Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) has released details about how a new flex zone will operate in Pascoag and Slatersville, along with other new winter bus schedules it is posting on its Web site as the planning department finalizes the bus runs.

The new schedules will go into effect on Jan. 17, according to RIPTA spokeswoman Karen D. Mensel.

The new flex zone will help RIPTA passengers who have relied on Bus 9 in the past to get to the Zambarano unit of Eleanor Slater Hospital in the northwest corner of Burrillville. That bus line, which was in danger of being cut altogether, will no longer run all the way out to Zambarano.

The new Bus 9 schedules -- both inbound to Providence and outbound -- have also been posted on RIPTA's Web site.

The flex zone will also allow passengers in the Burrillville and North Smithfield villages of Pascoag and Slatersville -- and points in between -- more flexibility in getting places by bus than they have currently had, according to RIPTA.

JOHNSTON -- A 57-year-old Johnston man who loved to fix anything and everything died when his latest project -- a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am -- fell off a jack as he worked on it.

The car landed on Robert E. Barkan, who lived on Belfield Drive with his wife, Margaret A. "Peggy" Barkan. She arrived home from work last night around 8:45 p.m. and found the car on top of her husband, according to Johnston Police Maj. Ralph Bubar III.

Margaret Barkan called for help immediately, and police and fire crews responded. The fire department helped lift the car off the man, and the state medical examiner's office took his body to conduct an autopsy, Bubar said.

"He liked to fix everything, and that was what did him in," his wife said today. "He'd say, 'Papa can fix it.'"

Barkan has two daughters, Sonya Kicia of Coventry and Heidi Ahlquist of Cranston, and seven grandchildren. He and his wife had a son, also Robert E. Barkan, who died in 1992 when he was 20 in a four-car crash in Warwick.

To those grandchildren, who range in age from 3 to 19, Barkan was "Papa," but the rest of the family often called him that, too, said his son-in-law, Kevin Kicia, who is married to Sonya. If the grandchildren needed to go fishing, he was there, Sonya Kicia said. If one of the older ones was looking for a car, he'd be searching for a deal on e-Bay.

"It didn't matter what broke -- your toaster or your house -- he was there. Mr Fix-It," she said about her father.

He bought fixer-uppers all the time, Kevin Kicia said. Fixing those cars was a hobby for a man who worked as a tradesman. He was in between jobs right now, but he has worked as a handyman, doing electrical or maintenance work, Kevin Kicia said.

The Barkan home, at 63 Belfield Drive, is a "pretty secluded residence" at the end of a long driveway. No neighbors or passing cars would have seen Barkan under the car, Bubar said.

"It seems pretty clear that somehow the vehicle rolled off the jack while he was underneath it and pinned him underneath it," Bubar said.

Funeral arrangements are not yet complete.

Ramona Bass-Kolobe is organizing a Kwanzaa celebration for Sunday at St. Michael Church, in South Providence. Journal photo / Kris Craig

Kwanzaa, the African-American holiday created in 1966 by African-American scholar and social activist Ron Karenga begins today and runs through New Year's Day.

While Kwanzaa is often celebrated privately in homes, at least two public celebrations of the holiday are planned in Rhode Island for this weekend.

The Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket, at 171 Main St., has added two more performances of its 10th annual "A Kwanzaa Song." Tickets for the 3 p.m. shows tomorrow and Sunday are $10. Call (401) 305-7333 to reserve seats. A candle lighting ceremony will follow each performance.

St. Michael Church in Providence, which has hosted Kwanzaa celebrations in the past, is hosting what organizer Ramona Bass-Kolobe calls a Kwanzaa Extravaganza on Sunday. She's working with the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, which has joined with other local organizations to plan the 6 to 8 p.m. event at the church at 239 Oxford St. The extravaganza includes a candle-lighting ceremony of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a play and a puppet show with a reading and a family sing and move-along.

