck says Bush told him he really enjoyed the game and that the Celtics made Boston proud. Before the parade, the Grousbecks showed off a 2008 championship banner similar to the 16 others already hanging from the Garden's rafters. Coach Doc Rivers made the new banners for the owners and players. Irv Grousbeck says it is "the first of several, we hope." Posted by Andrea Panciera at 11:11 AM | Comment South County YMCA closed todayThe South County YMCA in Peace Dale will close today and remain closed until Sunday while the heaviest part of construction begins in the facility's parking lot. Construction began on June 2, since which time traffic has been re-routed and visitors have been detoured to the front gym doors. After the project is completed, the Y will be able to accommodate more cars, with improved safety and better lighting in the parking area. In addition, a new recreational area for members will feature an all-purpose playing court, picnic grove and Adirondack-chair seating area. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 10:39 AM | Comment Prosecutors from U.S., Canada, Mexico meet in R.I.Government attorneys from three countries are gathering in Rhode Island today to discuss a host of issues that have importance across North America. The National Association of Attorneys General will begin its summer meeting in Providence at the Westin Hotel when attorneys general from across the United States, Canada and Mexico will discuss aspects of immigration in the “North American Cross Border Issues.” Topics include drug trafficking, immigration, human trafficking and security issues. The attorneys will also join a group of academics to discuss the nature of the U.S. Constitution at “Interpreting the Constitution: Originalism v. The Living Constitution.” Later in the evening, in Newport, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch will be honored in a ceremony elevating him to president of the National Association of Attorneys General. His presidency will be a first for the Ocean State. Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 8:27 AM | Comment Photo: Riding to Boston for the Celtics' rolling rally
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:05 AM | Comment Narragansetts to be sentenced in smoke-shop raid fightPROVIDENCE -- Three Narragansett Indian tribe members convicted of fighting with state police during a 2003 raid on a tribal smoke shop are scheduled to be sentenced. Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, Hiawatha Brown and Randy Noka are expected to be sentenced today, two days after a judge rejected their request for a new trial. A defense lawyer says the judge put off the sentencing so she could get more information about the impact sentences would have on the defendants and the tribe. But he also said he doesn't expect them to face any jail time. The three were convicted in April of either disorderly conduct or simple assault. Police had been ordered to shut down the shop in Charlestown because it was selling cigarettes without collecting state taxes. Read our special report on the smoke-shop case. -- The Associated Press Posted by Jack Perry at 7:02 AM | Comment Partly cloudy, high 70s, chance of rainHave you heard this one before? It's partly cloudy this morning, with mild temperatures, but the national Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of rain and maybe thunderstorms later this afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m.. Otherwise expect temperatures to reach the high 70s and mild west winds. Tonight looks dry, with partly cloudy skies and a low temperature near 58 degrees. For Friday's forecast, just re-read today's. Watch the rain as it rolls in -- or retreats -- live via satellite on projo.com's weather page. And if you happen to be making the trek to Boston today for the Celtics' "Rolling Rally" victory parade, the forecast is pretty similar. If it does rain, however, it's expected to begin earlier in Boston. Don't fret, take the commuter train, which has made accommodations for the expected surge in riders.
Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today in history: Slavery outlawed in U.S. territoriesOn this day in 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories. Watch a video about today in history. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006