05/13/2008

Mediation scheduled to resolve Damiani dispute with East Providence
EAST PROVIDENCE — Mediation is the next step for the discrimination complaint former Sen. Michael J. Damiani filed last year against the city when it required Damiani to get a physical exam and other tests before becoming one of its assistant harbormasters.

Carriuolo selected as RIC’s next president
Nancy Carriuolo has worked for the state’s Office of Higher Education since 2000.

Street workers coming to Central Falls
Two recent teen killings have the police and educators seeking help in maintaining peace in the city.

Former CVS executives’ bribery trial starts
PROVIDENCE

Foam companies offer $30 million in Station case
PROVIDENCE — Several polyurethane foam manufacturers have tentatively agreed to pay $30 million to the victims of The Station nightclub fire in settlement of federal civil suits pending against them in connection with the 2003 West Warwick blaze that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others.

Check it out: Libraries that will lend you fishing gear
Equipment for the little-known program is provided by The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.

Check it out: Libraries that will lend you fishing gear
Equipment for the little-known program is provided by The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.

Two Rhode Island students competing in science fair contest
The child car-seat designed by Christopher Piette would set off an alarm in an overheated car and could save the life of an infant. The computer model designed by Gabe Fine could well be the basis for a new way of studying the brain.

R.I. National Guard chief makes frequent trips out of state
Since his hiring in 2006, Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray has collected more than $110,000 from the military in addition to his state salary.

Stray shot hits woman with 4 children
PROVIDENCE — A woman who was driving with her four children in the West End, going to or from religious services, is recovering after having been wounded by a stray gunshot Saturday, according to the police.

State’s higher education chief to stay
PROVIDENCE — Jack R. Warner, Rhode Island’s higher education commissioner, will not become chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which announced yesterday that it has chosen a Florida university president for the post.

New regulations tighten state’s film tax credits
PROVIDENCE — Spurred by questions about how much Rhode Island has benefited financially from the $55 million-plus in tax write-offs it has offered television and movie producers as an incentive to film here, state officials took steps yesterday to tie the credits more closely to money spent here.

Carriuolo selected as RIC’s next president
Nancy Carriuolo has worked for the state’s Office of Higher Education since 2000.

Cousin tried to save toddler
Jose A. Santiago testifies that Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright’s foster mother snatched the child from his arms when he tried to call 911.

Another hotel proposed for Providence
Developer Aram G. Garabedian is planning a Residence Inn at the corner of Dorrance and Clifford streets in the downtown area.

Now open for dinner
A baby robin opens its beak as it awaits a worm from its mother in a nest in a Seekonk yard Sunday. Another baby bird is in front in the nest.

Court rules R.I. needn’t hear cases on asbestos
The Supreme Court says the state has no ties with the defendant businesses named in 39 lawsuits filed by Canadian residents.

Game coverage
Casey Traverse, 10, and her sister Corrie Traverse, 9, of Riverside, bundled up yesterday to watch the St. Mary Academy – Bay View girls lacrosse game while the temperature struggled to hit 50 degrees.

House mulls change in sentencing rules
Some say relaxing mandatory minimum sentences for drug charges is fair and budget-wise; others say judges already have discretion.

Cousin tried to save toddler
Jose A. Santiago testifies that Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright’s foster mother snatched the child from his arms when he tried to call 911.

Scituate girl eludes abductor
The teenager gives the police a detailed description of the man who accosted her.

Foam companies offer $30 million in Station case
PROVIDENCE — Several polyurethane foam manufacturers have tentatively agreed to pay $30 million to the victims of The Station nightclub fire in settlement of federal civil suits pending against them in connection with the 2003 West Warwick blaze that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others.

05/12/2008

Police and probation partnership
Warwick Police Officer Steven Lombardi, holding the clipboard, and Fernando Comas, a Kent County probation officer, are taking a new path in law enforcement in Warwick, one that is being implemented in only a few communities in the state.