"Kwanzaa is about families within a community," Bass-Kolobe says. "It's not isolated families. It's about families pulling together, so the community celebration is to reinforce within the family -- what are the values we're taking through the year?"

Is the economy forcing your family to take a different approach toward Christmas this year? Whether because of a personal layoff or the broader economic conditions, are you doing away with gift exchanges in your extended family? Are you finding non-commercial ways to make the holiday special?

Staff Writer Kate Bramson is interested in finding families who are changing how they approach the holidays this year. Please send a short note about what you're doing differently and why to kbramson@projo.com.

Spurred by the economic need in Rhode Island, the state's largest charitable foundation -- and one of the nation's oldest and largest -- announced today that it is giving a $500,000 emergency community grant to three statewide organizations that provide direct service to people in need.

"This is very unusual," Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg said this morning, noting that the foundation typically gives out money through a competitive grant process that requires applications and takes time. "We could not ignore the immediate need."

The foundation will give the money immediately to Crossroads Rhode Island on Broad Street, which has become a clearinghouse for shelter space statewide, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund. The organizations will share the money equally, Steinberg said.

As Salvation Army Major Doug Burr said and Steinberg repeated this morning, "The need is today."

A couple weeks ago, the foundation's board of directors decided to use money from the foundation's endowment funds to address the core needs in a state that's battling the highest unemployment rate in the country.

Steinberg defined those core needs: "Homelessness. Home heating. Hunger."

The foundation chose agencies with statewide impact that have "withstood the test of time," Steinberg said.

At the Rhode Island Community Food Bank's Providence headquarters and warehouse on Niantic Avenue this morning, Food Bank Executive Director Andrew Schiff pointed to empty shelves behind him.

"You can imagine my relief when Neil called me about this awesome grant," said Schiff, who said the money will buy 350,000 more pounds of food. "That doesn't just fill these empty shelves. That fills this entire warehouse."

State Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, D-Coventry, said today he's not surprised that Rhode Island ranks as one of the worst states in terms of curbing drunken driving, a designation given last week by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Saying the NTSB findings should be a "wake-up call for Rhode Island legislators," Raptakis said he plans to introduce three bills to help curb the problem of drunken driving. They would:

1) Require a license plate to be confiscated and impounded for up to 90 days if the owner of a vehicle is arrested for driving on a suspended license that was the result of an operating-under-the-influence charge or for refusing to take a chemical breath test; 2) extend what's called a "look back" period for violations of driving under the influence from five years to 10, the amount of time the NTSB recommends; and 3) increase the penalties for those convicted of driving under the influence, resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Raptakis sponsored a bill last year that would have made it a felony -- punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine -- to drive with a license that has been suspended for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or for refusing to take a chemical breath test. The bill cleared the Senate but died in the House Judiciary Committee.

"The fact that the House Judiciary Committee has become the graveyard of drunk-driving bills is a major concern," Raptakis said in a news release issued this afternoon. "The Rhode Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is calling for leadership on the issue, and it is time for House leaders to send a clear message to their constituents that they are willing to act in the best interest of Rhode Islanders by cracking down on drunk driving."

The NTSB said last week that only three states -- Rhode Island, Michigan and Montana -- are doing so little to curb drunk driving. Those states have enacted just 2 of 11 recommendations set forth by the NTSB to reduce alcohol-related crashes and fatalities.

Vibha Shah and her husband, Fenil Shah, who live in Barrington but are from India, have many family members remaining in India, in the suburbs outside of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) -- both sets of parents, her brother and sister, and aunts and uncles on both sides.

Her husband's parents heard one of the bombs in Vila Parle, a suburb of Mumbai, she said. Fenil Shah's brother, who also lives in Barrington with his family, was in Mumbai at the airport to fly back to Rhode Island when the attack began, she said.

Snehal Shah's plane had not yet taken off when the attack began, but his flight left Mumbai safely and he is now home in Rhode Island, preparing to go out to dinner with his brother's family, Vibha Shah said.

