Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state's Supreme Court today agreed to hear a petition by a Hopkinton councilman to continue to serve on the Chariho Regional School District, which serves Hopkinton and sister towns Charlestown and Richmond.

Oral arguments will be held March 9.

William Felkner -- best known statewide for having founded the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank -- was elected to a four-year term on the regional school committee in November 2006.

Last November, Felkner, 45, was also elected to the Town Council.

At issue is whether Felkner can serve on both boards concurrently.

The Chariho School Committee has voted to disqualify him saying, "Mr. Felkner tendered his 'virtual resignation' when he accepted the office of member of the Town Council and disqualified himself from serving on the School Committee."

District officials cite the Hopkinton Town Charter and common law rule prohibiting the holding of incompatible offices.

Under the break-up section of the Chariho Act, school solicitor Jon M. Anderson wrote in a brief, "the two offices are inherently incompatible because Mr. Felkner's fiduciary duties to his different constituencies intersect but do not overlap and because the Town Council exercises revisory power over Chariho by having the power to exit from it."

Felkner says he was duly elected to both offices and that his charge is to protect Hopkinton's interests on the three-town regional school board.

Hopkinton's town charter has rules against holding more than one town office, but whether a position on a regional school board is considered a town office is open to interpretation.

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- Mayor Robert Correia is asking city employees -- union and nonunion -- to take an 8 percent pay cut for the current fiscal year and an additional 2 percent cut next year, to save a projected 175 jobs that would be affected by state funding cuts.

The cuts would start with the mayor himself, Correia said.

The unions are to respond by Feb. 12.

Under Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed cuts, Fall River stands to lose $2.9 million for the current year and $15 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1. That, Correia said, would force the city to layoff 175 employees.

The pay cut proposal was presented Thursday to the town's unions and the City Council, as a matter of courtesy. Under Fall River's form of government, no City Council action is needed, Correia said.

"This proposal is based on the understanding that the impact of laying off an employee is devastating to the individual, their family, and the local community as a whole," Correia wrote in his proposal. "It is also based on my commitment to the employees of this City and my intention to preserve the collective well being of all employees by working together."

In addition to the pay cut for next fiscal year's budget, Correia is asking to do away with Master Health Plus for all city employees and freeze wage increases for the school department.

Many communities are considering similar proposals given the projected cuts in state funding.

In Rhode Island, Woonsocket is considering a 5 percent pay cut and a 15 percent mandatory contribution to the cost of health insurance. North Providence is asking workers to work, for free, 10 days for the remaining of this fiscal year to balance its budget. And Cranston announced a salary freeze that would affect the mayor and the rest of his staff and is negotiating a similar proposal with the city's unions.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Two families were left homeless overnight after a fire broke out in a newly vacant unit, Capt. Michael DeSarro said.

The fire was reported about 6:40 last night at 122 Allston St., a three-family house an the corner of Allston and Bryant Streets, near Roger Williams Medical Center.

Neighbors told firefighters that the tenant had moved out earlier yesterday. He left behind a boa constrictor in a glass cage, firefighters said.

No one was hurt.

The fire remains under investigation.

By Cynthia Needham and Kathy Gregg
Journal State House Bureau

Johnston Rep. Stephen R. Ucci says he's considering a run for House speaker.

"I am interested in running for speaker when Speaker Murphy doesn't run anymore," Ucci said in a brief interview on the House floor this afternoon. He is expected to make the same announcement on Republican Rep. Joseph Trillo's cable television show this evening.

"A lot of my colleagues know that I am doing this. But that is two years from now and we have so much going on," said the two-term representative, who works as a lawyer at Raytheon.

And if Murphy does want to run again for the job two years from now?

"Well then we'll have to reevaluate what goes on then," was Ucci's response.

For his part, Murphy said Ucci told him personally that he would be interested in running for speaker at whatever point the job opens. Murphy said such aspirations are not unexpected in what he called "the House of ambition.''

But, Murphy bristled at any suggestion that he is a lame duck. "I think it's a distraction now for anybody to talk about who the future speaker of the House will be in Rhode Island because we do have a speaker right now that was just elected, and in 2011 I look forward to being elected again.''

While the first weeks of this session have focused almost exclusively on "the fiscal condition of the state of Rhode Island," he said, "there will come a time when we shift our energies toward the 2011 election, which I will be a part of, so reports of my demise are grossly exaggerated as Mark Twain once said.''

Ucci is not the only lawmaker who has publicly -- or privately -- acknowledged interest in becoming House Speaker, arguably the most powerful political position in the state. House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, D-Providence, and Rep. Gregory Schadone, D-North Providence, have also signaled their interest.

Ucci's appearance on Issues & Ideas with Joe Trillo airs for the first time tonight at 7:30 p.m., on Cox Cable Channel 13.

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, Rhode Island's best-known Lincoln authority, is expected to read Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address at the bicentennial celebration of the 16th president's birthday, a court spokesman confirmed today.

The event will take place next Thursday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

By Cynthia Needham
Journal staff writer

In a win for open government, Treasurer Frank T. Caprio has announced the launch of the first state-sponsored online database of state spending.

The new Web site, dubbed "Treasury Online Checkbook," will be officially unveiled at a news conference on Monday. It will allow the public to search all Treasury Department spending including salaries, offices expenses and other checks written.

In a statement, Caprio said he hopes the site "will become the model for state and local government in their efforts to be more accessible and accountable to the taxpayers of Rhode Island."

"The hope is that other agencies will follow our lead and make their expenditures available," said Caprio spokesman Tim Gray in an interview.

Gray hinted that another state entity may soon follow suit with its own searchable site. A spokeswoman for the Carcieri administration did not immediately return calls for comment.

"It's about accountability and holding a specific department accountable for how tax dollars are being spent," Gray said.

More details about the new site will be available at the news conference, Monday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Office of the General Treasurer at the State House, Suite 102.

Other Web sites that allow the public to track state documents are Transparency Train, produced by the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, and the Money Trail, a project of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition Foundation.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri will deliver his seventh State of the State address at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The speech will be presented to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chamber.

The address is expected to focus on the economy, especially on the governor's proposals to balance the budget deficit in the current and coming fiscal years. The governor will also speak on reforms to the state's tax policy to accelerate economic development and job growth.

The address is expected to be broadcast live on television by ABC 6, NBC 10, WPRI 12, News Channel 5 (on Cox Cable), and by Capitol Television (which can be viewed on Channel 15 of Cox Cable of Rhode Island and Full Channel Cable and Verizon Fios Channel 34). It will be broadcast live on radio by News Talk 630 WPRO & 99.7 FM, WHJJ 920 AM, and WRNI 1290 AM.

The Woonsocket Fire Department and Central Coventry Fire District will receive more than $168,000 in federal funding to purchase to new gear and equipment, Sen. Jack Reed's office announced today.

Woonsocket will receive more than $114,000 to purchase turnout gear for 60 firefighters,including protective bunker pants, clothing, gloves, boots, and helmets. The gear will replace equipment that is more than 10 years old.

"This federal funding will replace gear that has been ripped, torn, and can no longer be mended," Woonsocket Fire Chief Kenneth Finlay said in a prepared statement, adding, "This award comes at a crucial time in the city's financial picture since the financial downturn has eliminated any capital purchasing."

Central Coventry Fire District will receive more than $54,000 to buy up to 12 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) and 39 masks to replace equipment from the 1980s. SCBAs are air packs that provide firefighters with breathable air so they can operate in toxic environments.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program awards one-year grants to local fire departments and emergency responders to improve their ability to respond to emergencies.

Since its inception, the program has distributed more than $13 million to local fire departments.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Governor Carcieri sent a letter to President Barack Obama today asking that the government's stimulus package be revised to provide immediate job growth and improve consumer confidence.

In the letter, Carcieri called the stimulus plan passed by the House of Representatives "deeply flawed," saying it is laden with "enormous amounts of spending that have little to do with economic stimulus" and that it "will not produce immediate job growth."

Carcieri asked Obama to redirect the 30 percent -- or approximately $250 billion -- currently earmarked for other spending for taxpayer relief.

"More money in people's take-home pay will restore confidence in every household," Carcieri wrote.

"I wholeheartedly agree with you that there is a profound sense of urgency for Congress to enact a stimulus plan. However, the plan that has passed the House contains spending provisions which are ill-advised," the governor's letter states.

"Our children will have to pay the bill for this stimulus. It would be better to give them the money now!"

PROVIDENCE, RI -- John O'Hara, of South Kingstown, has been appointed jury commissioner for the State of Rhode Island, Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr. announced today.

The appointment became effective Feb. 1.

O'Hara, 52, served as associate jury commissioner since 2001. He succeeds Eugene J. McMahon, who retired in December.

The jury commissioner is responsible for identifying and summoning qualified jurors to sit on petit juries and grand juries under the authority of the Superior Court, the state's trial court of general jurisdiction. Prospective jurors are picked randomly from the state's voter registration lists, licensed drivers, those with state-issued identification cards, those who filed state income tax returns, and those who have received unemployment compensation.

A civil suit complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Boston, today on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency accuses three interwoven Fall River companies, all owned by a Marion, Mass., man, of numerous and repeated violations of hazardous-waste management laws.

Named in the complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts are NuChrome, Inc., Nu-Chrome Restoration Corp. and Custom Chrome, LLC, and Donald Kemp, the manager and sole corporate officer of all three.

NuChrome faces penalties of up to $32,500 for each day of each violation.

NuChrome maintains a plating plant in Fall River whose process generates byproducts including chromium, nickel and copper sludges, corrosive wastewater and cyanide process wastewater.

The EPA complaint alleges that NuChrome treated and stored hazardous waste without a permit; failed to conduct hazardous waste determinations; failed to conduct inspections of hazardous waste storage areas; and failed to label and date containers of hazardous waste.

NuChrome has faced EPA sanctions for violations dating back to 1999. Follow-up inspections of the facility in 2004, 2006 and 2008 found that NuChrome continued to commit many of the same violations cited in the 1999 action.

Following an inspection last April, the EPA said, it ordered the company to act swiftly to comply with waste management regulations. Nuchrome submitted reports asserting that it had complied with the order, the EPA said, but a subsequent inspection turned up the same violations.

The court complaint alleges that Kemp personally supervised the generation and storage of hazardous wastes, the design of the plating lines and wastewater treatment components at the facility, and is responsible for all financial and legal matters concerning the companies.

By Katie Mulvaney
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The father of a Fairfield University student who was rolled over by a bus and killed in 2004 described his son in court testimony this morning as an outstanding individual.

The family of Francis J. Marx V have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two former University of Rhode Island students -- Jarrad Rocheleau of Cumberland and Loren Welsh of Neshanic Station, N.J. -- saying the two failed to exercise care, which led to Marx's death. The family is seeking $5 million in damages.

Francis J. Marx IV said his son had taken the GMAT, planned to pursue an MBA, and had just been offered a financial management position at General Electric.

Francis J. Marx V, the father said, was a member of the crew team, volunteered at a homeless shelter and taught underprivileged children.

Also this morning, lawyers read a deposition from Marx's girlfriend at the time, Anna Cochrane, and her twin sister.

Cochrane, of Easton, Mass., said the two had been drinking in a hotel room before heading to a formal event the two were to attend in Newport. Cochrane said she was walking ahead of Marx when she heard a girl screaming. When she turned around, she said she saw Marx fighting with the woman and two men. Cochrane said she saw Marx stumble backward.

"I think he fell," she said in her deposition.

Then, she said, she heard people screaming to the bus driver, "stop, stop."

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Maira Farfán Maldonado, one of 31 janitors arrested during immigration raids on Rhode Island courthouses last July, has been granted asylum based on domestic abuse in her home country of Guatemala.

While not precedent-setting, such asylum is unusual and much-debated.

Andrea A. Saenz, a lawyer with the PAIR Project (Political Asylum/Immigration Representation) in Boston, represented Farfán at a Jan. 23 hearing. Saenz said medical records, a social worker's testimony, and letters stating Farfán's husband had ties to former members of paramilitary organizations, persuaded immigration Judge Francis L. Cramer that Farfán would be in peril if she was deported.

