PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A group of Providence College students will hold a press conference Wednesday to protest what they say is a hostile climate for minority students and faculty.

The forum will be at 3 p.m. outside the main gates on River Avenue.

Students say there have been multiple incidents of racial profiling on campus by campus security. One professor says she received a series of threatening emails after she announced a new social justice award.

Students say the university has done little to address these concerns.

The Coalition Against Racism is asking the administration to do four things: train campus security in racial awareness, send an email to the entire campus condemning the harassment of the faculty member, create a for-credit class on race relations and implement a policy prohibiting racial profiling by campus security.

The Rhode Island Department of Health and the Hospital Association of Rhode Island Wednesday launched a website with a wealth of data about the health status and demographics of Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island is the fifth state to offer a statewide community health website. Called RI Health Care Matters, the portal provides such data as the percentage of Rhode Islanders with health insurance, the incidence of Lyme disease and the death rate from suicide, as well as resources, news articles, and event announcements.

The website is expected to interest health-care leaders and policy-makers; its brochure says "its content is relevant for anyone interested in how to assess and improve the health of communities."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The state Department of Transportation said Wednesday that two lanes of Route 95 north in Warwick will be closed for repairs this afternoon.

The DOT blamed an accident. The right two lanes between Exit 15 (Jefferson Boulevard) and Exit 16 (Route 10) will be closed within the hour, the DOT said at 1 p.m., and are expected to reopen in time for the afternoon commute.

Traffic is also restricted from traveling on the overpass, and motorists should detour using Laurens Street or Park Avenue.

Motorists with questions can contact the DOT's Customer Service office at 401-222-2450 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information can be found on the DOT's social media sites at Twitter.com/RIDOTnews and Facebook.com/RIDOTnews.

April is over, and the Red Sox -- despite a tough loss last night -- are in first place with Major League Baseball's best record, at 18-8. Can they keep it up in May? Brian MacPherson is traveling with the team in Toronto. He and Tim Britton -- who has been catching up with the PawSox this week -- took questions today from noon to 1. You can view the transcript by entering the chat room below.

BRISTOL, RI - Sen. Jack Reed joined Roger Williams University President Donald J. Farish, faculty, and students in calling for action to prevent a student loan rate hike on July 1 and new, long-term solutions to the student debt crisis.

Last year, Senator Reed led the successful effort in Congress to freeze interest rates for need-based federal student loans, preventing them from doubling for a year.

Today, the current fixed interest rate on federal Stafford subsidized loans is 3.4 percent, but that rate will double to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2013.

Reed's Student Loan Affordability Act of 2013 would lock in lower rates for two years while Congress works on a long-term solution to slow the rapid accumulation of student loan debt.

Reader reaction is always a bonus when you launch a new series. With the start of #eWave: The Digital Revolution, we've seen comments on every platform on which our audience lives.

On the social media side, we heard from Colleen Kelly Mellor, who goes by the Twitter handle @biddybytes.

@projo @journalkate Yes, I'm a 67 yr old who doesn't wish to be alone with catatonic types in nursing home, so I use social media#eWave

— colleen kelly mellor (@biddybytes) April 28, 2013

According to the Providence-based company Hashtracking, the hashtag #eWave generated 113,862 impressions with 11 tweets in just the first 24-hour period after the series' launch on Sunday.

Our Facebook page created for the project, is just getting started, but already several hundred people have interacted with the content there.

Steward Health Care System, the Massachusetts hospital chain that last year abandoned its plans to buy Landmark Medical Center, is suing Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, blaming the insurer for the deal's failure.

In a suit filed in Superior Court, Steward alleges that Blue Cross engaged in "unlawful attempted and actual monopolization" of the health-insurance market.

While the Steward deal was pending, Blue Cross and Landmark failed to reach agreement on a new contract and Landmark temporarily became an "out-of-network" hospital for Blue Cross members. This resulted, the suit alleges, in fewer patients coming to Landmark, "further damaging" the hospital's finances.

Steward is seeking unspecified damages. A Blue Cross spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Journal file photo

Fung

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Mayor Allan W. Fung, a potential 2014 candidate for governor, is asking supporters for money to enable him to "share" his recent accomplishments with Cranston and Rhode Island voters.

The popular mayor has curbed spending and submitted two budgets in the last two years that call for no new taxes. Recently, he reached an agreement with the city's retired police and firefighters, a move he says will will save the city millions in pension costs.

About 1,000 letters were mailed Friday.

The letter focuses in particular on the city's economic rebound and touts growth within major companies and at the Garden City shopping center and Chapel View.

"Your continued support has enabled these landmark events to happen," Fung says.

"As I continue to work for what is best for Cranston - and for what is best for the state of Rhode Island - I am writing now to ask for your support once again, and hope that you will consider making a donation today.