A major swing in diagnosing bipolar disorder
A Rhode Island Hospital psychiatrist’s study concludes that fewer than half of those patients given such a diagnosis actually suffer from the mental illness.

Boater rescues pair of kayakers who capsized in Greenwich Bay
Two kayakers were treated for mild hypothermia yesterday afternoon after their kayaks capsized in Greenwich Bay, off the Warwick shoreline

05/11/2008

Central landfill paid relatives of Mayor Macera $8 million for property of questionable value
The operators of Rhode Island’s trash agency were buying up land around the state’s Central Landfill in Johnston.

Best! Worst! Sexiest! Providence is on the list
Magazines have ranked the city high for everything from truck crashes to dentist visits. Do the lists matter?

Breathalyzer challenge
The Supreme Court will decide whether stiffer penalties should apply to Breathalyzer refusals.

05/12/2008

CVS corruption trial begins today
PROVIDENCE — Opening arguments are scheduled today in the federal corruption trial of two former CVS executives accused of bribing a Rhode Island state senator.

R.I. politicians planning ahead
From state Treasurer Frank Caprio to former Congressman Robert Weygand, many are considering their options.

Public buildings named for both living and dead
Should the state be naming buildings after Rhode Islanders who haven’t yet breathed their last?

Veteran envoy to address U.S.-Japan relations
PROVIDENCE — A State Department expert on Japan will deliver a public speech at the State House on Thursday on the economic and strategic challenges facing that nation.

05/11/2008

Middle-class concerns about closing the deficit
A mother of two school-age children worries about the quality of education: “There’s a huge trickle down effect with all of these cuts.”

Landmark bakery to close after decades in Providence
Longtime customers flock to the family-owned shop for a last chance to buy their favorite goodies.

Seven charged after brawls downtown
The fights erupted near nightclubs, the police say.

Bryant graduates to hear former President Bush
SMITHFIELD — Former President George H.W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at Bryant University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony Saturday.

As courts turn to e-filing, couriers get less work
PROVIDENCE

Teams sought for Dragon boats
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council is accepting registrations for the Rhode Island Dragon Boat race to be held Saturday, Sept. 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Pawtucket River in Pawtucket.

In Quotes: The week that was

Tenants displaced in fire
NORTH PROVIDENCE — An apartment fire at the 24-unit Princeton Place Apartments on Smith Street yesterday was quickly brought under control and no one was injured, according to Battalion Chief Len Albanese.

05/10/2008

R.I. budget hole grows by at least $50 million
Financial analysts say the shortfall for the coming fiscal year has grown by more than $50 million.

Finding the words to make a P-O-I-N-T
The National School Scrabble Championship has attracted 200 students from across the country to the two-day event in Providence.

Checking out the chicks: 3 baby peregrine falcons atop a Providence skyscraper get the once-over
PROVIDENCE — Blood stained the falcon’s feet.

Brown grad killed in Afghanistan
The 1999 graduate, also a visiting fellow last year at the university’s center for international studies, is remembered as brilliant, idealistic about world peace and down-to-earth.

Medical examiner testifies to toddler’s injuries
Dr. Peter Andrew Gillespie tells the jury that “the totality” of injuries suffered by Thomas “T.J.” Wright led to his death.

FM Global’s case awaits judge’s ruling
A landlord stands to lose at least $10 million a year in rent if FM Global leaves Providence for a site in Johnston.

Derderians cleared to talk to victims’ lawyers
A federal stay is lifted that prohibited the brothers from being questioned.

Bus fare increase denounced
Ex-board member Barry Schiller says the transit agency should do more to encourage ridership.

Fourth man in beating convicted
William R. Keenan, of Warwick, was one of four people accused of a attacking a restaurant owner with baseball bats.

Local News Briefs
Burrillville fair relocated indoors today

Health briefs
Roger Williams Medical Center will hold the last session in its Mini Medical School on Wednesday. Dr. Joseph Lifrak will present navigation technology in orthopedic surgery. The free session will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the hospital’s Kay Auditorium. Call (401) 456-2323.