Saenz and co-counsel Heather J. Friedman also made the case that Guatemala has a demonstrated indifference to domestic violence. They presented reports by the State Department and international organizations documenting that there have been "very few convictions for violence against women in Guatemala," and that "there is a societal attitude that this is the victim's fault, or it's a family matter."

The beatings Farfán endured from her husband caused permanent injuries. He broke her ankle, sending her to the hospital for eight days; broke her skull; knocked out her teeth. He also set her possessions on fire. He rarely allowed her outside, and threatened to kill her if she left him, according to Farfán: those accounts were supported in letters from family and friends.

In 2000, Farfán ran away and crossed the border illegally, leaving her mother and three children behind.

Said Saenz, Farfán's claim "was based on years of extreme domestic violence that she was fleeing in Guatemala. It's an asylum that's a little bit unusual, and you never know how it's going to turn out."

While many people think of asylum as politically or religiously based, "the asylum law allows anyone to seek protection if their government cannot protect them from persecution. And that would include, in this case, a country that has turned a blind eye to victims of domestic violence. We were able to document how her country would not be able to protect her if she were not able to go to police, or if she tried to leave her husband, who had made a number of death threats against her."

Farfán is now officially an asylee, and has applied for a work permit that her new status entitles her. She will be able to apply for permanent residency in a year or two, and eventually, for citizenship.

She said she is eager to find work, learn English, and live without fear.

Video: Farfán tells of her former fears and new hopes in an interview with Providence Journal reporter Karen Lee Ziner.

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Melissa A. Delmonico, who was found dead in her home last week, died of stab wounds to the heart and lung, the state medical examiner's office has concluded after an autopsy.

The body of Delmonico, 19, a Cranston High School East graduate who was pursuing nursing studies at the Community College of Rhode Island, was discovered Thursday in the house at 16 Cedar St. No suspects have been arrested.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The state Supreme Court has upheld a child rape conviction against Chhoy Hak, formerly of Providence.

Hak was convicted in 2003 of four counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation for sexually abusing his live-in girlfriend's daughters.

He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 40 years in the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston for the first-degree child molestation counts, with 20 years to serve and 20 years of probation, and 30 years in jail on the second-degree child molestation counts, with 15 years to serve and 15 years suspended.

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- A Fall River woman has been charged with reckless endangerment after her 4-year-old foster son suffered severe burns that required skin grafts, the police said.

Kelly O'Brien, 29, of 915 Walnut St., was charged with wanton or reckless endangering of a child and permitting substantial injury to a child, both felonies.

She is next due in court on April 17 for a pre-trial conference, court officials said.

Sgt. Thomas Mauretti said the police received a complaint from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families on Jan. 21 indicating doctors at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence had filed a child abuse report.

"Hospital officials believe that the burns (are) not consistent with an accident," Mauretti said.

The boy suffered third-degree burns to the right upper arm and second-degree burns to the left upper arm.

He has since been removed from the house, said Alison Goodwin, a spokeswoman with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. He remains in state custody.

Goodwin said she could not comment on the child's health status.

Mauretti said O'Brien's live-in boyfriend had driven the child to Charlton Memorial Hospital. The boy was later transferred to Hasbro.

On Jan. 23, police officers with a warrant seized a hair straightening iron from O'Brien's house and O'Brien was arrested.

The case remains under investigation.

PAWTUCKET, RI -- A Pawtucket man was arrested yesterday on drug and other charges, according to Rhode Island State Police.

Joab Coderre, 29, of 196 Sweet Ave., was charged with possession of marijuana, 1 to 5 kilos; possession of marijuana with intent to deliver; and possession of a gun while committing a crime of violence.

He is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions' Intake Service Center, according to a press release issued this morning.

Members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Pawtucket Police yesterday executed a court-authorized search warrant at Coderre's address and seized four pounds of marijuana, narcotics paraphernalia, ammunition, and 93 firearms: 14 shotguns, 30 high-powered assault rifles, 35 semi-automatic pistols, and 40 revolvers. The firearms were stored in safes throughout the house, according to a news release from the state police.

Two of the handguns found in Coderre's bedroom were loaded.

Coderre is a former owner of Valley Firearms, located at 711 Providence St., West Warwick. This firearms store is now closed.

The marijuana was located and seized from a safe that was being stored in a shed in the back yard of the residence.

WESTERLY, R.I. -- The Westerly police are still looking for a local man who disappeared Tuesday.

Angelo DeSantis, 60, of Batterson Avenue, was wearing jeans and a black coat. He was last seen in the Weekapaug area, the police said.

He is described as a white male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 145 pounds wtih brown eyes and shoulder-length dark hair.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Westerly police at (401) 596-2022.

WESTERLY, R.I. -- A local man who was hit by a car early Wednesday morning has died, the police said this morning.

Edward Giorno, 61, of School Street, was hit around 5:36 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Main and School Streets, the police said. It is unclear whether he was crossing the street, according to the police.

Giorno was taken to Westerly Hospital and later transferred to Rhode Island Hospital, where he died last night.

The accident remains under investigation, the police said.

No charges have been filed against the driver of the car, Bonnie Shawn, 67, of Lakeside Drive, according to the police.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- It was a messy commute this morning, with multiple accidents reported all over the state.

Ice was to blame, authorities said.

Route 95's exit 18 ramp to Thurbers Avenue was closed briefly due to icy conditions that caused three back-to-back accidents, according to the state Department of Transportation's Traffic Management Center.
It is now about 23 degrees in the Providence area. The temperature is expected to climb over the freezing point around noon.

Here's the catch. We could get snow showers tonight. The forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of precipitation, mainly between 10 p.m. and midnight.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A former security guard at Rhode Island Hospital is to be sentenced today in U.S. District Court on charges he stole patients' and job applicants' identity information and used it to open cell phone and charge accounts at RadioShack.

Michael Bermudez, a former contract security guard at the hospital in Providence, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit credit-card fraud, trafficking in unauthorized and counterfeit access devices (credit cards and cell phones), and aggravated identity theft (identity theft used in committing another crime).

Maximum penalties for each count of conspiracy and trafficking in counterfeit and unauthorized access devices is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Aggravated identity theft requires a mandatory, consecutive two-year prison term.

-- With archival reports

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A South Kingstown masonry business owner who pleaded guilty in September to charges he understated his income -- lowering his tax liability -- is to be sentenced today in U.S. District Court, Providence.

John Wilk, owner of Independent Chimney and Masonry Construction, understated his income by $648,545 by cashing business checks, asking customers to make out checks to him rather than his business, and depositing customer checks into his grilfriend's account, authorities said.

By hiding a portion of his income from 2002 to 2005, authorities said, Wilk avoided paying $192,594 in taxes.

He faces up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

-- With Journal archival reports

BOSTON (AP) -- A manager at a New Bedford leather-goods factory raided in 2007 by immigration agents has been sentenced to two years probation for her role in helping the company hire and conceal illegal immigrants.

Dilia Costa of New Bedford was production manager at Michael Bianco Inc. Costa pleaded guilty in October to one count of harboring and concealing illegal immigrants and one court of hiring unauthorized immigrants. At her sentencing yesterday, she was ordered to spend the first six months in home confinement.

The factory's former owner, Francesco Insolia, was sentenced on Tuesday to 12 months in prison and $1 million fine after pleading guilty to charges of knowingly hiring and concealing illegal workers.

Federal authorities arrested 361 workers in the 2007 raid.

JAMESTOWN, R.I. -- E-ZPass is in; tokens are out.

Tomorrow will be the last day you can use tokens to pay the toll on the Claiborne Pell Bridge.

As of Sunday, only cash and E-ZPass will be accepted.

"While tokens have been an important part of the bridge's history, with technologies like E-ZPass now available, it is time to move on, which means tokens will no longer be accepted as of Feb. 1," said David Darlington, chairman of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, which manages the bridge that connects Newport and Jamestown.

Unused tokens can still be redeemed at the following locations:

• RITBA Administration Office: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• E-ZPass Office (adjacent to the RITBA Office): Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
• E-ZPass Satellite Office (located at the Newport Gateway Information Center, 23 America's Cup Ave., Newport): Monday through Friday, noon to 7 p.m.

Tokens can be credited towards an E-ZPass account, at a rate of 91 cents per token, or sold back, at a rate of 83 cents per token.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Lawyers for two former University of Rhode Island students accused in a civil case with causing the death of a Fairfield University student during a pub crawl in Newport said there is no evidence that their clients caused the death of the Connecticut student.

The parents of Francis J. Marx V are suing former URI students Loren Welsh, 26, of Neshanic Station, N.J., and Jarrad Rocheleau, 26, of Cumberland, for $5 million, claiming that the two scuffled with their son and caused his death.

Marx was a 21-year-old senior at Fairfield when he was killed on May 20, 2004, after either falling or being pushed under a bus carrying University of Rhode Island students on a pub crawl.

"There's no doubt that this case is a tragedy," Welsh's attorney, Mark Dolan, said during opening statements today in Superior Court. "There's no doubt that there's no evidence, no testimony that Loren Welsh pushed or caused Francis Marx to stumble, to take two steps back, and to fall into the street."

Earlier, a lawyer for the family told jurors Welsh had admitted causing Marx's death when she told police, "He punched me, I pushed him, and now he's dead."

Dolan told jurors that Marx, who was in Newport for a formal dance for Wheaton College students (his girlfriend attended the Massachusetts college), had been drinking in a hotel room and dance prior to the incident.

Neither Welsh nor Rocheleau has been criminally charged.

The trial will resume at 2 p.m.

Newport Police Officer Stephen Head is scheduled to testify.

-- Journal staff writers Amanda Milkovits and Maria Armental, with reports from Journal staff writer Talia Buford

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The state attorney general has approved the sale of the radio station WRNI to Rhode Island Public Radio, the attorney general's office announced today.

It will be the first sale under the Public Radio Conversions Act, which became law in 2005. The law seeks to to preserve and protect charitable assets in Rhode Island.

The Federal Communications Commission had already approved the transfer.

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch had conditionally approved the sale in September.

The radio station is currently owned by the trustees of Boston University and the WRNI Foundation.

"Our long-standing belief has always been that public radio in Rhode Island is best served by local ownership and control," said WBUR Group General Manager Paul La Camera. "The culmination of this sale achieves that objective, and we're confident that WRNI will thrive going forward."

>> Continue reading: AG gives final OK to sale of RI public radio station

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The Route 195 west ramp to Route 95 North will be closed tonight to allow state workers to demolish the former Pine Streets overpasses.

Expect lane closings as well on Route 95 North.

Lane closures will begin at 8 p.m. and the Route 195 ramp will close at 11 p.m. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m., to avoid disruptions to the morning commute.

Motorists traveling on Route 195 West and heading to Route 95 should take Exit 2 to South Main Street, follow it to Steeple Street, and reconnecting to Route 95 through Memorial Boulevard near the Providence Place mall.

All work is weather dependent.

RIDOT will use signs and electronic message boards to alert motorists of the closure and detour routes. Up-to-date traveler information and detour maps are available on the Department's website, www.dot.ri.gov. Information is also available by dialing 511 (1-888-401-4511 for out of state callers), listening to 1630 AM on RIDOT's Highway Advisory Radio, or by calling RIDOT's Customer Service office at 401-222-2450 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The U.S. Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning of street flooding due to snow-clogged storm drains in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts.

The Weather Service said that periods of moderate to heavy rain early this evening are to blame. The Weather Service declared that isolated thunder can be expected through 7:30 p.m.

Additionally, untreated surfaces will remain slippery due to the frozen ground and a persistent snow pack.

Earlier, the expected heavy storm came, hit, and left.

By 4 p.m., with temperatures above the freezing point, there was not much left of today's snowstorm other than rain -- a drizzle in some cases -- plenty of puddles, and another snow day for many school districts.