"Can you help keep Cranston "Open for Business" and make a contribution of $25, $50, $100 or even $250 today? Your most generous contribution will ensure that I am able to share my story and my message with all Cranstonians and fellow Rhode Islanders."

WARWICK, R.I. -- Summit Medical Compassion Center was once billed as the biggest and most lucrative proposed medical marijuana dispensary in the state.

But after a series of setbacks and internal bickering, the center faded from public view.

Now, it appears to be back on track and Summit officials plan on signing leases to rent a cultivation center and dispensary on Illinois Street and Jefferson Boulevard in the coming weeks.

Mayor Scott Avedisian, a supporter of the dispensary, said that once the leases are signed, the city will tackle zoning and security issues. The next step would be applying for a registration certificate with the state Health Department.

Summit is on track to be the third and last dispensary allowed under state law. The Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center opened in Providence two weeks ago and the Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center should open in Portsmouth by month's end.

Courtesy of Central Falls police

Joshua Hightower

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- The Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for Joshua Hightower, 26, for a robbery on April 17 on Pine Street in the area of Hackers Pub.

The department said that anyone with information as to Hightower's whereabouts should contact investigators at 401-727-7411. The anonymous TIPS line can be reached at 401-727-7420.

AP Photo

This undated photo shows, from left, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, from Kazakhstan, with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in Times Square in New York.

BRIDGET MURPHY,Associated Press
DENISE LAVOIE,Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev removed a backpack containing fireworks emptied of gunpowder from his dorm room at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth three days after the attack, according to charges filed Wednesday.

Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev are charged with conspiring to obstruct justice. A third man, Robel Phillipos, is charged with making false statements to federal investigators.

The affidavit says Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev agreed to get rid of the backpack after concluding from news reports that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of the bombers. A court appearance for the three is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line. The suspect's brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died after a gunfight with police several days later. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured and lies in a prison hospital.

Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev have been held in jail for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending UMass. Linda Cristello, the Boston attorney who represented them at a hearing on the immigration case Wednesday morning, confirmed earlier that they were facing separate federal charges.

All three men charged Wednesday began attending UMass with Tsarnaev at the same time in 2011, the FBI affidavit says.

Authorities allege that on the night of April 18, after the FBI released photos of the bombing suspects and the three men suspected their friend was one of them, they went to Tsarnaev's dorm room. The men noticed a backpack containing fireworks, which had been opened and emptied of powder.

The FBI said that Kadyrbayev knew when he saw the empty fireworks that Tsarnaev was involved in the bombings and decided to remove the backpack from the room "in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble." He also decided to remove Tsarnaev's laptop, the FBI said in the affidavit.

After the three men returned to Kadyrbayev's and Tazhayakov's apartment with the backpack and computer, they watched news reports featuring photographs of Tsarnaev. The affidavit says Kadyrbayev told authorities the three men then "collectively decided to throw the backpack and fireworks into the trash because they did not want Tsarnaev to get into trouble."

Kadyrbayev said he placed the backpack and fireworks along with trash from the apartment into a large trash bag and threw it into a garbage bin near the men's apartment.

On the web: FBI updates on investigation

On Twitter: @Boston_Police

-- The original version of this report was published at 11:15 a.m. and updated at 11:51 a.m., 12:46 and 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy Roger Williams Park Zoo

Jeremy Goodman

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jeremy Goodman, who led the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, N.J. since 2004, has been tapped to become the new executive director of the city-owned Roger Williams Park Zoo starting July 1.

He replaces Jack Mulvena, the zoo's director since 2003, who is running the zoo for the city of Naples, Fla.

Rhode Island Monthly publisher John Palumbo, who led the search on behalf of the Rhode Island Zoological Society, said trustees were impressed by Goodman's depth of experience and his accomplishments in turning the Turtle Back zoo into a premier attraction for New Jersey, increasing its revenue and attendance.

Newsweek magazine recognized Goodman's zoo and crisis management skills last year in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage has denounced the General Assembly's passage of legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry in Rhode Island.

"Redefining marriage into a genderless institution to satisfy the demands of a small but politically powerful group is short-sighted policy that fails to take into account the rights and needs of the generations to come," said Christopher Plante, regional director of NOM Rhode Island.

"Children deserve to know and be cared for by a mom and dad," Plante said. "This law will intentionally deny children one or the other. "The full impact may not be seen next week or next year, but our children will be the ones who pay the price for this decision."

"Without robust legal protections to allow these faithful people and groups to maintain fidelity in the public square to their religious beliefs, we're likely to see a raft of lawsuits and governmental action such as license revocations, fines and denial of governmental contracts to these faith-based groups and individuals."

I

WARWICK, R.I. -- U.S. Rep. James Langevin is among those lauding the General Assembly's approval of legislation making same-sex marriage legal in Rhode Island, saying he thinks lawmakers in Washington should follow the example of Rhode Island and other states by making it nationwide.

