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Chafee 'to take some time' evaluating Central Coventry Fire District bill

May 3, 2013, 3:44 pm
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By Andy Smith

WARWICK, R.I. - With Governor Chafee still determining whether to sign a bill that would allow the financially-troubled Central Coventry Fire District to collect taxes until September, even the short-term fate of the district remained uncertain Friday.

Chafee's options are to sign the bill, veto it or allow the bill to become law without his signature. "He has seven days to evaluate the bill, and he's going to take some time to do that," Chafee spokesperson Christine Hunsinger said Friday afternoon.

Providence attorney Richard Land, the court-appointed special master for the district, said at a Superior Court court hearing Friday that without the bill, he only has enough money available to run the district until next Thursday.

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E. Providence police charge man with reckless driving

May 3, 2013, 6:42 pm
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By Thomas J. Morgan

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A car chased ended with an apprehension of its driver Friday evening.

Lt. Ray Blinn reported that Jamique Whitely, 22, of 4 Cathedral Square, Providence, was taken into custody and charged with reckless driving, eluding police and possession of a synthetic narcotic.

Blinn said police got calls around 6:45 p.m. describing a car operated recklessly on Pawtucket Avenue.

He said Officer Dennis Medeiros spotted the vehicle after it drove on the wrong side of the road, and gave chase.

The fugitive vehicle sideswiped a stopped car on Pawtucket Avenue and finally halted near the Route 195 on-ramp, Blinn said.

Police were making arrangements to have Whitely brought before a bail commissioner Friday evening.

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Top Langevin aide headed to Delaware Gov. Markell's staff

May 3, 2013, 9:01 pm
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By Katherine Gregg

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jonathon Dworkin, director of
communications for U.S. Rep. James Langevin, is leaving to take a key
spot on Delaware Governor Jack Markell's staff.

Dworkin's last day on Langevin's staff is Monday.

After that, he heads to Delaware to serve as a communications adviser
to Democrat Markell, a former three-term state treasurer - and Brown
University alumnus - who stepped into the national spotlight when he was
sworn in as the 2012-13 chairman of the National Governors Association
last summer.

Dworkin describes the move as "a tremendous opportunity closer to home
(I'm from the Philadelphia area), though it's not at all an easy
decision... I've been very fortunate to do this job for someone who not
only works incredibly hard for his principles, but also does so while
treating everyone with respect, dignity and class.''

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PolitiFact R.I. Rules Cicilline claim on gun dealers True

May 4, 2013, 3:00 am
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By Mike McKinney

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- During a recent appearance on Channel 10's "Newsmakers" program, U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline talked about efforts in Congress to tighten gun laws.

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Read the PolitiFact ruling

Cicilline this year sponsored a bill, which has more than 60 co-sponsors, that would close what supporters refer to as the "fire sale loophole." The bill is still pending in a Congressional committee and it is unclear when or if it will be taken up.

"If you are a federally-licensed gun dealer and your license is revoked because you've engaged in misconduct or because you've sold guns to people who shouldn't have them (if) your license is revoked, your entire inventory under prevailing law is deemed your personal collection," Cicilline said. "You then can sell it free from any background checks. So we reward bad behavior."

PolitiFact Rhode Island checked Cicilline's claim and ruled it True. Read the complete analysis here.

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Saturday's weather: Get out and enjoy

May 4, 2013, 5:50 am
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By News staff

Saturday will be mostly sunny and breezy with highs in the mid 60s by 2 p.m. inland, and in the upper 50s to low 60s at the coast. Winds will be out of the east-northeast at 10-15 mph with some gusts up to 20 mph.

Saturday evening will be clear and dry. Temperatures will drop into the 50s through the evening, and down to 41 degrees by dawn.

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Fire guts Cranston home Saturday a.m., no injuries

May 4, 2013, 6:05 am
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By News staff

Cranston, R.I. (WPRI) -- No injuries were reported after a fire gutted a Cranston home early Saturday morning.

Crews were called to the home on Oaklawn Avenue around 2:30 a.m., where firefighters quickly douse the flames.

There's no word on what may have sparked those flames.

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Experts: Feds pressure widow, suspects' inner circle in bomb case

May 4, 2013, 10:07 am
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By News staff

BOSTON (AP) -- Every time the widow of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev leaves her parents' house, federal agents watching the residence follow her in unmarked vehicles.