"It's sad. I know people say Bombay has been through this a lot of times, but still, seeing it on CNN all the time, and knowing it was so close to ..." Vibha Shah said, as her voice trailed off. "I just wish it was not there. But I guess everybody does."

Vibha's husband, Fenil, plans to travel to India on Monday, a trip that was planned before the attacks, she said. They've heard nothing of flight delays or anything of that sort, she said.

"It should be fine," she said. "I'm not worried about it."

Vibha Shah describes her family as "lucky," a word others in the local Indian community are probably uttering as well these days.

The Rhode Island Indian community appears not to have direct ties with anyone injured or killed in the attacks in Mumbai, according to the head of a local community service group.

The Indian community here numbers about 5,000 people -- some 1,200 to 1,500 families, said Dr. Amrut Patel of Cranston, who heads Namaskar India, which holds cultural functions, promotes education about India and does charity work within the Indian community.

"So far, to my knowledge, there is no bad news," said Patel, whose organization's name stands for Salute India. "Fortunately, personally here in our community, locally no one's been involved."

Patel knows the Shah family, and he knows another Rhode Island woman whose husband is in Mumbai for a wedding. Yesterday, he saw that man's wife, who did not go to India on this trip, and she said her husband is safe, Patel said.

Patel said most in Rhode Island who are from India fly into Mumbai when they return to their country because that's the international airport.

Patel, who is a medical doctor in private practice in Cranston, said his organization has perhaps 50 to 100 volunteers. He described Namaskar India as "fairly active."

Park and shop in downtown Providence, on Thayer Street or on Atwells Avenue.
Park and dine on Federal Hill, Wickenden Street or South Main Street.
Park and skate in downtown Providence.

Now's the time to do all that and not worry about getting a pesky parking ticket -- as long as you park after 11 a.m. on certain downtown streets.

The city's "relaxed parking program" begins Friday, Nov. 28, and runs through Jan. 1. Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, parking tickets will not be issued for overtime violations at metered parking spaces or at parking spaces with time limitations in the following locations:

Downtown Providence, which is bounded by Steeple Street, west to Route 95; Route 95 south to Route 195; Route 195 east to Point Street; Point Street to Wickenden Street;
north on South Main Street to North Main Street at Steeple Street;

South Main Street, from Wickenden Street to Packet Street;

North Main Street, from Thomas Street to Park Row;

Wayland Square;

Thayer Street;

Atwells Avenue from Bradford Street to Knight Street; and

Broad Street from Public Street to Montgomery Street.

Normal parking restrictions apply before 11 a.m. Cars parked illegally in prohibited areas, including cross walks and tow zones, will be ticketed.

Rhode Island is among 25 states not doing enough to prevent drunken driving, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

This morning, the NTSB's acting chairman called on states that have been "unresponsive to previous NTSB safety recommendations" to make bolder moves in addressing drunken-driving accidents and deaths.

There were 17,000 alcohol-related fatalities across the country last year, representing 41 percent of all highway deaths, according to the NTSB. Rhode Island-specific figures are not immediately available. That national fatality rate hasn't really changed in the last 10 years, NTSB acting chairman Mark V. Rosenker said this morning.

"After significant progress in the 1980s and early 1990s, we appear to have grown complacent," Rosenker said in Washington, D.C., this morning. "But complacency when we lose 17,000 lives a year is not acceptable. Crashes, injuries and deaths from preventable behavior are not acceptable."

Rosenker's comments were Webcast this morning and are available for viewing online.

The Safety Board believes targeting what it calls "hard-core drinking drivers" is the key to reducing the number of people killed by drunk drivers. Such drinkers drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.15 percent or greater, or they have been arrested for driving while impaired within 10 years of a prior DWI arrest. In the last 10 years, more than 92,000 people nationwide have died in crashes involving such drivers, according to the NTSB.

The NTSB estimates that a person makes 88 impaired driving trips before being arrested once.

