Free concert and fireworks Monday in Westerly
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WESTERLY, R.I. -- The celebrations continue Monday in Westerly, with a free concert and even more fireworks. The night will start with the first concert of the town-sponsored Monday Night Jams concert series, to be held at the Town Beach, 365 Atlantic Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. This week's event features local favorite "RI Storm," whose members have reunited for this event. At 9 p.m., the Misquamicut Business Association will present a free fireworks display at the Wuskenau Town Beach on Atlantic Avenue. The display can be seen from any point on Misquamicut beach. For additional information call 401-322-1026 or visit the association's Web site. Raindate is July 13.
By Maria Armental and Kate Bramson PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A bank-robbery suspect accused of trying to run down a Rhode Island State Police sergeant Thursday night in Providence is being held without bail following his arraignment Friday in District Court, Providence. The police say Darrin A. Gray, 43, of Cumberland, drove at Sgt. Donald Devine when Devine and other officers tried to arrest Gray at a gas station Thursday night at Chalkstone and River avenues in Mount Pleasant. As is customary in District Court, Gray entered no plea to felony charges of assault with a dangerous weapon (his vehicle), felony possession of cocaine, resisting arrest, possession of a knife over three inches long, three counts of possession of a "bludgeon," eluding the police and driving on a suspended license. State Police Lt. James Demers said Cumberland police had obtained an arrest warrant against Gray on second-degree robbery and assault with intent to commit a felony charges in connection with a bank robbery in Cumberland Tuesday. Gray was on bail on a February felony charge out of Cranston of receiving stolen goods. Bail was set on the current charges, but Gray was ordered held without bail as a violator on the charge of receiving stolen goods. A violation hearing was scheduled for July 17. The state police began pursuing Gray after the Cumberland department asked the state's Violent Fugitive Task Force for help, Demers said Friday morning. Thursday night, half a dozen undercover officers with the fugitive task force converged at a Shell gas station around 7:45 p.m., Demers said. Col. Brendan P. Doherty, the state police superintendent, said officers were conducting surveillance when they saw Gray pull into the gas station.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state's three commercial health plans withdrew requests Friday for double digit rate increases for next winter, a move that state Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher S. Koller estimated could save employers roughly $150 million annually in increased premiums. But many people will continue to see their premiums go up this fall, as last year's rate increase kicks in when they renew their policies. While some businesses will get a reprieve from rate increases of up to 16 percent, that may only be temporary. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, one of the state's largest insurers, said it is not freezing rates. Rather, using rate factors previously approved by the health commissioner, the company said it was going to raise rates for large group customers by 9 percent and small group customers by 7 percent. And it plans to seek more increases before the end of the year. The other two companies involved are Tufts Health Plan and United Health Care of New England. Koller last month rejected the increases and asked the companies to withdraw them.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Once again, the well of money to pay basic state unemployment insurance claims is running low and Rhode Island is going to have to borrow money from the feds to cover the bill. The state Department of Labor and Training has asked for a $40 million line of credit to cover those costs for the next three months. Such lines of credit carry no interest costs under the U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and they are approved automatically, so recipients should not see any delay in their payments, said DLT spokeswoman Laura Hart.
The Rhode Island Division of Taxation has sent notices to more than 100 online retailers, letting them know about the state's new law that could require them to collect Rhode Island's 7-percent sales tax, state Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan said Friday. It is the latest development in a simmering controversy involving a new state law -- sometimes called the "Amazon law" -- which generally requires out-of-state retailers to collect Rhode Island sales tax on purchases that are made through affiliated Web sites located in the state. Amazon.com cut its ties with its Rhode Island-based affiliates over the new law; two other online retailers, Overstock.com, and Blue Nile have followed suit.
wrote, RI could INCREASE revenues by lowering state taxes. It would bring in MA and CT shoppers and probably new retailers. It's no mistake that Seekonk... Read the rest, write another...
The whole town of Bristol is abuzz in preparation for tomorrow's big Fourth of July parade. Above, folks sit outside 912 Hope Street, where event the grass is patriotic.
At 331 PM EDT National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a strong thunderstorm with the potential to produce wind gusts to 40 mph and small hail over Barrington... moving northeast at 15 mph.