Federal authorities are placing intense pressure on what they know to be the inner circle of the two bombing suspects, arresting three college buddies of surviving brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and keeping Tamerlan's 24-year-old widow, Katherine Russell, in the public eye with their open surveillance and leaks to media about investigators' focus on her.

Legal experts say it's part of their quest not just to determine whether Russell and the friends are culpable but also to push for as much information as possible regarding whether the bombing suspects had ties to a terrorism network or accomplices working domestically or abroad. A primary goal is to push the widow and friends to give their full cooperation, according to the experts.

David Zlotnick, a professor of law at Roger Williams University and former federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia, said authorities may be tracking Russell closely because they feel she's not being completely honest about all she knows.

Tamerlan's widow has been ensconced at her parents' North Kingstown home since then. Much about her remains a mystery, including what she knew or witnessed in the weeks, months and years before the bombings, and what she saw and did in the days after.

It's unclear when Russell last communicated with her husband, but her lawyer, Amato DeLuca, told The Associated Press in an interview last month that the last time she saw him was before she went to work April 18. DeLuca said Tuesday that Russell had met with law enforcement "for many hours over the past week," and would continue to do so in the coming days. He previously told the AP that Russell didn't suspect her husband of anything before the bombings, and nothing seemed amiss in the days after.

Zlotnick said the fact that charges have been brought against the younger brother's three friends from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth over allegations they covered up for Dzhokhar indicates authorities are willing to go after the widow for similar actions. That puts pressure on Russell to cooperate.

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Saturday morning blaze heavily damages Cranston home

May 4, 2013, 11:25 am
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By Mark Reynolds

CRANSTON, R.I. -- More than 20 Cranston firefighters doused a fire that overtook the front area of a three-story home on Oaklawn Avenue early Saturday morning, according to authorities.

The blaze, which left at least four residents homeless, is not considered suspicious, said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Morris, who could not comment further on the cause of the blaze. An investigation continues.

Firefighters went to 333 Oaklawn Terrace at 2:26 a.m. and found heavy fire at the front of the multi-family dwelling, Morris said.

No one was injured fighting the blaze but the home sustained "considerable damage" and is not habitable, Morris said.

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Providence firefighters rescue woman from river

May 4, 2013, 1:28 pm
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By Mark Reynolds

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Firefighters donned cold-water gear and boarded an inflatable raft Saturday morning to rescue a woman who had jumped into frigid river waters near Waterplace Park, authorities said.

Firefighters went to a location on Steeple Street to rescue the woman at around 10 a.m., said Deputy Fire Chief James Mirza. The woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation, he said.

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Central Falls couple charged with manufacturing and distribution of crack cocaine

May 4, 2013, 7:03 pm
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By Lynn Arditi

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- Police have charged a Central Falls couple with manufacturing and distributing cocaine from their first-floor apartment at 83 Ledge St.

Police said the charges against Rene Torres, 40, and his wife, Christina Torres, 24, followed a two-month investigation which culminated Friday with the search of the couple's apartment.

With the help of the Smithfield Police Department's K-9 unit, officers with the Central Falls Police Department's Special Investigative Unit discovered about $2,000 worth of crack cocaine along with what they believe are stolen electronics -- laptop computers, iPads, game consoles and cameras -- and two cars with a combined value of more than $16,000, police said in a statement. Police also seized digital scales, packaging material, cooking agents, U.S. currency and several cellular phones.

The couple was arraigned Saturday on charges of manufacturing with intent to deliver cocaine; controlled substance conspiracy; distributing a controlled substance near a school zone; and receiving stolen goods.


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College friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect wants to be released on bail

May 4, 2013, 7:18 pm
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By News staff

Robel Phillipos, the college friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev charged with lying to investigators, distanced himself from two others arrested last week, saying he should be released on bail in part because he isn't accused of destroying evidence, Bloomberg News reports.

"Phillipos is not charged with having any knowledge whatsoever of the Boston Marathon bombings of April 15, 2013, or with helping the surviving suspect after the incident," his attorney, Derege Demissie, said in a filing Friday in Boston federal court. "Nor is there any allegation that Mr. Phillipos removed, tampered with, or destroyed any potential evidence after the bombing."