"If an individual is drinking and driving enough times to be arrested twice, then that person definitely has a problem separating his or her drinking from driving," Rosenker said this morning.

>> Continue reading: R.I. falls short of NTSB's request to curb drunken driving

PROVIDENCE -- More than 1,200 amputees have returned from war in Iraq and Afghanistan and other anti-terrorist military action -- of those, 877 have lost major limbs, not fingers or toes. At least 12,000 veterans from the war are suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury, according to U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin.

With better body armor and more advanced emergency response teams available for U.S. troops, more veterans who would have perished in past conflicts are now surviving -- but they need critical rehabilitative care.

Top doctors working to revolutionize amputee health care and dramatically improve limb function will soon be working in a new $6.1 million building on the campus of the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center.

This morning, doctors and political leaders at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Chalkstone Avenue VA facility lauded the VA Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine. The center is a partnership between the Providence VA Medical Center, Brown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"More than anything, a veteran who has suffered an injury or mental illness would like to return to a normal life," Langevin said. "This center gives our veterans the tools they need to make that transition as smooth as possible - whether by performing all their daily activities, returning to work or running a road race."

>> Continue reading: Officials at VA groundbreaking laud improved care

Providence Journal reporters would like to speak with Rhode Island homeowners who have been affected by the big drop in home prices in the last quarter, July through September.

Have you had to sell or list your home for substantially less than you expected? Have you bought a home at a bargain price?

If you would be willing to share your story, please write to us at pjnews@projo.com. Include your name, e-mail address and a daytime telephone number. Thank you.

PROVIDENCE -- Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actress Mariska Hargitay will speak tomorrow at a luncheon celebrating the local Day One's 35th anniversary.

The organization that began in 1973 as the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center still has tickets available for anyone hoping to hear the actress, who plays NBC's Law & Order Special Victims Unit Det. Olivia Benson.

Tickets for the noon luncheon at the Westin Hotel are $125. Also, for $500, people can meet Hargitay and have their picture taken with her at a half-hour reception prior to the luncheon. However, those tickets are limited and anyone wishing to attend that reception should act quickly, according to spokeswoman Beth Bailey.

Day One reports that a sexual assault occurs every 90 seconds in the United States -- and most of those crimes are committed by someone the victim knows. Last year in Rhode Island, the agency reports that 605 sexual offenses were reported to police departments.

>> Continue reading: Law & Order's Hargitay to speak at local Day One event

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island will not have complete election returns until probably tomorrow.

The state Board of Elections and related staff closed up shop this afternoon without counting mail-in ballots, board executive director Robert Kando said. The estimated number to be counted: 20,000.

The reason the board decided to finish for today without counting the mail-ins, Kando said, is that staff worked until close to midnight Tuesday, Election Day.

"The staff needs to go home tonight," he said.

As for the turnout, Kando said it look as though Rhode Island has set a record. The mail ballot count is expected to confirm that.

After working since this morning, the board has updated its unofficial vote tallies online, to include ballots in Smithfield and Cranston that could not be counted last night.

This afternoon, officials were certifying those mail-in ballots to be sure they were legitimate and properly submitted. They expect to start counting them tomorrow. It's unclear how many mail-in ballots were submitted. Statewide, 26,375 voters requested mail-in ballots.

Although the new numbers on the board's Web site do not include the tallies of mail-in ballots, the Smithfield results thus far indicate a turnover in local control on the Town Council.

Of 13 candidates vying for positions on the Town Council, a seat goes to the top five vote-getters.

It appears that four incumbents -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- from the Democrat-controlled council have retained their seats. The fifth seat now appears to belong to Republican Maxine A. Cavanagh, who is edging out incumbent Democrat Bernard A. Hawkins by 82 votes.

The Smithfield ballots needed to be recounted due to a printing error.

In Cranston, a misfeed double-counted a group of ballots, forcing the recount today. The updated numbers, however, have not affected the outcome of the local races.