Police in pursuit of a cause
Sgt. Todd Boisvert, of the Woonsocket Police Department, hugs his sons, T.J., left, and Jack before embarking yesterday from Globe Park on the eighth annual walk to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness and donations for the Concerns of Police Survivors organization. About a dozen local officers are expected to arrive in Washington on Tuesday at the National Fallen Police Officer’s Memorial. At top, Detective Sgt. Brad Scully leads the way, heading south on Great Road in North Smithfield.

05/09/2008

Afghanistan bomb claims life of former Brown grad, Watson fellow
A roadside bomb in Afghanistan claims the life of a former fellow at Brown's Watson Institute for International Studies who believed in doing his research and humanitarian work in war zones, not an armchair.

A high life unravels: Woman accused of embezzling $7 million
Elizabeth C. Baldwin, well known in Newport’s yachting community, is charged in a scheme that stole millions from investors.

Tribe ready for share of state’s gambling money
After declining the funds, which now total almost $1.5 million, the Narragansetts say they’ll accept the money if the state gives assurances on how it can be used.

R.I. superdelegates: most still back Clinton
Though at least one says he expects Sen. Barack Obama will be the nominee.

WaterFire schedule
WaterFire schedule

Rhode Island briefs
Women’s Leadership Series: Leadership Rhode Island will host the Women’s Leadership Series: The Political Process, a program focusing on women in politics with networking receptions, roundtable discussions and speakers at each session. The series takes place Thursdays, May 15, 22 and 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 at Leadership Rhode Island, 4 Richmond Square, Providence.

First reporter to write of Nixon resigning dies
PROVIDENCE — Douglas C. Wilson, a former reporter for The Providence Journal who broke the news of President Richard M. Nixon’s decision to resign, died Monday at his home in Amherst, Mass. He was 67.

Tribe ready for share of state’s gambling money
After declining the funds, which now total almost $1.5 million, the Narragansetts say they’ll accept the money if the state gives assurances on how it can be used.

Municipal Meetings
COVENTRY

Police on alert for young drinkers
Officers conducted a multi-phase awareness campaign in advance of tonight’s Coventry High School prom.

Glocester woman needs marrow donor
The first inkling Brianna Sanchez had that things were not routine was the sign at the entrance of the building at Rhode Island Hospital: Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Ethics panel rejects ex-official’s proposal
Jane Hayward, former head of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, sought approval from the state Ethics Commission.

A drop in the pond
Caroly Shumway, director of conservation science for The Nature Conservancy, drops some of the 20,000 pounds of clams into Ninigret Pond as the first step in a new shellfish and eelgrass restoration effort in South County’s salt ponds.

Mail carriers to collect canned goods
Mail carriers around the state will collect canned goods and other non-perishable items tomorrow as part of the nation’s largest annual single-day food drive.

Lawmakers’ motives called into question
PROVIDENCE — Perennial political candidate Christopher F. Young took the annual debate on gay marriage in an unexpected direction late Wednesday night when he accused state representatives of corruption and questioned their interest in Satan.

Foster mother cries during murder trial
Katherine Bunnell cries when hearing the answers she gave to the police who were investigating the death of her foster son.

Bay View thespians heading to Scotland
EAST PROVIDENCE — One week after its massive weekend production that highlighted 25 years of school performances, St. Mary Academy-Bay View was chosen to participate in the renowned International Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland, in August.

East Providence city manager to review staff for possible job cuts
But before the vote, Councilman Bruce DiTraglia petitions the City Council to institute a hiring freeze in light of a pending $3.1 million deficit.

Red-light cameras are a go
The House approves a bill to permanently allow the cameras at traffic intersections to catch motorists who run through them.

Judge puts off same-sex divorce ruling
Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst asks both sides for more information before deciding if she’ll seek an enabling decision from the state Supreme Court.

A high life unravels: Woman accused of embezzling $7 million
Elizabeth C. Baldwin, well known in Newport yachting circles, is charged in a scheme that stole millions from investors.