The lights just flickered in the newsroom of The Providence Journal, followed quickly by this special statement from the National Weather Service:
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Statement as of 2:54 PM EDT on July 3, 2009
WARWICK, R.I. -- After a three-day hearing, the Air National Guard recruiter accused of selling drugs out of the recruiting station was denied bail in Superior Court Friday. Richard Flamand, 31, is accused of three counts of possession with the intent to deliver, and two counts of possession of various drugs. When police arrested him June 1, they seized a small quantity of drugs at his house, 1,000 doses of prescription medicine, 41 grams of cocaine and a quantity of marijuana from filing cabinets at his recruiting office on Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston. Flamand, a member of the Air National Guard's top recruiting team in New England, has been at the Adult Correctional Institutions since his arrest when investigators from the state police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations executed a search warrant at his home at 33 Circle Drive, Coventry. Prosecutors say Flamand was selling drugs from both the recruiting office and from his home. According to the online database for the Rhode Island Judiciary, no future court date has been set yet.
By Donita Naylor Health officials expect most Rhode Island beaches to be open for holiday swimming on Saturday, but conditions can change by the minute, said Ernest Julian at the R.I. Department of Health on Friday afternoon. "Rainfall was extremely erratic" Julian said as he announced the reopening of Scarborough State Beach, both north and south, in Narragansett and the Camp Fuller YMCA Beach in South Kingstown. Although some communities around Narragansett Bay measured 6 inches of rainfall in 36 hours, Scarborough got 2 inches on Wednesday, and from 0.04 to 0.4 on Thursday. By Friday at 1 p.m., it was fine. At the same time, however, three other swimming areas were closed, and the closure of the private Misquamicut Club beach was extended through Friday. The newly closed beaches are Third Beach in Middletown, Gorton Pond in Warwick and the private Watch Hill Fire District beach in Westerly. Julian said the situation can change any minute, so before planning an outing, call (401) 222-2751 or visit the beach closures page of the Health Department's Web site. The following beaches are closed: Town beaches in Barrington, Bristol, Warren and North Kingstown; Warwick's City Park, Groton Pond, Oakland, Goddard Memorial State Park and Conimicut Point beaches, Peabody's and Third Beach in Middletown; Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth; Camp Canonicus in Exeter; and the private Misquamicut Club and Watch Hill Fire District baches in Westerly. Officials will continue to monitor the water quality and recommend reopening when the areas are safe for swimming, according to the Health Department. For more information on area beaches, visit projo.com's interactive beach map. (This entry was first posted at 8:45 a.m.)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A strain of the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine of the 1840s is on the loose in Rhode Island and is damaging potato and tomato crops. The state Department of Environmental Management's Division of Agriculture Friday advised gardeners, farmers and commercial growers that an outbreak of Late Blight, scientific name Phytopthora infestans, should be countered with application of fungicides. All tomato and potato crops -- commercial and home grown -- should be viewed as potentially suspect for the disease and measures taken to monitor for and if necessary control the disease, the DEM said in a news release. The DEM described the disease as "a serious threat to agriculture," and said it will determine whether additional regulations or quarantine are necessary. William Fry, a Cornell University professor of plant pathology, has been quoted as saying that the new strain is causing "widespread crop devastation" throughout the United States and Canada. He said the fungus is doubly dangerous because it is aggressive and resistant to protective measures. Fry, who published a paper on the subject with Stephen B. Goodwin, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher at Purdue University, in the journal Plant Disease, said the strain hit New York and Maine in 1992 and 1993 and is now found in Idaho, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. Accuweather.com said on its Web site that this outbreak is the "earliest and most widespread," and that it has prompted the removal of tomato plants from stores in New York and New England. Accuweather.com said this season's wet weather has helped spread the spores by which Late Blight reproduces. The Web site said plants have been removed from sale at Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Kmart stores, and said the disease has been found in all Atlantic coastal states except for Georgia. The site predicted that the price of tomatoes and other vegetables will rise as growers seek to cover the cost of treating the disease.
The first folk festival in Newport was 50 years ago this summer, and we're looking for stories from longtime attendees for possible inclusion in a series of stories on the history of the event. Were you there for the first festival, in 1959? How about when Dylan went electric? Were you there at the return of the festival in 1985? What was the worst weather you sat through? And just how many times have you seen The Indigo Girls? Whatever your memories of the folk festivals, drop a line to Journal pop music writer Rick Massimo at rmassimo@projo.com.
Brace yourself -- they're headed this way again. From the National Weather Service: Special Weather Statement Statement as of 1:32 PM EDT on July 3, 2009 Take a look at the local radar to see how the storms are popping up.