-- With reports from Journal staff writers Bruce Landis and Barbara Polichetti

PROVIDENCE -- The state Board of Elections expects thousands of Providence residents who have not registered to vote to turn out tomorrow at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, register and cast their ballots for president.

Throughout the state, anyone who has not previously registered to vote can cast a "same day" ballot for president and vice president if they are otherwise eligible to register to vote. They are not able to vote for statewide or local races tomorrow.
In most places, go to your community's city or town hall to cast a same-day ballot.

However, four cities and towns have set up special locations instead of town hall for such Election Day registration and voting. Those are: Coventry Town Hall Annex, 1675 Flat River Road; Little Compton, Wilbur McMann School, 28 Commons; Providence, Dunkin' Donuts Center, 1 LaSalle Square; and Smithfield Senior Center, 1 William J. Hawkins Jr. Trail.

It's difficult know how many people to expect at such same-day voting locations, but Board of Elections Executive Director Robert Kando based his projection for thousands in Providence this year on past year results. In 2004, more than 3,000 people in Providence who had not previously registered came out to vote, he said. In 2000, more than 2,500 people did so.

If you are registered to vote in Rhode Island but have since moved and not updated your voter-registration records, you have several options depending on when and where you moved, according to Kando.

If you've moved within the same voting district, go to the same polling place.

If you've moved within the same city or town but to a different voting district in the last 30 days, go to the polling place of your previous address or to the Board of Canvassers. If you made such a move 30 days or more prior to the election, go to the polling place of your new address or the Board of Canvassers.

If you've moved from one city or town in Rhode Island to another more than 30 days before the election but less than six months before, go to the Board of Canvassers of your former city or town. You'll be able to vote on a limited ballot, which includes the presidential election, congressional offices and statewide ballot questions. However, if you cannot or don't want to travel back to your former city or town, you can go to your new location's special voting spot for people who are just casting a ballot for president.

Also, if you've moved more than six months ago from one Rhode Island community to another, your only voting option is to vote for president only in your new location, Kando said.

If you are newly registering on Election Day and voting for president only, you may be asked to provide identification, but you are not required to have it, Kando said. If anyone who is not a Rhode Island resident, not a U.S. citizen or not 18 years of age votes, they are subject to prosecution for voter fraud, which is a felony, Kando said.

Whether you go to town hall or a special location, local elections officials will be on hand to help. You can register to vote and cast a ballot in the presidential race on the spot. And you are officially registered in Rhode Island for future elections.

Check out the Rhode Island Secretary of State's web site for last-minute voting options.

PAWTUCKET -- A man suspected of robbing the Shell Mart at 1414 Newport Ave. with a knife early yesterday morning is expected in Sixth District Court today on a first-degree robbery charge.

Around 10:20 last night, Lt. Kevin Crawley said detectives were still questioning the man. Crawley would not identify the suspect.

The robbery took place shortly after midnight Saturday.

Journal photo/ Bill Murphy
After protesting outside, members of Ocean State Action went into the State House this morning to deliver a book to Governor Carcieri, Personal Finance Workbook for Dummies. They met with a member of the governor's staff. Watch the video

PROVIDENCE - About 22 people outside the State House this morning wielded signs opposed to repealing the state income tax and chanted "Fair is fair!" and "Enough is enough!"

"Governor: No more shifting taxes onto our backs!" read the large black type on one of the white signs.

Ocean State Action, an economic and social justice coalition of about 19 groups, organized the rally after Governor Carcieri said in an interview with WPRO radio talk show host John DePetro on Tuesday that he'd rather tax "consumption" than income. Carcieri said he would "love to find a way" to eliminate the state income tax.

Karen Malcolm, the executive director of Ocean State Action, criticized such comments and said the governor was looking for "shock value." Behind her at 8 a.m. today, other signs read: "I shouldn't pay the same amount in Rhode Island taxes as a CEO."