School officials cited the timing of the storm -- the brunt of which hit early this morning when buses would have been out picking up students -- and concerns over icy roads later in the day as the reason to cancel classes.

Still, some districts, including Warwick, Cranston, Burrillville, braced for the weather and kept schools open.

The National Weather Service canceled its winter weather advisory around noon, and many communities lifted parking bans.

Most main roads have been cleared for the evening commute. Secondary roads, however, are a different story. Give yourself extra time, say officials.

The good news is that it doesn't look like we'll be getting another storm any time soon. The forecast calls for "a slight chance of snow showers" Friday night; but that's just a 20 percent chance.

In the end, we got about 2 to 4 inches today, with the highest accumulation in the northwest part of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

As of last night, the total snowfall for the season measured at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick was 31 inches, said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. Last year, the state got 17.1 inches. The average seasonal snowfall in Warwick is 18.6, Dunham said.

WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) -- A Westerly woman has been charged with stealing $40,000 from a charity dedicated to helping children with disabilities.

Louise Distefano was arrested yesterday and held on $20,000 bail with surety, requiring the full amount in property or 10 percent in cash. She was released today on bail following an initial appearance on the felony charge in District Court in South Kingstown.

The police accuse the 54-year-old woman of embezzling thousands of dollars from Turning Pointe Therapeutic Riding in Hopkinton. Investigators said they began investigating about a month ago when the charity discovered financial irregularities.

-- Associated Press, with reports from The Westerly Sun

BOSTON -- Bill Patenaude, an engineer with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, has received an award from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, according to a press release from the federal agency.

EPA's New England office presented Patenaude with the Regional Wastewater Operator Training and Certification Provider Award at the annual New England Water Environment Association Conference held today at the Boston Copley Marriott Hotel.

"The professionals providing operator training to wastewater treatment plants play a crucial role in ensuring that our lakes and rivers are protected from unnecessary pollution," Ira W. Leighton, acting regional administrator for EPA's New England office, said in a prepared statement. "I am proud to acknowledge Mr. Patenaude's innovative contributions to help train municipal wastewater professionals so they may be able to better protect water quality and public health, as well as to keep Rhode Island's waterways clean."

The EPA award program recognizes state personnel in the wastewater field who have provided valuable training for operators of wastewater treatment facilities throughout New England. One of the major training initiatives successfully developed and coordinated by Patenaude is "Boot Camp", a year-long training program to help with succession planning in the municipal wastewater field.

It has become a model program that a number of other states are trying to adopt.

"It is a model for public, quasi-public and private sectors joining forces to benefit the common good," Patenaude said at today's event. "The EPA recognition award is for everyone who willingly contributed their time and talents as trainers, those who helped organize administrative details and most especially to the participants themselves who have been and remain eager to learn and grow, and so better manage our state's water pollution-control infrastructure."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island lawmakers have approved a bill allowing retired state workers to process a backlog of unemployment claims in a state where 10 percent of residents are jobless.

The bill was approved unanimously today and now heads to the desk of Governor Carcieri, who supports it.

State law generally prohibits retired workers from both collecting their state pensions and working for the state.

The retired workers need less training than new hires. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor and Training said they could reduce the backlog more quickly, getting money to the unemployed faster.

The department received 36,000 claims for unemployment benefits in December, more than double what they received in the same time last year.

By C. Eugene Emery Jr.
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A just-released study of 338 overweight women from Providence and Birmingham, Ala., has concluded that shedding pounds lowers a woman's risk of losing urine when she coughs, sneezes or exercises.

Women placed on a Slim-Fast diet lost an average of 17 pounds over six months and saw the number of incidents of urinary incontinence decline by 47 percent.

The decrease was 28 percent in the control group, where the women were only given information about healthier lifestyles. They typically lost only about 3 pounds.

The more weight a woman lost, the greater the benefit, said Dr. Leslee Subak of the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study.

At the start of the test, the women, whose average age was 53, were reporting 24 instances of leakage per week.

While losing weight helped improve so-called stress incontinence, it was less effective at relieving urge incontinence, where the bladder is overactive and squeezes when it's not supposed to.

Subak said it's just one more reason for overweight women to lose weight.

The local investigators in the study, reported in tomorrow's New England Journal of Medicine, are Rena Wing and Deborah Myers of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- The South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce and RIPTA have partnered to offer free bus service to students and staff at the University of Rhode Island as part of the chamber's Shop South County campaign.

The free bus service will be available evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 5:57.

The bus will depart from the Flagg Road parking lot and stop at Memorial Union, Wakefield Mall, and Casey's Bar & Grill, arriving at the South County Commons at 6:20 p.m.

Return trips to URI begin at 6:35 p.m. from Brewed Awakenings in South County Commons.

The bus will run hourly with the last departure from URI at 11:57 p.m. and the last departure from Wakefield at 12:45 a.m.

For detailed information on the schedule, contact RIPTA at www.ripta.com or call (401) 781-9400.

By Mark Reynolds
Journal Staff Writer

JOHNSTON, RI -- Almost 60 residents lost their driving privileges last year, and they may face arrest if they fail to pay municipal court fines, the police said today.

Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini issued the announcement as part of the town's effort to collect fines and inform people about the consequences of failing to pay traffic tickets and other fines in Johnston.

The police are in the process of finding the delinquents and hand-delivering a final written warning to them.

After that, said Tamburini, the police will seek arrest warrants and haul the suspects down to the municipal court to face a judge.

Meanwhile, police may make an attempt to round up residents who have moved to other communities, Tamburini said.

"We're just trying to clean the books," he said.

"These people have got to act responsible when they violate the law," he added, noting that hundreds of other drivers have paid their fines.

Motorists who change addresses and fail to update their driver's licenses miss out on the various alerts and warnings that the court sends out as it tries to process their cases.

If they fail to pay their fines, they may not receive notification when the court suspends their driver's licenses.

Driving a motor-vehicle after a license suspension is a criminal offense.

The consequences involve an appearance in District Court and fines of no less than $250.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Want to be a federal judge in Rhode Island? There are openings. All you have to do is to brush up that résumé and send it over to U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse.

The job assignment would be on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. District Court in Providence.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Boston, hears appeals from Rhode Island, and Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico. The vacancy is that of Judge Bruce M. Selya, who left full-time bench duty in December 2006, assuming senior status.

While the nominations fall to President Obama, customarily the president asks the local U.S. senators for recommendations. The nominees have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

All interested applicants should send a cover letter and résumé to the office of Senator Reed, Rhode Island's senior senator (1000 Chapel View Blvd., Suite 290, Cranston, RI 02920), by Feb. 11.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Brace for a rough commute tomorrow morning, the experts say.

We'll wake up to temperatures in the 20s and heavy snowfall, said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass.

Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour is possible during the morning. The snow will accumulate quickly on roads, resulting in poor visibility and hazardous travel, according to the National Weather Service.

The snow will change to sleet and finally rain, which, as temperatures rise into the 40s in the afternoon, will melt the snow and create pond-like conditions in poorly drained areas.

Give yourself an extra 45 minutes to an hour to clear the car and negotiate icy roads, Drag said.

By day's end, the Providence metropolitan area will get 2 to 5 inches of snow. The heaviest accumulation, as expected, will be to the northwest.

A winter weather advisory for wintry mix of precipation will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. A winter storm watch is no longer in effect.

So far, the weather has already caused the cancellations of road work on Route 95 and the 5th annual Tour Rhode Island Press Conference. Tickets for the Tour Rhode Island May 2 event will still go on sale tomorrow.

The state Department of Transportation is expected to resume overnight closures on Route 95 north Wednesday night, weather permitting.

So far, no public school closings have been announced. Numerous towns have announced parking bans starting as early at 6 p.m. today. Most parking bans start at midnight or 6 a.m. Check with your town.

CODAC Treatment Centers, a Cranston-based nonprofit that provides substance-abuse services, and the Center for Treatment & Recovery in Pawtucket will be closed tomorrow. Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island will not deliver meals to seniors.

PELHAM, Mass. (AP) -- The Massachusetts police chief who is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the accidental shooting death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show has resigned.

Pelham Chief Edward Fleury's resignation was accepted on yesterday by the Board of Selectmen, three months after 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj (bah-SEEL') shot himself in the head with an Uzi during a Westfield gun fair.

Fleury's company, COP Firearms & Training, sponsored the event. He has pleaded not guilty.

Fleury's last day will be March 16, when his vacation time runs out. He hasn't been at work since the Oct. 26 shooting, at first taking sick leave and then being placed on vacation leave.

Board Chairman William Martell told The Daily Hampshire Gazette that Fleury's departure was a "mutual decision."

-- The Associated Press

LYNN, Mass. (AP) -- A moving company owner has been ordered held on $250,000 bail after pleading not guilty to charges connected to a $2 million jewelry heist that included New York Giants Super Bowl rings.

Sean D. Murphy was arraigned Monday in Lynn District Court on charges of receiving stolen property related to the June robbery at E.A. Dion Inc. in Attleboro.

Murphy was arrested Friday at his home. According to court documents, police found one of the stolen Super Bowl rings in Murphy's bedroom, jewelry in his car, and rare coins in a bank safe deposit box. Police did not say what led them to Murphy.

He still faces charges of breaking and entering and larceny related to the incident in Attleboro. Murphy's lawyer says his client looks forward to his day in court.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- This much we know right now: Snow is coming ... again.

The forecast calls for 7 to 10 inches in the northwestern end of the state, 3 to 5 along the coast, and 6 to 7 everywhere else. Those numbers, however, will continue to be revised as weather forecasters continue to track the latest storm that is forming in Texas.

William Babcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said yesterday that snow is expected to start falling between 4 and 5 a.m. Wednesday, with the heaviest snowfall in the late morning and early afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for all of Rhode Island, expect Block Island. The watch will remain in effect through late Wednesday night.

Today will represent the calm before the storm. Clouds should clear and the temperature should climb out of the teens this morning and reach 33 degrees later today, according to the National Weather Service. The wind will blow at 5 to 8 mph. from the northwest.

For more weather and regular updates, see projo.com/weather.

BOSTON (AP) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy is not immediately returning to the Capitol after suffering a seizure shortly after the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

A Kennedy spokeswoman said today the Massachusetts Democrat will instead work out of Florida, where he previously spent time recuperating from brain cancer treatment. There is no date for his return to Washington.

Kennedy has been spearheading the effort to pass a comprehensive health-care plan under the new White House administration.

The 76-year-old lawmaker was stricken at a legislative luncheon following Obama's swearing-in. He spent the night in the hospital after doctors diagnosed him with "simple fatigue" following the frigid outdoor ceremony and warm indoor reception.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Just in time for Super Bowl weekend, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation has partnered with Sports Radio 103.7 WEEI-FM and several area bars and restaurants to tackle drunken driving.

The group has distributed more than 50,000 drink coasters with the safety message, "Designate a Sober Driver BEFORE You Go Out! You Drink & Drive You Lose!"

The police patrols will also be increased for the weekend.

Drunken driving-related accidents are the leading cause of fatal crashes in Rhode Island, the DOT said.

A news conference to officially launch this campaign will be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. at McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, 52 Pine St., Providence.

Speakers at the event will include: DOT Director Michael P. Lewis; Pawtucket Police Chief George Kelley, who also serves as president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association; and Joe Harrington, vice president/general manager of Sports Radio 103.7 WEEI-FM.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Donations came in lower than usual but in larger numbers, helping Meeting Street School meet -- and exceed -- its fundraising goal.

The Providence school who serves children with special needs raised $737,401 during its annual telethon, about $21,000 more than last year and more than $37,000 above its stated goals for this year, said Amanda McMullen, director of development.

The money raised goes directly to the school's general fund, which pays for all programs and expenses.

"We were overwhelmed," McMullen said, noting school officials had lowered their projections given the state of the economy.

While the average donation amount was down -- about $200 this year from roughly $300 last year, -- a 52-percent increase in the number of donations made up the difference, McMullen said.