Demissie said the case is about a "frightened and confused 19-year-old who was subjected to intense questioning and interrogation, without the benefit of counsel, and in the context of one of the worst attacks against the nation. The weight of the federal government under such circumstances can have a devastatingly crushing effect on the ability of an adolescent to withstand the enormous pressure and respond rationally."

Tsarnaev, 19, is charged with masterminding the attack with his brother Tamerlan, 26, killing three people and injuring more than 200 near the conclusion of the race. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted. Tamerlan died in a police shootout in the days after the bombing.

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PolitiFact R.I. rules gun rights advocate's claim on gun legislation Mostly False

May 5, 2013, 3:00 am
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By C. Eugene Emery Jr.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- In advance of a May 1 hearing in the General Assembly on a package of gun control bills, Ed Doyle, administrator of the Rhode Island chapter of Gun Rights Across America, urged gun rights advocates to voice their opposition.

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Read the PolitiFact ruling

Doyle posted a notice on Facebook announcing "an emergency call to stand up for your rights."

"The wording in these bills will outlaw practically every firearm, make you pay $100 per firearm, put you into a police database, make a CCL [permit to carry a concealed weapon] nearly impossible to get, and eliminate the 2nd Amendment as we know it!!!" the posting warned.

PolitiFact Rhode Island examined Doyle's claims and ruled them Mostly False. Read the complete analysis here.

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Questions swirl around R.I. widow of alleged Marathon bomber

May 5, 2013, 3:00 am
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By News staff

russell_80.jpgNORTH KINGSTOWN -- Day and night, news cameras focus on the beige Colonial-style house on Coriander Lane where Katherine Osborn Russell has taken refuge with her family.

Law enforcement agents in unmarked cars are often stationed outside Russell's parents' home, whether for protection or surveillance -- or both -- is unclear. A throng of reporters and photographers trails her whenever she emerges, in sunglasses and a headscarf, to visit her lawyers in Providence.

In just three weeks, Russell, 24, has gone from a young mother working long hours as a home health aide to a central figure in an international terror investigation.

Russell, as the world now knows, is the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two ethnic Chechen brothers who authorities believe planted the bombs that killed three people, sent body parts flying and drove shrapnel into scores of bystanders at the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15.

The FBI, which is leading the investigation, has not named Russell as a suspect. But Russell has become a focal point.

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Sunday's weather: Sunny, pleasant

May 5, 2013, 5:48 am
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By News staff

Look for partly to mostly sunny skies and pleasant conditions Sunday. Afternoon highs will be around 65 degrees inland and near 58 degrees at the coast.

Sunday evening will be mainly clear and cool, with temperatures falling through the 60's and into the upper 40's by midnight.

Overnight expect patchy areas of fog, otherwise mainly clear and cool with temperatures dipping to the low 40's.

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Johnston police charge driver with DUI in three-way crash early Sunday

May 5, 2013, 9:26 am
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By News staff

JOHNSTON, R.I. -- Police charged Patrick Darigan of Chepachet with driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a chemical test after a three-way crash on Hartford Avenue early Sunday morning.

Deputy Johnston Police Chief Daniel Parrillo said Darigan was charged at the hospital where he was taken after his westbound vehicle crossed the center line and struck two other vehicles coming the other way around 12:39 a.m., not far from the fire station.

The other drivers received what Parrillo described as minor injuries.

Darigan's condition was not immediately known, but Parrillo said he was released to appear in District Court on May 15 on the DUI charge, and in state traffic court a day later on a second charge of refusing a blood-alcohol test.

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Uncle arranging Boston bomb suspect's burial rites

May 5, 2013, 10:05 am
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By News staff

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- The uncle of a Boston Marathon bombing suspect killed in a gun battle with police has arrived in Massachusetts to arrange for his burial.

Ruslan Tsarni, of Montgomery Village, Md., arrived at a Worcester funeral home Sunday and met with funeral director Peter Stefan. Stefan says three men who accompanied Tsarni plan to wash and perform Muslim burial rites on the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Stefan says he still hasn't found a cemetery that is willing to bury Tsarnaev. He says he plans to ask the city of Cambridge, where Tsarnaev lived, to provide a burial plot. If Cambridge turns him down, he plans to seek help from state officials.