"We're here today because we believe that the governor has just got to the point of being reckless in how he throws his comments around on talk radio," she said as the protest was just getting started. "We are in a crisis situation. We need real plans for helping guide our middle- and low-income families through this economic crisis."

At about 8:25 a.m., the group laid down their signs, marched up the white marble steps of the State House, and waited patiently as Capitol Police checked them through the metal detectors. They had a mission. They were carrying a bright yellow book inside to give to the governor because they said he could use it: Personal Finance Workbook for Dummies.

Governor Carcieri, who was scheduled to be in Exeter this morning, wasn't expected at the State House until about 11 a.m. today. Instead, the group met with his communications adviser, John Robitaille, who promised to carry their message -- and the book -- to the governor.

>> Continue reading: Group protests Carcieri's call for income tax ban / Photo

Test results today show total coliform bacteria is still present in one building at the University of Rhode Island's main campus in Kingston.

With that result, the state Health Department continues a boil-water advisory for URI's Biological Sciences Center, spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said.

The university is now working with the Health Department to re-evaluate what corrective actions to take and to determine the best action to take, Beardsworth said.

People can continue to use the bathrooms in the building, but they cannot drink the water, Beardsworth said.

-- Journal Staff Writer Kate Bramson

PROVIDENCE -- In a state with a growing percentage of residents who are obese or overweight, Governor Carcieri this morning recognized five innovative programs that promote health and wellness among employees, students and average Rhode Islanders.

Winning the Governor's Awards for Wellness Innovation were Beacon Mutual Insurance Company for its 2007 fitness challenge, the town of East Greenwich for the parks and recreation department's Ramblers Hiking Group, Kent Hospital for its Kids Choose to be Healthy community-outreach program, Mount Hope High School in Bristol for its Healthy Huskies program and Shape Up Rhode Island for its annual statewide wellness and weight-loss challenge.

Addressing the winners at the State House this morning, Carcieri touted the benefits of preventive health care and wellness initiatives in delaying the onset of disease and keeping rising health care costs in check.

Toward that end, he spoke of an incentive program going into effect for state employees. Those who take an online health-risk assessment, visit their primary care physicians, undergo certain cancer and other health screenings will receive a $500 reduction in what they pay for their health-insurance premiums.

"I'm hoping $500 will really get people's attention," Carcieri said.

Such a program won't result in savings right away -- but will in years to come, said Dr. David R. Gifford, state health director.

One of the organizations recognized today for the wellness innovation award pays close attention to federal data on obesity and health issues. At Shape Up Rhode Island, senior consultant Ray Rickman said the percentage of Rhode Islanders who are overweight or obese has risen from 57 percent in June 2005 to 61 percent in June 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PROVIDENCE -- Colorful plastic balls and gauzy, brightly hued scarves go whizzing through clear plastic air tubes as children -- and their parents and grandparents -- propel them through the curlicued structure that reaches toward the ceiling.

The balls pop out and bump people on their heads. The scarves dance out of the tubing and gracefully float to the ground or onto a child's head.

"This is so cool, Mom!" children shouted this morning as they gazed in wonder but also continued moving, rather frenetically, around the new Play Power exhibit that opened at 9 at the Providence Children's Museum.

This morning's rain was a welcome beckon back to the museum for children and parents who have missed one of their favorite indoor play spaces.

The museum closed for eight weeks so crews could replace nearly all of the building's aged windows, paint the entire inside of the museum, re-carpet the space, touch up old exhibits and build the latest installment at the museum.

Play Power greets the museum's visitors as soon as they walk inside. Today, by 10:40 a.m., about 100 people -- maybe 120 -- had already swept though the doors, admissions desk clerk Nick Curran guesstimated.

Without access to the museum the last two months, 3-year-old Rumi Spatzenegger describes what he did for fun recently in this way: "I stayed home for a long time."