By Cynthia Needham The flood of legislation never materialized from the State House this week, but the water did. From the men's bathroom that is. A broken flush feature on a urinal in a first-floor men's room led to a not-so-minor flood that swamped the marble rotunda with more than half an inch of water Friday morning, creating a soggy (and ridiculously slippery) situation in the landmark building. We here at Political Scene are not normally in the habit of bathroom talk, but this one was hard to avoid. Water poured down the stairs and through cracks in the ceiling, drenching the stairs and the basement below. "Because of the force of the flow, it allowed it to really spread out," said State House Superintendent Ed Butler who was on the scene with a crew that worked quickly to mop up the mess. Butler reported that the building did not sustain any permanent damage.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - New Bedford is celebrating more than just Independence Day as the city welcomes the full-time opening of the Ocean Explorium. More than a decade in the making, the aquarium and ocean science center overcame major financial hurdles and finally opened to the public last year -- but on Saturdays only. As of July 4, it will be open seven days a week. The Explorium features a computerized image of Earth in 3-D and a living coral reef exhibit that highlights issues of coral bleaching and global warming. It also includes an activity center for children. New Bedford was once among the world's foremost whaling ports and remains a major fishing center.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state Department of Environmental Management announced Friday that test results from traps set statewide during the week of June 22 gave negative results for both West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. This year, to date in Rhode Island, no mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Still, the DEM encouraged residents to protect themselves by eliminating mosquito-breeding grounds and avoiding mosquito bites. Personal protection is the first line of defense against mosquitoes that can carry diseases such as West Nile Virus and EEE and is by far the most effective way of avoiding infection, the department said. Eliminate mosquito breeding grounds from yards by removing anything that holds standing water, such as old tires, buckets, junk and debris, the department recommended. Also, clean gutters so that they drain correctly, and maintain swimming pools properly. Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Just one cup of standing water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes. Avoid mosquito bites by using screens on windows and doors, covering up at dawn and dusk, and putting mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages when they are outside. Also, use mosquito repellent, but with no more than 30 percent DEET. Do not use repellent on infants. Mosquitoes are trapped every week statewide by DEM staff and tested at the RI Department of Health laboratory. Test results from mosquitoes trapped this week will be included in next week's announcement. Positive mosquito test results will generally trigger additional trapping to assess risk.
Financial problems recently forced three Rhode Island communities to cancel their Fourth of July fireworks, but the shows go on in several cities and towns. In fact, fireworks fanatics who are willing to travel might catch two or three shows. Some communities are having fireworks Friday night. Bristol's show is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. Friday at Bristol Harbor. Warwick plans fireworks for 9 p.m. Friday at Oakland Beach. And the Pawtucket Red Sox plan another show after Friday night's game at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. Fireworks shows will be displayed in the following communities on Saturday night: Providence, Newport, North Kingstown and South Kingstown and the nearby Massachusetts towns of Fall River and Attleboro. And Deerfield Park in Smithfield will host a show Monday night. Many communities are holding special events and parades for the Fourth. The City of Providence will glow and sparkle Saturday as a full WaterFire is scheduled for sunset at 8:21 p.m. The fireworks display off India Point Park is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. And Bristol will again host its famous parade at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Find fireworks shows near you, and search for More Fourth of July events at projothebeat.com.
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A memorial tribute to Michael Jackson is to be held Saturday at the Cape Verdean Progressive Center, 329 Grosvenor Ave. The program, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., will include a display of Jackson memorabilia, and a musical celebration of the pop star's life. The 50-year-old Jackson died June 25. The program is free to the public. On Tuesday, a massive memorial is planned for Jackson in Los Angeles.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- As relatives and friends readied themselves for this afternoon's wake for longtime Kingston volunteer firefighter Allan "Pickles" LePage, the state Medical Examiner's Office annnounced that he died of head injuries. Fire Chief Nathaniel Barrington said Wednesday that it was still unclear how the veteran volunteer firefighter, 67, suffered a mortal head injury at the station on Tuesday afternoon. Barrington said another firefighter discovered LePage, unconscious and bleeding heavily, in the bucket of a fire truck's ladder tower, about 20 feet above the ground. The wake is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, Wakefield. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center in Kingston. The Ryan Center's doors will open at 8 a.m. Burial will be private. LePage suffered a mortal head injury at the station next to the URI campus on Monday afternoon. Another firefighter discovered LePage, unconscious and bleeding heavily, in the bucket of a fire truck's ladder tower, about 20 feet above the ground. Read LePage's obituary, and sign an online sympathy guest book. -- An earlier version of this item was published at 10:02 a.m.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - There's a little confusion on Smith Hill about when the state will officially celebrate Independence Day. July 4, as most of us know by now, falls on Saturday. The federal government will be closed on Friday, July 3. But Rhode Island's state employees will recognize the birth of the nation on Monday, July 6. That means most federal offices will be closed Friday (there will be mail, however), but most state offices -- including the Division of Motor Vehicles -- will be closed Monday, according to Governor Carcieri's spokeswoman, Amy Kempe. Why the difference? State law is very specific on this one. If July 4 falls on a weekend, "then state employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday," according to general law 25-1-1. -- Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau
The wild weather could continue Friday, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms that could produce small hail, heavy rain and frequent lightning, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service has issued a flash flood watch from noon through this evening. Otherwise, we'll have a mostly cloudy day with a high near 79 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 50 percent during the day. There's another chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight, but the holiday weekend shows some improvement. There's another chance of showers between 2 and 3 p.m. Saturday. The chance of precipitation is 30 percent. It will be mostly cloudy with a high near 79 degrees. For the fireworks, Saturday night looks partly cloudy with a low of 58 degrees. Sunday should be mostly sunny with a high near 82. For more weather forecasts, as well as beach and water conditions, go to projo.com/weather.