Tsarni has denounced the acts Tamerlan and his brother, Dzhokhar, are accused of committing.

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Police honor fallen brethren in 30th national parade on Aquidneck Island

May 5, 2013, 10:10 am
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By G. Wayne Miller

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Providence Journal photo / G. Wayne Miller

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. -- With the Boston Marathon bombings still fresh in mind, the law-enforcement community Sunday honored their fallen brethren in the 30th Aquidneck Island National Police Parade.

Hundreds of women and men who wear the badge from more than five dozen departments throughout the Northeast and beyond marched from Middletown to Newport as thousands lined the streets. The police were joined by marching bands, pipers, Boy Scouts, beauty queens, clergy and politicians, including Governor Chafee and state Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed.

Four members of the Watertown, Mass., police department marched for the first time this year. The Watertown force was involved in a firefight in which bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died and his brother, Dzhokhar, was injured. They also participated in the apprehension of Dzhokhar in the backyard of a Waterown resident.

More on the parade and police lost in the line of duty last year, including Providence's Sgt. Maxwell Robert Dorley, at the police parade web site.

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Former NBA star Abdul-Jabbar "advises" New England Tech graduates

May 5, 2013, 10:58 am
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By News staff

jabbar_80.jpgPROVIDENCE, R.I. - The 2013 graduates of the New England Institute of Technology received their diplomas on Sunday and "15 pieces of advice I wish someone had given to me'' from actor, author and legendary National Basketball Association star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

An alternatively hilarious, mesmerizing and gentle coach, he urged them to "Play more video games ...practice yoga...rent Airplane!... [and] do not under any circumstance eat Brussel sprouts.''

On a more serious note, he quoted Einstein and Flaubert, hailed curiosity as the most important characteristic and told the students not to feel weighted down by you-are-the-future expectations and exhortations: "enjoy who you are right now and the tremendous accomplishments we are here to celebrate.''

The college planned to award associate, bachelor's or master's degrees to 1,192 students, after awarding honorary doctor of humane letters degrees to Abdul-Jabbar and Rhode Island businessman and civic activist John Hazen White, Jr., the president of Taco, Inc.

A list of New England Tech graduates will be at: to www.neit.edu

Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 years for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers and is its all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, according to the school.

Born and raised in Harlem, he has also written books on subjects as varied as World War II, the Harlem Renaissance basketball team, and the impact of African-American inventors and won 2013 NAACP Image Awards for his documentary, On the Shoulders of Giants, and a children's book he co-authored called What Color is My World. .

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Bus-car crash closes Rte. 138 in South Kingstown

May 5, 2013, 1:32 pm
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By News staff

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Providence Journal photo / Tim Murphy

A RIPTA bus shows damage after colliding with a car near the West Kingston train station Sunday.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- A collision involving a car and a RIPTA bus on the Route 138 overpass by the West Kingston train station late Sunday morning injured the female driver of an SUV and led to the closing of the road between Route 110 and Fairgrounds Road for more than two hours.

A representative of the Rhode Island Transit Authority at the scene said that the Route 66 bus driver, who was not immediately identified, was sent to South County Hospital and later released. None of the six passengers on the bus were injured, he said.

After the crash, the bus came to rest a distance from the crash site.

Police did not immediately have further information. "It's under investigation," a spokesman said.

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Wife of late Rhode Island Gov. John Pastore has died

May 5, 2013, 3:08 pm
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By Kate Bramson

Elena (Caito) Pastore, wife of John O. Pastore, the late Rhode Island governor and U.S. senator, died Thursday at her daughter's home in Bonita Springs, Fla.

She was 93 and had been living for the last several years with one of the couple's daughters, Francesca Pastore, said their son, John O. Pastore Jr., in a telephone interview Sunday. She died surrounded by her daughter and other family members, several weeks after contracting a gastrointestinal illness, he said.

The youngest of 10 children, Elena Caito grew up in a close-knit Italian-American family on Oak Street in Providence. Her future husband also grew up in Providence, and the two were introduced by one of Elena's brothers, said their son, a cardiologist at Quincy Medical Center near Boston.

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