The Rhode Island Democrat, among those in attendance as Govenor Chafee prepared to sign it into law, said he salutes all state leaders who made same-sex marriage a priority.

"Today marks a wonderful moment in our state's long tradition of striving for freedom and equality," he said. "It is particularly gratifying to think of the even more special celebrations that will happen among loving Rhode Islanders as a result of this occasion."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Transit supporters rallied at the State House on Thursday to push for a bill that they said is the state bus system's only hope this legislative session to improve its financial situation.

"We can't build a first-class transit system by raising fares and cutting service," said Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, who chairs the board of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. "We need some stability and some certainty."

The bill would help give RIPTA a more dependable revenue source by speeding up the allocation of revenue from state license and registration fees to the Department of Transportation and RIPTA, with 65 percent going to the DOT and the rest to RIPTA.

Rep. Jeremiah T. O'Grady, D-Lincoln, sponsor of the bill, said that RIPTA's present financing system, which depends heavily on the state gas tax, has "a perverse effect":

When gas prices go up, people increasingly want to use transit and buses are full, but when gasoline sales decline, state gas tax revenues also decline.

WARWICK, R.I. - More than 300 parents, teachers and residents showed up at Warwick Veterans High School Thursday night to speak on the proposed closing of Gorton Junior High, but an hour into the meeting they were still waiting.

School administrators opened the meeting with a presentation showing the factors that had led them to look at closing a school, but the audience was growing increasingly restless as charts too small to read were shown on a screen.

Supt. Richard D'Agostino said that closing a junior high school will enable the district to put more money into programs that directly benefit students rather than continuing to support older buildings that are operating at less than 50-percent capacity.

Providence Journal photo / Kathy Borchers

Governor Chafee signs same-sex marriage in Rhode Island into law Thursday on the steps of the State House.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- With hundreds looking on, Governor Chafee signed two bills Thursday that make Rhode Island the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

AP Photo / Charles Krupa

Chafee added his signature to the bills shortly after the House passed them on 56 to 15 votes.

The bills allow same-sex weddings as of August 1 and also allow couples who joined in civil unions to change their status to married.

This was the program for the "Marriage Equality of RI Bill Signing Ceremony" Only 1,000 copies #SSM twitter.com/kathyprojo/sta...

— katherine gregg (@kathyprojo) May 2, 2013

Read Governor Chafee's prepared remarks for signing of Marriage Equality Act

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Standing on the brink of history, at the signing ceremony for legislation she sponsored that will make Rhode Island the 10th state to allow same-sex marriage, Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush told Governor Chafee: "With the stroke of your pen, you will soon help to undo centuries of discrimination.''

The Pawtucket Democrat singled out House Speaker Gordon D. Fox for thanks, saying: "We would not be here today if you were not our proud, openly gay and determined Speaker of the House.''

She also thanked "all the courageous ones who 'came out' before it was safe to do so and all of those who have 'come out' since. Together we shattered the myths and stopped the stereotyping which marginalized our love ... We changed hearts and minds one at a time ... witness the yes votes of so many of my Senate colleagues!''

"The nation's eyes were upon us, and ladies and gentleman, this State House did not disappoint.''

PROVIDENCE - Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, the leading advocacy group for same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, issued this statement after Governor Chafee signed the legislation on Thursday:

"This is truly a proud day for Rhode Island. Gov. Chafee's signature on this historic marriage equality legislation ensures that all families are recognized, valued and respected equally under the law.''

Added former Rep. Ray Sullivan, the group's campaign director: "We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Speaker Gordon Fox, Representatives Arthur Handy and Frank Ferri for their commitment and leadership in the House, to Senators Donna Nesselbush and Joshua Miller and former Senator Rhoda Perry for their advocacy in the Senate, and to the tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders who made phone calls, knocked doors and wrote letters as part of the largest grassroots, legislative campaign in our state's history."

Providence Journal photo / Kathy Borchers

House Speaker Gordon Fox cheers at the end of the speeches on the State House lawn Thursday, just before Governor Chafee signed the Marriage Equality Act into law, making Rhode Island the 10th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- With the signing of legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry moments away, House Speaker Gordon D. Fox publicly declared his love for Rhode Island, its people and his beloved partner of 15 years, Marcus LaFond.

"I am going to end where this all comes from,'' he said to a gathering of several hundred people. "And that is with my Marcus.''

"This more than anything says to me and to this dear man here, that we matter. And from this day forward...we're not going to be talking about same-sex marriage any longer. We're going to be talking about marriage. Marriage.''

"I would move heaven and earth for you if I could,'' he said to Marcus. "I love you dearly, dearly. You are the love of my life. And to have this law take effect when the governor puts his pen to that paper means we truly do matter and we've never doubted that we mattered but the state now knows we matter.''