The summer deluge continues in Rhode Island.
A year ago today: 5 years ago today: 25 years ago today: On the national front: On this day in 1863, Confederates are forced to retreat on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg, turning the fortunes in the American Civil War; 37,000 die on both sides in three days of battle. Read The Associated Press's Today in History.
July 2
BY RICK MASSIMO UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- There was a lot of talk about miracles Thursday night at the Arena at the Mohegan Sun casino. And that was valid -- 19 years after Naomi Judd was diagnosed with hepatitis C and given three years to live, 18 years after their farewell tour and nine years after a brief reunion, there she was, singing with daughter Wynonna as part of a series of shows the platinum-selling mother-daughter team The Judds started last month. No one's saying how many of these shows there will be, or whether there'll be a full-fledged reunion tour or a new record. The closest thing we got to a hint Thursday night was after Naomi's comical explanation that "Wynonna" was a Native American word meaning "passing wind." "This is why there's no reunion tour," Wynonna Judd grumbled with comic exasperation. In between the joshing ("What did they call us? America's sweethearts? They didn't know us very well") and testimony to the importance of their faith and the perseverance ("We're ordinary women who extraordinary things have happened to because we stepped into our gift"), there was nearly an hour and a half of the hits that took The Judds from the mid-'80s through Naomi Judd's retirement, all mixing the gentle pop-country sound of the '70s and '80s with the soft rock of the time. Starting with the first-gear train rhythm of "Girls Night Out" (during which the vocals were fairly low in the mix, a problem that got fixed as the night went on), the duo and their understated backing band went through the soft shuffle of "Listen to the Rhythm" and the bad-man "Have Mercy" before diving into ballads for most of the rest of the show. This was particularly lovely on the close harmonies of "Love Is Alive," a well-observed ballad of the beauties of everyday life, and the devotional "River of Time." Wynonna Judd did a solo mini-set in the middle of the show, showing off a range of the styles her celebrated voice reach, from the gutsy roar on the rock of "No One Else on Earth" and the power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is" to a torchy rendition of the standard "When I Fall In Love." After that, Naomi came back for a quick wrap-up that included the breakout hit "Mama He's Crazy" and the enormo-ballad "Love Can Build a Bridge." So it wasn't a blowout country-rock extravaganza, like the Big & Rich show up the road at Foxwoods no doubt was. But it was a sweet and simple restating of the pop-country verities of home, faith and family, with a compelling personal story -- two, really -- behind them. rmassimo@projo.com / (401) 277-7206
The aircraft had trouble with its landing gear, Goldstein said, but managed to land safely. The incident occurred in the general aviation area, she said, and commercial air traffic was not interrupted. Emergency vehicles could be seen gathered around the white single-engine plane with red markings. The plane appeared able to carry about a dozen passengers, witnesses said, and its propeller appeared bent.
wrote, wowwy. it came right over my house and made some weird noise. thats weird... Read the rest, write another...
WARWICK, R.I. -- A small aircraft made a belly landing at T.F. Green Airport on Thursday night, a Warwick Fire Department dispatcher has confirmed. Initial reports said a small aircraft with fuel problems was making a crash landing. A second report said the plane made a safe belly landing with no fire and no injuries.
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