NORTH SMITHFIELD, RI -- Firefighters responded moments ago to a fire at 800 Central St.

No more details are available at this point.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island College said today it's lowering tuition for some students from Connecticut and Massachusetts, in a gesture it calls a "good neighbor effort."

The tuition of applicants from the two states who live within a 50-mile radius of the Providence college will be 11/2 times what in-state students pay. Those who qualify for the break will pay about $2,600 more than in-state students, but $5,900 less than other out-of-state students.

The discounted rates, which were approved last month by the Board of Governors for Higher Education, take effect in the fall of 2009.

"This new plan will give more students a viable financial option to attend RIC," Holly Shadoian, the college's admissions director, said in a statement.

The only non-Rhode Island students who now pay those tuition rates are from Massachusetts and live within 20 miles of Providence.

RIC is one of three public colleges or universities in Rhode Island.

By Alisha A. Pina
Journal Staff Writer

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The city's teachers are meeting with their union leaders today to decide their next step after Superior Court Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer refused to order the School Committee to rescind cuts in pay and fringe benefits that the board unilaterally imposed on teachers earlier this month.

The changes went into effect Jan. 5 and were first reflected in the teachers' Jan. 16 paychecks. They include rolling back salaries nearly 5 percent and forcing the educators to pay 20 percent toward their health insurance costs. In their previous contract, which expired Oct. 31, the teachers didn't contribute anything toward those costs.

Pfeiffer's late last week decision said the changes that were made did not cause the teachers to suffer "irreparable harm," which is necessary for him to intervene. He also said the state Labor Relations Board has "exclusive and original jurisdiction over unfair labor practice cases."

"I'm sure the members all have a copy of his decision and we will answer any questions they might have," said Jeanette Woolley, a representative for the East Providence Education Association, which represents the city's more than 500 teachers. The meeting, which is closed to the public, will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium at East Providence High School.

Immediately after his decision was released Thursday afternoon, a union press release said the group was disappointed by Pfeiffer's decision and the teachers are "considering all their options," including an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

"Teachers are being harmed by the loss of pay, but we have confidence that the union has a good argument before the Rhode Island State Labor Board, [which] has initial jurisdiction in the case," the release says. "East Providence teachers, despite doing their job each day in teaching the students in their classrooms, are losing money, and that will continue until we reach a resolution."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A federal judge today sentenced Patrick Crowe, most recently of Florida, to four years in federal prison for stealing nearly $350,000 in payroll deductions for health insurance premiums and payroll taxes from two trucking firms that he owned in Rhode Island for brief periods in 2004.

Crowe is also to pay $22,000 in restitution to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and UnitedHealthCare along with $46,000 to Drew Oil Company and $10,000 to CSC, a payroll company, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente's office.

As part of the sentencing, Crowe is also to pay about $127,000 in payroll taxes that his companies withheld but failed to pay to the Internal Revenue Service.

Crowe, 57, received a longer sentence due to his prior record and his behavior since he entered a guilty plea in May, according to Corrente's statement.

Crowe had pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by stealing worker's payroll deductions and two counts of failing to pay to the IRS deducted payroll taxes.

At the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adi Goldstein said the government could prove that, in 2004, after Crowe purchased Dean Transportation Services, an East Providence trucking company, he quickly defaulted on the company's financial obligations.

From February through April 2004, numerous deductions were taken from employees' paychecks towards payment of health care premiums and payroll taxes. However, Crowe never forwarded the health care premiums to Blue Cross, which cancelled the company's health insurance plan at the end of April 2004. Similarly, approximately $97,000 in payroll and FICA taxes were withheld but not paid to the IRS.

Crowe then bought another trucking company, C-Line Trucking, on Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick, where he continued his practice of not paying health care premiums and federal taxes, and defaulting on other financial obligations.

Between the two trucking companies, Crowe failed to pay Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island a total of $124,860 in premiums, UnitedHealthCare $94,891 in premiums, and the Internal Revenue Service $127,380 in payroll taxes, all of which the companies had withheld from employees' payroll checks.

Crowe, who has prior addresses in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, has several prior convictions in federal court in New York for offenses, including wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud.

After he pleaded guilty in Providence in May, he was released on bond pending sentencing. However, he was subsequently charged in Port St. Lucie, Florida with passing forged checks and in Connecticut with issuing a bad check. Crowe was brought back to federal court in Rhode Island in September, Magistrate Judge David L. Martin revoked his bond, and he has since been detained.

CRANSTON, RI -- Friday night's Daily Numbers drawing paid out 233 percent -- a deficit for the lottery on the daily drawing, according to a press release from Rhode Island Lottery.

The Rhode Island Lottery awarded $162,876 worth of prizes while taking in $69,699 in net sales.

The winning numbers were 1-2-8-0.

The Daily Numbers drawings are held Monday through Saturday at 6:59 p.m. and at 6:29 p.m. on Sundays. They are broadcast live on WPRI-TV.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- It's time to measure the state's recycling performance.

More than 2,000 business throughout the state received letters from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management asking them to account for their recycling efforts last year.

Businesses of 50 or more employees that produce solid waste are required to submit annual recycling reports by March 1.

Approximately 60 percent -- or about 700,000 a year -- of the waste buried in the state's Central Landfill in Johnston comes from businesses, according to state figures.

According to annual reports filed last year, the overall average commercial recycling rate in 2007 was 29.44 percent.

DEM will begin enforcing the state's mandatory commercial recycling regulations after March 1. The enforcement initiative will include unscheduled inspections of recycling programs at randomly selected companies.

To file a report online, business can go to the DEM's web si. An ID and PIN, listed on the DEM's letters, are needed.

Businesses that don't receive teh letter by Jan. 28 should e-mail Alyson Silva, DEM's commercial recycling coordinator, at alyson.silva@dem.ri.gov or call her at (401) 222-2797 ext. 7134.

By Peter Lord
Journal Environment Writer

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- The program for the ceremonial opening of the University of Rhode Island's Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences was printed on paper embedded with wildflower seeds.

Instead of throwing the paper away, the hundreds who attended the ceremony on URI's Kingston Campus this morning were encouraged to water the program until sprouts appear.

That set the tone for the standing room only crowd who came to hear speeches from the state's top political leaders and celebrate the unveiling of a building that incorporates the latest in "green" technologies designed to save energy, reduce use of materials and provide a welcoming space to work and learn.

University Vice President Robert A. Weygand said the building will save $150,000 a year in energy costs and provide the best laboratory spaces in the country.

Governor Carcieri called the new building a statement both for the quality of education at the university and as an important economic tool.

"This building will be an important driver for our economy in the future," said the governor. "This is a stake in the ground to show we are serious about being a leader. "

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he was thrilled to see the green features in the building and he said the university's timing couldn't be much better.

"The world changed in Washington Tuesday," Whitehouse said, as the crowd of nearly 400 applauded. "We need to move quickly to a green economy if we are going to sustain our way of life in the future." The predicted there will be plenty of federal funding for green projects and the university is perfectly prepared to "catch that wave."

Watch a video of the new center.

By Talia Buford
Journal Staff Writer

WEST WARWICK, RI -- Two men were arrested today after police found a marijuana growing operation in one of the men's homes.

Police searched the home of Jason DiPrete at 9 Melrose St. around 11 a.m. yesterday and found a marijuana "grow" -- the system of watering, fertilization and lighting used to grow the plants -- in his basement, said Det. Sgt. Mark Bennett. Officers seized 16 plants and $9,000 during the search.

DiPrete, 30, was charged with manufacturing and simple possession of marijuana and three counts of possessing a schedule 1-5 narcotic -- Vicodin, Suboxone and HGH, respectively. He was arraigned last night before a bail commissioner and will be arraigned in Kent County court on Monday.

Christos Georgitsis, 21, of 3 Cora St., North Providence, was charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. He was released on personal recognizance last night.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- A Providence County Grand Jury handed up an indictment today naming Juan Díaz on one count of murder and one count of using and discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence.

Juan L. Díaz, 25, of 14 Reservoir Ave. Pawtucket is to be arraigned Monday in Providence County Superior Court on the felony charges. He's been held in the Adult Correctional Insitutions since his arrest last summer.

Police say Díaz shot Mayra Cruz, 26, whom police described as his girlfriend, in his apartment on June 25.

According to the police dispatch log, Díaz called police the day after the shooting saying he accidentally shot his girlfriend in the face.

"He stated that she had the gun and when he was retrieving it ... it accidentally fired, shooting her in the face," according to the log entry.

"He stated that he tended to her injuries throughout the night and at one point she was throwing up blood and she has now stopped breathing," the dispatcher wrote.

Police and emergency medical personnel rushed to the scene. By then, Cruz was already dead and Díaz had fled to Albany, N.Y., where he was arrested the next day.

By Amanda Milkovits
Journal Staff Writer

WOONSOCKET, RI -- More than 300 property owners who live downstream of the Blackstone River dam and levee will be required to buy flood insurance as of March 2, after new federal flood maps rated the region at high risk for flooding.

The problem is the condition of the city-owned levee, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes over next Thursday. The half-century old levee was one of 146 levees nationwide determined to be in fair, poor or unacceptable condition last year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued revised flood insurance rate maps for Woonsocket -- effective on March 2 -- that expand the area considered to be at high risk for flooding. At least 200 properties have been listed in the high-risk area, said city engineer Ben Tavares. The high-risk designation means that these properties are at risk during a 100-year flood, a bit of a misnomer, as flooding events of that level occur more frequently.

The law requires property owners with federally backed mortgages to buy flood insurance if their property is at risk. Those who don't buy the insurance will still be billed -- the mortgage lender will purchase the flood insurance and charge it back to the property owner, at a much higher rate.

The state Emergency Management Agency is urging Woonsocket residents in the high risk area to save money by buying their flood insurance before March 2.

Those who purchase flood insurance before March 2 will be grandfathered-in at the rate for the low-risk zone, said state floodplain coordinator Michelle Burnett. After March 2, property owners in the new high-risk flood zone will end up with an insurance bill based on owning property in a high-risk flood zone, where the cost will be significantly higher.

For a list of properties affected by the change and for more information on the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the city's Web site: http://www.ci.woonsocket.ri.us/Flood.htm.

The Food and Drug Administration renewed its alert to consumers to not eat any products containing peanut butter or peanut paste as more products are added to a voluntary recall list, which now includes nearly 300 products, the Rhode Island Department of Health said today in a news release.

Commercial brands of jarred peanut butters are not included in the recall.

Six people have died and nearly 500 people nationwide have become ill from eating peanut butter or products containing peanut butter that are contaminated with a strain of salmonella. Four of those cases are from Rhode Island.

PAWTUCKET, RI -- Workers trying to defrost interior pipes in a building that houses a chemical preparation company accidentally started a small fire this afternoon that spread to the building's roof, fire officials said.

The fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Roberts Chemical Co., 258 Pine St. It was quickly extinguished.

Firefighters cut a hole through the roof to ensure the fire was fully out. No one was injured, said acting Battalion Chief Capt. Timothy Noiseux.

Today's fire was just down the street from a similar fire yesterday.

On Thursday, workers using a blow torch to melt ice on a garage roof ignited a fire that damaged the garage, owned by Liberty International Inc., and the state's Supreme Court Judicial Records Center, at 5 Pine St.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Fire officials are investigating a fire that broke out early this afternoon in a three-story residential building at 352 Branch Ave.

The fire, reported at about 2:10 p.m., started on the second-floor porch where workers were laying a new floor, acting Battalion Chief Scott Mello said.

The fire was contained to the porch area and extinguished in about 45 minutes, Mello said.

No residents were home at the time. The fire remains under investigation.

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts Governor Patrick's administration has asked federal officials about the possibility of erecting toll booths on major border crossings into Massachusetts from New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island, the governor said today.

In November, a Rhode Island study commission made a similar recommendation. In addition to tolls at the border, the Rhode Island plan also included an annual mileage tax.