R.I. superdelegates: most still back Clinton
Though at least one says he expects Sen. Barack Obama will be the nominee.

APC staying put
SOUTH KINGSTOWN –– After looking into other possible locations for the company’s headquarters, American Power Conversion has decided there’s no place like home.

APC staying put
SOUTH KINGSTOWN –– After looking into other possible locations for the company’s headquarters, American Power Conversion has decided there’s no place like home.

05/08/2008

Route 95 bridge further restricted
PROVIDENCE — The state Department of Transportation yesterday reduced the weight limit on the Route 95 bridge across the Pawtucket River for the second time because continued deterioration of major structural elements has further reduced its capacity.

Baby sitter testifies to beating inflicted on 3-year-old boy
Kayla Roderick details how Thomas Wright was dragged from his bed, then hit and slapped by Katherine Bunnell before being thrown across the room by Bunnell’s boyfriend.

Carcieri removes MHRH director
Ellen R. Nelson, who has held the post since 2006, has been reassigned to an administration adviser position. Two division heads will take over her responsibilities.

High food costs threaten the recipe for success
With everything from basic ingredients to utility bills rising, local restaurateurs look to control costs.

Security firm fired for weapons breach
A state contract is terminated with Industrial Security and Investigators after one of its employees possessed and fired a gun at Zambarano Hospital.

Senate panel considers E-Verify bill
The legislation would require private employers to verify the immigration status of prospective employees.

No votes taken on same-sex marriage bills
PROVIDENCE — Jenn Steinfeld celebrated an anniversary of sorts in a crowded committee room at the State House last night.

Jane Goodall attends opening of bird sanctuary
The world-renowned chimpanzee expert speaks at the official opening of the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Hopkinton.

The New Kids on The Beat
COVENTRY — It was the one duty veteran police officers weren’t eager to volunteer for: training a rookie fresh out of the academy.

For this group, 100 years makes for 1 special day
Nanci Sarganis, left, of Providence, chats with Anna Galloway, of East Greenwich, as Anna celebrates her 101st birthday at the 31st annual Governor’s Centenarian Brunch, which was held at Capital Ridge in Providence yesterday morning.

East Providence disburses $800,000 in federal block grant money
EAST PROVIDENCE — Electrical upgrades to the city’s busiest fire station and renovating a part of the high school so it can become a hurricane shelter are two of several projects city officials agreed to finance with money it received from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Ruptured gas tank ties up Route 195 in East Providence
EAST PROVIDENCE — Rush hour traffic backed up on the westbound side of Route 195 from the Broadway exit yesterday morning as fire officials and the state Department of Environmental Management worked about two hours to clean up gasoline that had spilled from a car.

Two men arrested in rash of burglaries
The suspects, from Connecticut, are believed responsible for break-ins in both Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Rhode Island brief
Human services fair: The John Hope Settlement House, 7 Thomas P. Whitten Way, Providence, will host a free human-services fair on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

05/04/2008

Classical love story spans decades and continents
PROVIDENCE — By the time he was midway through Classical High School, Frederick Irving was smitten; he knew he wanted to spend his life with one of his classmates, Dorothy Petrie.

01/20/2008

Gay Evolution
What we know about gay history in America begins here, in Rhode Island, with a gay sex scandal that rocked the U.S. Navy and tarnished the reputation of a president. A half-century later, the gay rights movement rode into Providence on the back of a church. Those early activists drove a sweeping political and cultural agenda so unthinkable, the pioneers never thought they’d live to see it — a time when their lives would be as fabulous and as ordinary as anyone. Read about Providence’s transformation into a gay destination spot, watch slideshows of the everyday lives of gay men and women and listen to their personal stories. Staff writer Mark Arsenault and photographer John Freidah take you on a historical journey.

1919 Newport sting targeted gay sailors, ended in scandal
The nation was shocked to learn that the Navy sent out “agents” to solicit sex in an operation the Senate declared disgraceful.