Matteo Mazzenga, 4, was actually the first child back in the museum after its closure.
"We've just been waiting," said his mom, Pamela Mazzenga. "And Tuesdays are the day he doesn't have school, and it was raining, so what better day to come?"

Mazzenga worked diligently at his play -- creating chutes and tunnels along the curved steel wall so that he could drop a ball at the top and watch it wend its way down the piping he had set up.

"He loves this kind of thing," his mother said.

Video: Take a look inside the renovated Providence Children's Museum for yourself.

PROVIDENCE -- Nurse Debbie Beck believes this morning was the first time her young charge, Dante Pendleton, rode on a swing.

At the just-named Alan G. Hassenfeld Boundless Playground at Roger Williams Park, she lifted him out of his wheelchair and placed him on a reclining plastic swing with a firm protective chest and waist bar.

Safely secured in the red and yellow swing, Dante seemed to enjoy the back and forth motion. As his sneakers started to touch the ground, Beck moved quickly to rearrange him in the seat so he wouldn't bump those small feet.

Dante's smile grew larger and larger, captivating those around him. Beck was visibly excited.

Pendleton was among 12 children from the Meeting Street school's Bright Futures program, an infant through preschool program that integrates special needs children into the classroom.

The children came to play on what used to be known as the Hasbro Boundless Playground, which has undergone renovations and just re-opened this morning to fanfare as the city of Providence -- and Mayor David Cicilline -- renamed it in honor of Pawtucket-based toymaker Hasbro's retired chairman and CEO.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- University of Rhode Island police have been asked to probe what the school's provost calls "insensitive, inappropriate, and degrading messages relating to the race/ethnicity" of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama that were left on two public-access computers on campus.

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our community," Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald H. DeHayes wrote in a three-paragraph e-mail yesterday to the university community.

"While each of us is entitled to our own political views, none of us should be allowed to openly and maliciously insult others on the basis of race or religion without consequences," he said.

DeHayes said he has asked campus police to investigate the matter.

DeHayes initially wrote that the message "may rise to the level of a hate crime," but in an interview this afternoon, he characterized it as a form of hate speech.

DeHayes would not provide the exact contents of the message. He said the messages were found on a computer at Memorial Union, which is the student life building, and Swan Hall. The computers are accessible to the public, and the messages weren't necessarily left by a student, according to DeHayes.

He said the issue was brought to his attention by a student.

In his e-mail, he asked anyone in the university community to cooperate if they have information that may help URI identify who is responsible "for this despicable behavior."

"Such actions serve only to hurt members of our community and many others outside of our campus," DeHayes wrote. He closed his memo by apologizing to anyone who may have been hurt by the messages.

Calls to URI for more information last night were not returned. This morning, a URI spokeswoman said comments would come only from DeHayes.

About a dozen students surveyed on the Kingston campus today said they had no knowledge of what the computer messages might be. Some who had seen the e-mail from the provost said they were surprised by it, and friends they had checked with didn't know about the messages either.

Others hadn't even seen the e-mail from the provost, saying they get many e-mails to the community and didn't always pay attention to them.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus continues to rely on bottled water as the boil-water advisory issued Sunday remains in effect.

However, the most recent water samples tested by the university's lab were negative for any presence of bacteria. Tests last week revealed fecal coliform bacteria in the water system, which prompted the university to super-chlorinate its water system, beginning Friday.

The lack of bacteria in the latest water samples "confirms that the super-chlorination of the system at the BSC [Biological Sciences Center] was effective," according to the most recent statement issued by the university.

The bacteria found in the campus water system was located in the BSC building. Since that discovery, the campus has had to rely on bottled water or boiling any water before use. Bottled water continues to be available to resident students using the dining halls. A bottled water station at the Memorial Union will remain open through tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for students, faculty and staff.

The boil-water advisory is confined to the university's water system, which is separate from the system that serves nearby communities.

The state Department of Health said the university's water system remains safe for showering, bathing and washing, according to the university statement.