They would join existing toll booths on the Massachusetts Turnpike near the New York and Connecticut borders.

The governor told a statewide public radio audience that federal officials had signaled a willingness to consider the idea. They must approve it because Interstate 93, Route 3 and other roads are part of the federal highway system.

Patrick said, "If we did that right, it would be possible -- possible -- to remove all of the tolls inside the Commonwealth," except for the tunnels leading to and from Logan International Airport.

New York and New Hampshire already toll people coming from Massachusetts. Massachusetts is considering returning the favor as it seeks to cope with Big Dig debt and other transportation funding priorities.

CRANSTON, RI -- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will detour bus route 30 (Arlington/Oaklawn) in the Arlington neighborhood in Cranston due to the new weight limit restrictions placed by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation on the Dyer Avenue bridge.

Bus route 30 will no longer serve Park Avenue between Gansett and Dyer Avenue in Cranston. The detour will begin immediately and continue until further notice.

Route 30 (Arlington/Oaklawn) will detour as follows:

• Inbound: Trips traveling into Providence will travel the regular route to Cranston Street, take a right onto Dyer Avenue, left onto Trainor Street, left onto Gansett Avenue, right onto Cranston Street, and then resume regular route.
• Outbound: Trips leaving Providence will travel the regular route to Cranston Street left onto Gansett Avenue, right onto Trainor Street, right onto Dyer Avenue, left onto Cranston Street, and then resume regular route.

WARWICK, RI -- Providence Fire Department will recieve $134,400 and Potterville Fire Department in Scituate $19,000 through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters program, Congressman Jim Langevin's office announced today.

Providence will use the money to buy a large diameter hose that will match the hose diameters used by neighboring communities, which will allow Providence Fire to respond to calls in neighboring cities. Potterville plans to buy a Lifepack-12 defibrillator for its EMS crews.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will close several lanes on Route 95 in Providence starting Sunday to begin demolishing the former Pine Street and Friendship Street overpasses.

The work, part of the Route 195/95 interchange relocation known as the Iway project, was to begin this week, but was pushed back due to the weather.

Lane restrictions will begin around 8 p.m. and closings will begin at 11 p.m. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. to avert disruptions on the morning commute. At least one lane will remain open at all times. A lane on Route 195 west may also be closed.

The overnight closure schedule and suggested detours for this week include:

• Sunday, Jan. 25: Lanes will be closed on Route 95 north and south and Route 195.
• Monday & Tuesday, Jan. 26-27: Lanes will be closed on Route 95 south from Exit 21 to Exit 19, including access to Route 195 east; Route 10 north to Route 95 south; and possible closings on Route 95 north.

  Through traffic should use Route 295 or Route 10.

  Traffic bound for Route 195 east should use highway detour (Exit 22B to Route 10 south to Route 95 north and access Route 195 east at Exit 19) or city detour (Exit 21, then follow Service Road No. 7 to the Plain Street on-ramp to reach Route 195 east).

  Motorists traveling on Route 10 north wishing to access the Downtown, Downcity and Jewelry District areas should follow signs for Downtown and use Memorial Boulevard.

  Hospital traffic and others who did not exit onto Route 10 must use Route 95 south Exit 21 (Atwells Avenue) and follow Service Road No. 7 to Plain Street and the hospitals complex.

  Hospital traffic on Route 10 North should exit at Dean Street/Atwells Avenue and follow Atwells Avenue to Service Road No. 7 to Plain Street and the hospitals complex.

  Hospital traffic on Route 195 west to Route 95 south will not be affected.

• Wednesday & Thursday, Jan. 28-29: Route 95 north will be closed from Exit 19 to Exit 21. Access will be maintained to Exit 19 for I-195 East. Lane closings are possible on Route 95 south and the ramp from Route 195 west to Route 95 north.

  Through traffic should use I-295 or Route 10.

  Through traffic in Providence will need to use Exit 18 (Thurbers Avenue) and follow city detour using Allens Avenue, Eddy Street, Dyer Street and Memorial Boulevard to the on-ramp for Route 95 north near Providence Place Mall.

  Hospital traffic is not affected. Use Exit 18 (Thurbers Avenue) to Eddy Street without detour.

Additional overnight closures are possible for the week of Feb. 1.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Firefighters have responded to a reported fire in the area of 258 Pine St., an area of commercial brick buildings.

More information to come.

WOONSOCKET, RI -- A local man was arraigned this morning on charges he assaulted a police officer.

Edwin Sánchez, 29, of 40 Montcalm St., was charged with assaulting Officer Eric McNeice yesterday while McNeice handled an unrelated motor vehicle stop.

Bail was set at $10,000, with surety, on the disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and assult on a police officer charges. Sánchez, who is in the country on an expired visa, was ordered held on an immigration detainer. He was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Police say McNeice had pulled over a motorist when Sánchez approached him in a belligerent manner complaining about an unrelated incident.

Sánchez, police said, did not know the motorist who had been stopped. It is unclear what prompted Sánchez's outburst.

McNeice, police said, ordered Sánchez to leave or face arrest. Sánchez refused to leave. When McNeice grabbed Sánchez's arm to arrest him, police said Sánchez punched McNeice on the face. With the force of the impact, McNeice slipped and fell on the ice. As McNeice tried to get up, Sánchez punched him several times on the face and head.

A man who saw the assault tackled Sánchez until backup officers arrived shortly thereafter and arrested Sánchez.

McNeice was treated and released from Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket for swelling to his head, face, and jaw.

-- Reported by Journal staff writer Tatiana Pina

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (AP) -- Pieces of what will be Rhode Island's largest wind turbine will soon arrive at a Portsmouth high school.

Karina Lutz, a spokeswoman for People's Power and Light, said the blades for what will become the state's largest wind turbine are expected to arrive tomorrow on trucks from Connecticut.

Assembly work will begin in February once the final pieces arrive.

The wind turbine is owned by the town. Once assembled, it will produce more electricity than the state's only other major wind turbine, which powers a Roman Catholic abbey and school in Portsmouth.

By Cynthia Needham
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE -- More than 50 people turned out this afternoon to testify before the House Finance Committee on proposed cuts in local aid and education spending.

But the hearing is far from over. Lawmakers predict it could extend late into the evening as more than two dozen people wait at this hour to testify.

The afternoon started with impassioned pleas from mayors of Rhode Island communities big and small. One by one, they testified about the "devastating, devastating impact" of a plan to cut more than $55 million in general revenue sharing money to cities and towns.

Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle said his city may face bankruptcy -- or at least the possibility of not making payroll as early as April 15 -- if the cuts go through.
"With only five months to go [in the fiscal year], we can't cut our way out of this," Doyle told the Finance Committee.

But committee members including Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, questioned just how aggressive local leaders have been in trying to trim expenses.

Mayor David N. Cicilline of Providence said the capital city has been trying to reduce costs but hasn't yet found enough money to make up for the millions the state has proposed taking.

But the majority of those who crowded into the basement committee room today -- and still wait there now -- wished to speak on a different proposal altogether: The proposed elimination of school bus monitors.

By C. Eugene Emery Jr.
Journal Staff Writer

EAST GREENWICH -- The computer was brought on line this afternoon, the dispatchers moved in yesterday, and the detectives set up shop last week as the police department began doing business in its new $8.1 million headquarters at 176 First Ave., former site of the town's post office.

The two-story facility replaces the department's hard-to-find home in the basement of the school department building on Peirce Street, where the dispatcher's window didn't even have bulletproof glass.

The new building, nearly three times the size of the old station, is designed for extra security.

Not only is the dispatch area protected, many of the doors throughout the building --including cell doors -- can be remotely locked and unlocked by dispatchers who can see just about anything via a network of cameras.

>> Continue reading: Photo: East Greenwich's new 'safer' police station

Scene from the Oscar-nominated New Boy.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Three films that premiered and won awards at the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival have been nominated for Academy Awards.

Nominated for Best Animated Short was This Way Up, directed by Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith from the United Kingdom. The film premiered in the U.S. at the festival and won the festival's first prize for Best Animation.

Nominated for Best Live Action Short were New Boy, directed by Steph Green, from Ireland, and Spielzeugland (Toyland), directed by Jochen Alexander Freydank, from Germany.

New Boy won first prize for Best Short at Rhode Island International Film Festival and Spielzeugland won the festival's International Discovery Award.

Also, Richard Jenkins -- who won the festival's George M. Cohan Ambassador Award -- was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in The Visitor. Jenkins is the former artistic director of Trinity Repertory Company.

"The reputation of RIIFF among filmmakers and the industry is that of a 'discovery' festival," George T. Marshall, the festival's executive director and CEO, said in a press release. "Since 1999, we have seen 18 films screened at the Festival go on to receive Oscar nominations."

RIIFF is one of 63 film festivals worldwide --- the only one in New England --- that is a qualifying event for the Oscars.

The Academy Awards will be presented on Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on ABC.

Earlier story on nominations of Jenkins and Central Falls native Viola Davis.

PROVIDENCE -- Roadway striping will continue tomorrow on southbound Route 95 and eastbound Route 195, the state Department of Transportation said today.

The Route 95 restriping will be done between Exit 22 (Downtown/Routes 6 and 10) and 18 (Thurbers Avenue), and on Route 195 between Exit 2 (India Street/Gano Street) and the Washington Bridge. The work will begin at 10 a.m. and should be completed by 2 p.m.

Expect congestion also on Route 117 (Centerville Road) as the DOT closes several lanes between Route 1 (Post Road) in Apponaug and Route 115 (Toll Gate Road) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to remove a gas line at the former Apponaug Mill, now being demolished.
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SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- The man accused of inappropriately touching a Providence Journal photographer during a charitable event on New Year's Day pleaded no contest to simple assault charges Tuesday in Washington County District Court.

David Holmes, 53, of 9 Kristen Drive in Warwick, was sentenced to 20 hours of community service, and ordered to write a letter of apology to photographer Gretchen Ertl. He must also pay $200 to the Victim Indemnity Fund, and any court costs. He is also not allowed to contact or be near Ertl.

Ertl filed a complaint with North Kingstown police after the incident happened while she was photographing a golfing fundraiser at Woodland Greens Golf Course. Holmes told police that he was joking around and may have accidentally touched Ertl.

He turned himself in on Jan. 6 and was charged with simple assault or battery, a misdemeanor. Holmes will appear in court again on March 17, where he will have to produce the letter of apology and have his community service record reviewed.

-- Journal staff writer Talia Buford

A day after the inauguration, Ana Barraza is back at work -- reenergized.

Barraza, a coordinator at the University of Rhode Island's Center for Student Leadership Development, drove to the nation's capital with a friend to witness the inauguration of the country's 44th president, Barack Obama, who started his career as a community organizer in Chicago and got elected on a message of hope and change.

"I was very thankful to hear him articulate that message, that it was not just him, it was our job ... that we have to do our part," Barraza said.

"All of those dreams and hopes that he speaks of can't come to fruition unless all of us roll up our sleeves and do some of the work that needs to be done."

"Not to get Biblical," she said, "but we have to be a collective family."

To avoid the hordes of people leaving the Capitol grounds after the inauguration, Barraza and her friend headed to Alexandria, Va., walking along Interstate 395 -- which had been closed to traffic -- and crossing the 14th Street Bridge. Exhaustion never set in.

"It's interesting how you get so emotionally caught up with what's going on that it reenergizes you," Barraza said. "We were on cloud nine."

That night, they -- or rather Barraza's friend -- drove back to her friend's home in New York.

"I slept. I'm not going to lie to you," Barraza said, noting she was the designated driver on the way to Washington.

This morning, she completed the last leg of her "old fashioned road trip," arriving in Rhode Island around 11:30 a.m. and reporting to work two hours later.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- An employee of C&C Rhode Island pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to charges he falsified hazardous waste inspection logs that the company maintained as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Steven R. Ricci faces up to two years in prison and a fine of $50,000 for each day of violation. He remains free on bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for June 5.

At the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adi Goldstein said the government could prove that from January to October 2006, Ricci and several employees working under his direction claimed in company records that they had inspected hazardous waste containers on the plant premises, when in fact the inspections had not been performed.

C&C, a metal plating and finishing company located on Georgia Avenue in Providence, produces hazardous waste such as electroplating bath sludge that contains cyanide.

Federal hazardous waste law allows manufacturers to accumulate such waste for up to 90 days without a permit but requires that the waste containers be inspected at least weekly for leaks and deterioration.

Ricci and other employees created false inspection logs and produced those logs during an EPA site inspection.

By Talia Buford
Journal Staff Writer

A woman accused of setting on fire last September the Hopkinton home she had shared with her longtime boyfriend has been arrested on an arson charge.

Margaret D. Cannon, 51, of 7600 Boston Neck Rd. in Saunderstown, North Kingstown, was indicted on Friday on one count of first-degree arson. She was arraigned in Washington County Superior Court on Tuesday where she pleaded not guilty.

No one was home around 11:39 p.m. on Sept. 13 when the fire started in a bedroom at 76 Collins Road. Fire crews from Ashaway, Hope Valley, Bradford and North Stonington all responded to the fire, which was put out around 2 a.m. The home and a silver 2002 Toyota pickup, both owned by Robert M. Houle, were severely damaged during the blaze.

According to police, Cannon lived at the home with Houle and the two had been dating for approximately 10 years. Cannon was uncooperative with the investigation, according to Hopkinton Police Lt. Daniel Baruti, even though they'd fastened onto her early as a suspect. Baruti said the first time they had a successful interview with her was after the arrest.

Police could have arrested Cannon at the time of the fire, but chose to wait for an indictment, said Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office.

Hopkinton police forwarded their completed investigation to the Attorney General's Office on Dec. 11, and the case was presented to the Grand Jury on Dec. 18.

Cannon is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions. A bail hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27 before Associate Justice Bennett Gallo.

By Randal Edgar
Journal Staff Writer

CRANSTON, R.I.-- As the city's new mayor turns to unions for money-saving concessions, he and his staff are also taking steps to set the example.

For Mayor Allan W. Fung, that means there will be no raises during his two-year term -- for him or any member of his staff or any department or division head he appoints.

And starting in July, Fung and those same city employees will be paying 25 percent of their health insurance premiums -- exceeding the 20-percent figure that Fung has said all employees should pay as the city braces for cuts in state aid and tries to stabilize its financial picture.

"Throughout the interview process, my transition team and I made it clear to everyone that we were facing troubling financial times in the city and that there would be no raises for the next two years," Fung said. "The fact that none of the people we selected indicated that they were remotely bothered by this was a clear statement to me that we made the right choice."

Fung is not alone holding the line on raises. Tuesday night, School Supt. M. Richard Scherza unveiled a 2009-2010 budget that contains no raises, with the exception of contractual step increases required by law.

>> Continue reading: Cranston mayor, staff to forgo raises for 2 years

BOSTON (AP) -- A judge has postponed a hearing that would have been the first in federal court in Massachusetts to be streamed online.

Judge Nancy Gertner postponed oral arguments set for tomorrow in the copyright infringement lawsuit that pits a Boston University graduate student against the music recording industry. Proceedings will resume Feb. 24.

Gertner said the delay would give the First Circuit Court of Appeals time to resolve an extraordinary petition by the recording industry challenging how the court recording will be made and distributed.

Charles Nesson, a Harvard professor representing the student Joel Tenenbaum of Providence, is challenging the constitutionality of the lawsuits and asked the court to authorize the webcast.

The case is part of an effort by the Recording Industry Association of America to stop online music sharing.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Mayor David N. Cicilline will induct three people into the City's 2009 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame tomorrow night.

The inductees are former Providence Journal Political Columnist M. Charles Bakst, Black Repertory Company Chairman Michael S. Van Leesten and Young Voices Co-Founder Chace Baptista.

They're being honored for their demonstrated efforts to carry on the legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by making substantial contributions to acceptance, social justice, civil rights and equality.

The ceremony will be at 7 p.m. in the rotunda of the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The recipients will each receive an engraved crystal bowl and their names will be permanently inscribed in a plaque in Providence City Hall.

By Bruce Landis
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The state Department of Transportation opened this morning the bids to replace the dilapidated Sakonnet Bridge, which carries Route 24 over the Sakonnet River and connects Tiverton and Aquidneck Island.

The low bidder was Warwick-based Cardi Corporation at $163,677,992.

DOT officials said they plan to award the contract by April 15 with an anticipated completion date of 2012. The contractor would get a $5-million bonus if it completes the project a year ahead of schedule.

The new bridge would be built next to the existent one to avert traffic disruption.

Truck weight on the bridge has been restricted to 18 tons and two axles.

The Namibian Windhoek called yesterday's inauguration of President Barack Obama "A Monumental Moment."

Casablanca's Au Fait said it was "The Day 'O'."

And Los Angeles' La Opinion said: "The Dream Becomes Reality."

Some went further, directing their message -- and perhaps last jab -- at President Bush.

See what newspapers from around the world had to say about Obama's inauguration.

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -- A security checkpoint at T.F. Green Airport has been reopened after a brief scare involving a compact disc case.

It happened this morning when a man tried to pass through a security checkpoint with a CD case that officials said had a message indicating that it could blow up.

The case was removed and determined not to be explosive.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis did not know the exact language on the CD case. She said the man, whose name was not released, was being questioned by state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An airport spokeswoman said the checkpoint was closed for about an hour and 16 flights were delayed.

By Richard Salit
Journal staff writer

Andrea Marcoccio had a ticket to watch the inauguration -- for all of the good it did her.

Marcoccio, 24, of Warwick, said she got in the "purple ticket" line, for entry into an area close enough to see the podium but without any seats, at about 5 a.m. After standing in an extremely long line for nearly four hours to get through the gate, something strange happened when they were only about 100 yards away.

"People just started turning around," said Marcoccio. Security had stopped letting people in.

"Fortunately, we had a very good friend who had a VIP party along the parade route," said Marcoccio, who campaigned for Obama in Rhode Island and later in Montana.

The party was on a top floor of a building on Constitution Avenue with large glass windows. From there, said Marcoccio, they could see the podium and, with binoculars, get a great aerial-like view.

"You could see the mall. People were ice skating on the Reflecting Pool," she said.

Marcoccio said she felt as though they had turned "a tough situation" into one "with heated seats" and TVs.

"We felt like we got the real experience and the nice treatment at the end," she said.

They even had heaters on the roof to more comfortably watch the parade.

By Thomas J. Morgan
Journal Staff Writer

Milou Rodrigues and 44 members of the Elks Lodge on Haskin Street, Providence, found themselves stranded at least for a while due to the crush of people departing the mall after the inaugural ceremony in Washington.

The Metro subway trains were so crowded they were not stopping at the Le Enfante Plaza station, Rodrigues said at 5:30 p.m. All the streets were blocked off, she said. "We can't even get a cab."

Further, she added, the cell phone system was so clogged by users that her phone "went in and out" all afternoon.

She said she traveled with the group by bus. She is not a member of the Elks, she said, but a friend of Mack Qualls, the grand exalted ruler.

Rodrigues described standing in a sea of people -- "they were expecting two million, but they got four million" -- and hearing the new president's speech.

"He really sounds sincere in everything he said," she reported. "He made you feel very comforting. He's going try his best and get it done."

By Mark Reynolds
Journal Staff Writer

Kimberly Dumas, 21, of Smithfield, watched the inauguration from a ticketed section about 150 yards from the podium.

Dumas, a biology major at Fairfield University, was in the capital for a special program, a conference for university level scholars interested in issues of politics and leadership.

She described the experience as "thrilling and exciting" and President Obama's speech filled her with hope.

"Basically," she said, "I felt there was a lot of hope here. That's been his message all along."

Tonight, Dumas plans to celebrate with the 5,000 other students participating in the five-day conference. They are having a gala event at the Air & Space Museum.

By Alisha A. Pina
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, RI -- "Rosa Parks sat in 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. walked in 1963, and Obama ran in 2008 so that our kids can fly."

The phrase headlined a portrait of the three history makers and Deb Olaes didn't hesitate to purchase it this morning.

"This is the deepest statement I saw all year," the Providence resident said while watching a television that showed President Obama walking hand-and-hand with his wife, Michelle, down Pennsylvania Avenue late this afternoon.

Concerned for their safety, she hoped they would get back into their car. Yet she also said the sight was "beautiful to see."

Olaes, who is Hispanic, has a 3-year-old daughter whose father is African American. She made sure to make a big deal out of the historic day. Planning ahead, she even found out if the breakfast spot that she wanted to take her family to had a television.

"I've had goose bumps up and down my body all day," she said grinning ear to ear. "The first president that my 3-year-old is going to remember looks like her. That's a great way to start off."

By Philip Marcelo
Journal Staff Writer

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline was seated in a section right in front of the Capitol, in direct view of the podium where President Barack Obama gave his first inaugural address.

"I stood on my chair and looked back and it was just a mass of people, as far as the eye could see," he said following the event. "It was clear that this was an important moment in history."

Cicilline says he left his Capitol Hill hotel at about 8:15 a.m. this morning, taking a taxi cab as close to his seating area as he could before walking the rest of the way.

The speech, he said, set out to "rebuild the confidence of the American people" and show the nation how it might "do things differently" going forward.

"It struck the right tone," he said. "It reminded the American people that we are certainly up to the challenges that we face....It was important to say to people that might be feeling overwhelmed that we have what it takes to overcome these challenges."

Cicilline said that Obama's speech reminded the nation of how important it is to respect the rule of law and the Constitution. "We can be both strong and prosperous and true to the values that our country was founded on," he said, noting that these were the points that drew the most enthusiastic applause during the noontime speech.

Following the ceremonies, Cicilline said he returned to his hotel, with plans to attend the inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.

By Richard Salit
Journal Staff Writer

NEWPORT -- Today's matinée at Newport's Jane Pickens Theater was free, but it wasn't a movie.

On the big screen in the darkened theater was a live CNN broadcast of the inaugural events in Washington.

More than 300 members of the public accepted the cinema's invitation to watch the inauguration there. Together the crowd applauded at inspirational remarks, laughed at comedic moments, such as during the benediction by the Rev. Joseph Lowery, and stood and sang the national anthem.

"It's nice to celebrate it with other people who want to embrace this moment," said Laina Roy, 31, of Portsmouth.

Roy brought her 19-month-old daughter, Lola-Mae, and the two spun a noisemaker at appropriate moments and unfurled a peace sign. Joining them were Jennifer Jacobsvandegeer, 36, of Newport, and her son Joseph, 1 ½.

"I was desperately looking for something to do," Jacobsvandegeer said, "and we don't have a TV."

Kathy Staab, owner of the Jane Pickens, said she posted the event on the theater's Web site and on Mr. Obama's as well.

"I felt it was the right thing to do to open this grand space," she said. "People don't want to sit home. They want to be part of it. It's all part of the togetherness thing [Mr. Obama] talks about."

By John E. Mulligan
Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Citizens streaming away from President Obama's inauguration gave instant reviews of his address that were variations of one theme: rave.

Gabriel Delavara, 38, a bartender from Phoenix, said Obama's speech was just what he wanted -- a continuation of campaign themes of "finding peace and prosperity and sacrificing together to achieve them."

Howard Summers of Washington was a minority within a minority, a proud Black Republican who said he came to stand on the Capitol grounds today because "Obama is my president."

Summers added, "I thought the speech was tough."

He said he was heartened to hear Obama tell the world, in Summers' words, "we want you as a friend but understand that we are not going to just stand by and let you roll over us."

The Washington resident said, "Now that he's getting those daily briefings, I think he sees the reality of the danger that's facing us. I think he's going to be good."

Paul O'Friel, 49, a State Department worker originally from Newton, Mass., said today's event reminded him of how he felt when he attended Ronald Reagan's inaugural as a Georgetown University student in 1980.

"It's a sense of rebirth," he said, "at a moment when we are facing real challenges."

"Obama to me represents who we are as a country. Obama sees how we need to fight this terrorist threat, and that is to be true to who we are as Americans," O'Friel said.

>> Continue reading: Inauguration-goers react to Obama address

BOSTON (AP) -- A Rhode Island company is suing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, claiming it is not being compensated for more work caused by an increase in commuter parking fees.

AIM Parking Management, a Providence company that operates commuter rail parking lots around Boston, said in its lawsuit that the fee hikes double the amount of bills and coins deposited at the lots. It says more employees are needed to count the money.

The company said it asked for more than $267,000 to make up for additional costs in labor and supplies, but was denied by the MBTA.

The lawsuit was filed earlier this month.

A message left for an MBTA spokesman wasn't immediately returned.

The MBTA increased parking fees by $2 a car in its commuter lots on Nov. 15., doubling the cost in some suburban lots.

TIVERTON, RI -- Tiverton police are investigating two unrelated deaths as possible drownings.

Police found this morning the body of Alfreena Blanchette, 83, of Tiverton, in the Fogland Beach area. Blanchette was reported missing Sunday afternoon.

Blanchette's car apparently drove past the end of Fogland Road down a boat ramp into the Sakonnet River.

Yesterday afternoon, Tiverton police found the body of Alexander Rothman, 23, of Newton, Mass., by the Sakonnet River near Driftwood Drive. Rothman's family owns a summer home in the area, the police said.

Police said their deaths appear accidental. Autopsies will be conducted.

PAWTUCKET -- The pre-inaugural celebration has started and the weather forecast calls for more snow, but 55 Obama supporters will be racing the weather -- and time -- traveling overnight, by bus, to Washington.

The bus, chartered by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, will leave the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence at 10 p.m. -- or as soon as all 55 arrive.

The $139 ticket comes with a packet of information, including a Metrorail System Map, and an inaugural commemorative scarf.

WASHINGTON -- The National Weather Service is forecasting an early opportunity for inaugural visitors to heed President-elect Barack Obama's call for Americans to follow their tradition of bearing up together against adversity.

The Winter Weather Advisory calls for snow this afternoon, with accumulations of up to an inch through sunset.

The latest forecast for the swearing-in Tuesday at noon is mostly cloudy, with temperatures of 26 to 30 degrees, with a wind chill factor of 17 to19 degrees.

Aging veterans of John F. Kennedy's inaugural in 1961 and Ronald Reagan's in 1985 may not be much impressed by the forecast. An 8-inch snowfall on the eve of Kennedy's swearing-in wrought havoc.

Twenty-three years ago today, bitter winds and temperatures in the single digits drove organizers to move Reagan's second swearing-in ceremony indoors and cancel lots of associated activities.

-- John E. Mulligan, Journal Washington Bureau

By Philip Marcelo
Journal Staff Writer

CRANSTON, R.I. -- On the eve of the inauguration of the nation's first black president, church leaders and elected officials this morning acknowledged the proximity of that historic occasion to the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the guiding light of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

"There is an excitement in the air. A thrill that cannot be denied. Something is happening in our nation," exclaimed Rev. Carl H. Balark, Jr., pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Providence and the morning's first of two honored speakers, to a jubilant and cheering crowd. "It was not that long ago that people would never have conceived of something like this happening...We have come so far in so short an amount of time ...To have a black president in a White House built on the backs of slaves!"

The 26th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Breakfast was attended by some 450 people, many of them members of the churches affiliated with the Minister's Alliance of Rhode Island, which sponsored the event.

Governor Carcieri, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, and state Sen. Harold Metts (D-Providence) were in attendance. So too were many representing the state's major nonprofit organizations and businesses.

The breakfast, which was at the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, a catering hall, is the alliance's main fundraiser for its scholarship fund. The alliance awarded 27 scholarships today, each worth $450, to church members enrolled in college or entering college in the fall.

This year, despite a lower than normal turnout due to the weekend snowfall and the fact that many in the state's religious and African-American community are traveling to Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow, the breakfast raised $25,000, according to Pastor William J. Shaw II, alliance president.

CUMBERLAND -- An overflow from the Pawtucket Water treatment plant at 120 Mill St. forced police to close the road early this afternoon.

The leak remains under investigation.

Jim Ball, the DEM's chief of emergency response, said a plant employee overfilled one of the tanks, causing some 50 gallons of diluted potassium promagnate to spill onto Mill Street.

The chemical, Ball said, is not hazardous, but it's noticeable as it has a magenta color. Potassium promagnate is commonly used as a fisnisher to help clean the treated water, Ball said.

Company officials were going to sand the area to absorb the liquid, Ball said.

Photo courtesy of Leonards New England
This antique bed now has a new home -- in the White House.

SEEKONK, Mass. -- So it looks like President-elect Obama -- soon to be President Obama -- is getting a bed from a local store.

Leonards New England, which specializes in antique and reproduction beds, delivered today an 1820s, four-poster, tiger maple bed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. "Around the back, they said," said Gayle Ulrich.

The bed was resized to standard king, said Aaron Jenkins, whose father owns the store.

The delivery truck left the Seekonk, Mass. store at midnight to ensure delivery by this morning, Ulrich said.

She would not say how much the bed cost, but said beds typically run from "a couple thousand dollars" to $12,000.

Los Angeles-based designer Michael S. Smith -- the White House decorator -- contacted the store two weeks ago, asking them to send photos of various beds they had in stock for the Obamas to check, Jenkins said.

While store employees were not told where exactly the bed will go, Ulrich said the bed is definitely "a master bedroom bed."

BOSTON -- As a severe cold spell hits New England, the Coast Guard issued an advisory today for mariners.

With extreme cold air and water temperatures there is a high risk of hypothermia, especially if suddenly immersed in the water without the proper safety equipment.

In addition to always wearing a lifejacket and carrying required safety equipment while onboard a vessel, the Coast Guard recommends anyone venturing out onto the waters to wear a dry suit or wetsuit.

Watch a video of Coast Guard boating safety experts, including a crew from Coast Guard Station Boston, explain the hazards of boating during winter and the cold water safety precautions mariners should follow.

PROVIDENCE, RI -- It is now safe to ice skate at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, the state Department of Environmental Management announced this morning.

Yesterday, DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation determined that ice was safe for skating at designated areas in Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln and Meshanticut State Park in Cranston.

Ice must have a uniform thickness of at least six inches before it may be considered safe for skating by DEM. It generally takes at least five to seven days of temperatures in the low 20s before ice may become safe. Even then, the strength of the ice is determined by a number of factors such as the size and depth of a pond, presence of springs or currents, and local temperature fluctuations.

DEM provides ice safety information for Lincoln Woods, Goddard and Meshanticut State Parks on its 24-hour Ice Information telephone line, (401) 222-2632. However, residents should contact their local recreation departments for skating opportunities and conditions in individual communities since DEM does not monitor ice conditions in local communities.

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP) -- The slumping economy is continuing to eat into the slot machine profits at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in eastern Connecticut.

Foxwoods, including the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, says its slot machine take for December was about $45 million, a 19 percent drop over the same month last year.

Mohegan Sun reported that its December slots win was $63 million, down 4 percent.

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun sent the state a total of about $27 million, under their agreement turn over 25 percent of the slot profits.

For the 2008 year, Foxwoods made $728 million off its slots, down 7 percent from 2007, and Mohegan Sun earned $843 million, down about 6.5 percent.

Both casinos have been cutting costs over the past year, including eliminating hundreds of jobs.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The East Providence Taxpayers Association will hold a press conference this morning to address the standoff over the teachers' contract.

The conference will be at 10 a.m. in front of the East Providence High School.

The School Committee has voted to scale back teachers' base salaries nearly 5 percent to their levels of more than two years ago, and to reduce longevity and advanced-degree bonuses. The teachers are also to pay 20 percent toward health-insurance premiums. They currently pay nothing. Also, the district wants to eliminate a buyback clause that had paid teachers up to $5,100 for not taking the city's health insurance.

The teachers' union, the East Providence Education Association, is suing to stop the changes.

The East Providence Taxpayers Association had planned to address the School Committee at its regular meeting Monday, but the School Committee adjourned the meeting early as members were unable to control the audience, which included many teachers protesting the cuts.

By RAY HENRY
Associated Press Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Governor Carcieri said yesterday that Rhode Island should save money it gets from any new federal stimulus package, rather than immediately use it for tax cuts, so the state can balance the budget if the economy worsens.

President-elect Barack Obama has not released the final terms of his proposed stimulus package, but Carcieri said projections from the National Governors Association suggest Rhode Island could receive more than $125 million in direct assistance this year. About $160 million is expected next year.

In a televised speech last week, Carcieri spoke of using most of the federal money to fund tax breaks for individuals and businesses and make other investments to generate jobs. But in the same speech, he also called for saving the money in case the tanking economy drives state tax revenues even lower.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Carcieri put the priority on setting any stimulus money aside.

"Right now, I'm not thinking of great ways to spend it," Carcieri said. "I think we may need it to get through a very difficult spell."

"If we don't need it, what I'm saying is, yes, I would like to see if we could use some of that to help finance the tax changes," he said.

Rhode Island is gradually phasing in a flat tax for its top earners, which will drop to 5.5 percent in 2011.

Carcieri said the state should lower its 9 percent corporate tax rate and said its estate tax encourages residents to leave the state. The Republican governor said he would not back changes to the state's tax code until receiving a report later this month from a panel that he assembled to examine Rhode Island's tax system.

Besides the federal assistance from a stimulus package, Rhode Island could also receive roughly $200 million in federal funding to repair roads and bridges and build other transportation infrastructure. In December, a special state panel reported that Rhode Island needs to spend almost $640 million annually for a decade to keep the transportation system in good repair.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A fire on Silver Lake Ave. in Providence has been extinguished.

Firefighters responded to a fire in the area of 70 Silver Lake Ave.

Initial reports say a fire broke out on the second floor of the wooden frame, multifamily house.

-- With reports from Journal photographer Bill Murphy.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A businessman faces prison time for illegally distributing steroids and human growth hormone to hundreds of customers.

Daniel McGlone previously pleaded guilty to 50 counts, including conspiracy, illegal drug distribution, money laundering and health care fraud. Prosecutors will recommend a maximum sentence of four years and nine months in prison during a court hearing this morning.

McGlone operated American Pharmaceutical Group out of his apartment in New Brunswick, N.J., and advertised in magazines geared to bodybuilders. When customers contacted McGlone, including some from Rhode Island, he advised them on which drugs they should take.

Prosecutors said McGlone paid doctors to write medically unnecessary prescriptions for hundreds of patients they never met or examined.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Today is the day that forecasters have been predicting for a week. The day that has gotten us all riled up: Temperatures were expected to fall below zero (10 to 25 below with the wind chill).

In the end, we did fall below zero. At 7 a.m., the temperature in Smithfield was -2 and in Westerly the temperature was down to -7. Westerly could fall to -12 with the wind chill.

But, and here's the good news, if you bundle up -- and don't expose your skin for too long -- you'll be just fine.

Today's high will be about 17, though with the wind it could feel as low as 6 below. The arctic cold front is expected to stay with us for a few more days, though, so plan your weekend accordingly. Oh, and remember to account for the expected snowfall tomorrow night.

So far, the National Weather Service has not said how much snow we could be getting, but the forecast does call for about a 70 percent chance of snowfall tomorrow night, Sunday, and Monday, Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday that will give children and many adults a day off.

For the latest weather conditions, visit projo.com/weather.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The snow came today, all right, but to South County, where schools -- except for Block Island -- are open.

And so far, with more cold temperatures expected tomorrow, at least one South County schools superintendent said there are no plans for delaying or cancelling school Friday.

Robert Hicks, the South Kingstown schools superintendent, said late this afternoon that tomorrow's forecast calls for very cold weather, "but I think people have had a lot of warning for that, and dress appropriately -- and I hope everyone does do that." He added that school officials believe schools buses will be ready to run. And he said that when he left his office at work day's end, the roads were pretty clear and in pretty good shape.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for a low around 1 degree tonight. With wind chill, it could feel as low as -9 degrees. Tomorrow, the forecast calls for a chance of flurries between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Wind chill could make it feel as low as -9 degrees during the day tomorrow. A west wind between 6 and 10 miles per hours is predicted for tomorrow.

Today, up north -- where the forecast originally called for 2 to 4 inches of snow and icy roads -- districts were quick to close schools for today, only to find out that the snow missed us. Temperatures did fall into the teens (single digits with the wind chill -- but only the occasional snowflake could be seen, leaving many wondering: why?

Some 75 percent of the 157 readers who have responded to a survey on projo.com this morning indicate that they were surprised so many schools cancelled classes.

Cranston canceled school after receiving an advisory yesterday afternoon from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency that predicted two to four inches of snow by 11 a.m. and a wind chill of 20 below zero by noon, said Assistant Supt. Peter Nero.

The advisory predicted "extraordinary conditions," he said.

"Everybody's a little paranoid," Nero said, referring to the December 2007 storm that left some Providence students stranded on buses for hours.

Nero said no decision had been made about holding school tomorrow.

"We'll get criticized either way," he said.

"I think there is a lot of pressure on all school leaders to make good decisions," said Narragansett Supt. Katherine Sipala, whose district is open today despite a steady snowfall.

Sipala also quoted last year's snowstorm as the event that change the way districts --and the state -- respond to snowstorms.

"We've been put under a bubble," she said, adding that an avalanche of information coming from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency paints a worst case scenario.

In Providence, the decision was made last night given the weather forecast that, at the time, called for 2 to 4 inches of snow, frigid temperatures, and expected icy roads.

"The expected arrival of snow during the morning travel hours, coupled with extreme cold and unsafe ice conditions on the roads, indicate that it would be unwise and unsafe to run our 140-plus buses, or to have children walking to school on slippery streets," school Supt. Thomas Brady said in a prepared statement distributed yesterday. "We've considered all aspects of the situation and have arrived at a decision that I believe is in the best interest of children's safety."

The early announcement, Brady said, was intended to help families make child-care arrangements.

"The department stands by its decision to close school based on the information we had at the time the decision was made" late yesterday, said department spokeswoman Christina A. O'Reilly today.

The weather forecast, O'Reilly said, was "extreme enough" and the information "solid enough" that the district decided to cancel schools rather than waiting for updated conditions this morning.

"For a lot of our families taking a day off from work is not an option," she said.

Meanwhile, in West Warwick the decision came down to weather, safety, and economics, Supt Kenneth Sheehan said.

West Warwick has 123 children who attend school at the Warwick-area Career and Technical High School. Warwick's decision to close, he said, would have forced West Warwick to hire substitute teachers if the district were to open today.

"With a $4-million deficit, I can't afford to spend $700 for a substitute teacher for the day for these kids," Sheehan said this morning. "I was left with no decision today, because of the economics of it."

In South County, where the brunt of the storm hit, it was mostly business as usual.

In South Kingstown, Hicks earlier today said that school officials discussed the weather forecast but opted for holding school given that the forecast called for snow while children were in school, giving plenty of time for the roads to be cleared.

"Probably the disruption to families for cancelling (school) would be greater than the weather," Hicks said, adding the district expects to be open tomorrow as well.

The decision appeared to have gone well with parents, Hicks said, noting he had only received one telephone call, to thank him for keeping schools open.

Video: Schools are closed as few flakes fly

Extra: Find school closings, delays and more

-- With reports from Journal staff writers Randal Edgar, Philip Marcelo, Michael P. McKinney, and Lisa Vernon-Sparks.

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Members of the Edgewood Mites club after they work the puck in front of Cranston East goalie Mario Marziale, a senior at Cranston East High School. Both teams were practicing this afternoon at the Cranston Ice Rink.

By Tom Mooney
Journal staff writer

CRANSTON -- The boys of the Cranston East hockey team weren't complaining about school being canceled today.

Rather than rising at 4:30 a.m. for the usual 5:30 a.m. practice before school, "I slept until 11 and got up for breakfast," said Will Wells, 17, as he dressed for a 1 p.m. practice in the Cranston bubble ice rink.

Teammate Joe Esposito, 15, was equally glad for the additional rest; they have a big game tomorrow night against first place Warwick Vets.

But "if we don't have school tomorrow," he said, "we may not have the game."

Coach P.J. Bessette said he thought today's school cancellation was premature. Tomorrow, he said, may be the day to close since severe cold is predicted. Tomorrow's high temperature is expected to reach just 17 degrees with a low of 5 degrees tomorrow night, according to the National Weather Service. And Monday is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday.

-- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Feel free to take the ice at Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln and Meshanticut State Park in Cranston and you have the cold spell to thank for it, the state Department of Environmental Management announced this afternoon.

According to DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation, safe ice conditions now exist in certain areas of Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln, and Meshanticut State Park in Cranston.

However, ice is still not considered safe for skating at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick.

DEM monitors the thickness of the ice at the three state parks on a daily basis, from Monday through Friday, during the winter months.

Ice must have a uniform thickness of at least six inches before it may be considered safe for skating by DEM. It generally takes at least five to seven days of temperatures in the low 20s before ice may become safe. Even then, the strength of the ice is determined by a number of factors such as the size and depth of a pond, presence of springs or currents, and local temperature fluctuations.

John Faltus, Deputy Chief of DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation cautions, "No one should ever assume that ice is safe for skating by merely conducting a visual inspection. The ice needs to be cut through and measured in various locations in order to ensure that it is thick enough to support safe skating." Faltus also said skaters should follow other safety precautions, such as never skating alone or on an untested lake or pond; never using the ice for a shortcut; and never going out onto the ice after an animal or toy.

Although the ice is safe, DEM strongly encourages skaters to utilize indoor skating rinks over the next several days, as temperatures fall into or below the zero range and the wind chill increases.

DEM provides ice safety information for Lincoln Woods, Goddard and Meshanticut State Parks on its 24-hour Ice Information telephone line, (401) 222-2632. However, residents should contact their local recreation departments for skating opportunities and conditions in individual communities since DEM does not monitor ice conditions in local communities.

DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation has an ice safety guide that can be found on its Web site, www.riparks.com, under Hot Topics on the homepage. Developed by DEM's Ice Safety Committee, the guide has safety tips, information on ice strength, and information on what to do if a person were to fall through the ice.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- A man who burned his face with battery acid was rescued this morning by the Coast Guard.

Thomas Zurawel, a deck hand working on the tug Jill Reinauer, was rescued about two miles south of Point Judith when battery acid splashed onto his face and into his eyes, the Coast Guard said.

The ship's captain called the Coast Guard's Station Point Judith at 3:23 a.m.

Zurawell was taken to South County Hospital, where he was treated and released.

The Jill Reinauer is based in Staten Island and is owned by Reinauer Transportation Companies.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Nancy García Ponte, a Providence lawyer, has been appointed to the state Parole Board, Governor Carcieri announced this morning.

The Cranston resident who previously served as assistant city solicitor in Cranston and in-house legal counsel to the Narragansett Bay Commission will fill Kenneth Walker's seat. Walker was named board chairman this summer. He replaced Lisa Holley.

García Ponte graduated from Providence College and the New England School of Law. Upon graduation, García Ponte worked as a staff lawyer for Rhode Island Legal Services.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The House Finance Committee will hold a public hearing this afternoon on Governor Carcieri's proposed pension reform.

The hearing will be at 1 p.m. in the Trainor Hearing Room, Room 35. On the agenda to be discussed: Articles 4 and 32, retiree health care trust fund and pension reform, respectively.

Among Carcieri's proposed changes, eliminating the cost-of-living increases and making 59 the minimum retirement age.

An estimated 1,631 state employees and 991 public school teachers would be eligible to retire by the March 31 cutoff date before the proposed changes take effect. But budget officer Rosemary Gallogly told the state retirement board yesterday that the deadline for retirement will be flexible.

The proposal is part of Carcieri's overall supplemental budget, which seeks to avert a projected $357-million current-year deficit.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island's top court will hear arguments this morning on a two-decade-old law that allows people to hire retired judges to decide their lawsuits.

The public hearing starts at 9 a.m.

The law was enacted in 1984 but has not been tested since then.

The state Supreme Court is revisiting the dormant law because Family Court Judge Howard Lipsey, who retired last month, has said he'd like to continue hearing cases after he leaves the bench.

The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the statute, saying it would allow publicly filed cases to be heard behind closed doors and would benefit wealthy people who can afford to hire a judge and go outside the traditional court process.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) -- Woonsocket police say a former owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox is facing criminal charges for allegedly bilking a local businessman and lifelong friend out of more than $30,000.

The alleged victim claims that Phil Anez borrowed $32,000 in cash. He told police that Anez tried to repay the debt in March 2007 with two checks that bounced.

The 69-year-old Anez was charged with one count of writing fraudulent checks in excess of $1,000.

He was released on personal recognizance following his arraignment yesterday. He is due back in court March 17.

Anez owned the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in the mid-1970s, a time when the team was facing bankruptcy. In 1976, he sold the club to Marvin Adelson, who later sold it to current owner Ben Mondor.

-- The Associated Press with information from The Call.

By RODRIQUE NGOWI
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- A federal judge yesterday authorized the first online streaming of oral arguments in a U.S. District Court in Massachusetts in a copyright infringement lawsuit that pits a Rhode Island man against the music recording industry.

U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner restricted the live streaming to a Jan. 22 hearing, saying she will decide later whether to make other proceedings in the case, set for March 30 trial, available online.

The lawsuit is one of a series filed by the Recording Industry Association of America since 2003 against about 35,000 people who allegedly swapped songs online. Most of those sued are college students, and many have defaulted or settled for amounts between $3,000 and $10,000, often without legal counsel.

Charles Nesson, a Harvard University professor representing Boston University graduate student Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, is challenging the constitutionality of the lawsuits, which, based on the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999, can impose damages of $150,000 per willful act of infringement.

Nesson had asked Gertner to authorize video cameras already installed in courtrooms to be used to capture the proceedings and transmit the material to Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet, which will then stream it on its Web site for free. Gertner approved the request and authorized New York-based Courtroom View Network, which has webcast state court trials, to "narrowcast" proceedings to the Berkman Center.

>> Continue reading: Judge OKs Web streaming of R.I. man's online music case

BOSTON -- Massachusetts legislators have re-filed legislation to legalize casino gambling in the Bay State.

Sen. Joan Menard, D-Fall River, filed the proposed bill yesterday.

Under Menard's bill, Massachusetts could license two full-scale resort casinos and the state's racetracks could operate slot machines. The casinos, which Menard's bill proposes to be built in Bristol and Hampden counties, would be regulated by a newly created Massachusetts Gaming Commission, and the slot operations at the state's four tracks would be overseen by an expanded Lottery Commission.

"The fact remains, many of our residents enjoy gaming and continue to head to our state to do so," Menard said.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed casino bill, which would have licensed three casinos, was defeated last year in the House of Representatives.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Yes, it's cold, really cold, and getting colder. So far, however, it's a dry cold, which means that a few added layers of clothing should offer the promised relief -- just remember, you still need to be able to control the steering wheel!

Today's high is expected to top near 17. Take the wind chill factor into account, you know, that "feels like" temperature, and it'll be more like 1 below. If it is any consolation -- it wasn't for me -- that's great compared to what we expect to get tomorrow.

Several area schools cancelled classes today due to the bitter cold.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We are expected to get 2 to 4 inches of snow today, with the higher accumulations expected along the coast. The dry cold, however, should also help when it comes to clearing the snow.

A second storm could hit us Saturday night.

A hazardous weather outlook remains inn effect through Wednesday.

For the latest weather conditions, visit projo.com/weather.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- The Pawtucket Police D