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Edgewood's Shaw Plat added to National Register

May 22, 2013, 2:12 pm
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By Christine Dunn
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Photo courtesy R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission

One of the Shaw Plat houses.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The National Park Service has added the Shaw Plat, a section of the Edgewood neighborhood in eastern Cranston, to the National Register of Historic Places.

The recognition was announced by Edward F. Sanderson, executive director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.

Most of the houses in the 25-acre Edgewood Historic District - Shaw Plat were built between 1880 and 1962, with the prevailing architectural types and styles being Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, Four-Square, Dutch Colonial, English Cottage, Garrison Colonial, Ranch and Modern.

The plat, which includes the site of the Edgewood Yacht Club, was built after 25 acres were sold to Allen Shaw for $3,660.

The listing makes properties eligible for federal tax benefits for historic rehabilitation projects.

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Beaten homeless man's condition upgraded, Pawtucket police search for assailant

May 22, 2013, 2:15 pm
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By Amanda Milkovits

PAWTUCKET -- A homeless man remains hospitalized as Pawtucket police search for the person who beat him unconscious in a parking lot early Saturday morning.

Another homeless man, who was looking for a place to sleep around 4 a.m., discovered 58-year-old John L. Simms moaning, his head bleeding and bruised, in a parking lot at 8 Summer St., according to a police report.

Maj. Arthur Martins said the assault remained under investigation. Simms' condition was upgraded at Rhode Island Hospital from critical to serious on Wednesday.

Simms has a long record of assaults, and as recently as April was charged with domestic assault and violating a no-contact order.

Police ask anyone with information about Saturday's assault to call (401) 727-9100, Detective Donti Rosciti, ext. 737, or Detective Dave Silva, ext. 760.

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Residents, landlords planning to attend 5:30 p.m. Providence budget hearing

May 22, 2013, 2:22 pm
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By Alisha A. Pina

PROVIDENCE, R. I. -- East Side residents and landlords are planning to attend the City Council's 5:30 p.m. hearing Wednesday about Mayor Angel Taveras' proposed $663-million budget for July 1.

The mayor recommends increasing the residential tax rate to partially pay for the spending plan, which includes contractual raises and additional firefighters, police officers and inspectors.

From $15.95 to $19.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for homeowners living in their homes. From $27.11 to $33.75 for those not living in their properties.

Taveras recommends freezing the commercial, tangible and motor vehicle tax rates to help the city's slow recovering economy.

The increase, says some council members and residents, is placing too much burden on homeowners. Residents on the East Side could be hit the hardest.

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R.I. Senate passes 'Back to Work in R.I.' job-training bill

May 22, 2013, 2:38 pm
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By Lynn Arditi

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to allow job-seekers to collect unemployment while getting job training at companies looking to hire.

The "Back to Work Rhode Island" bill is one of several bills that are part of a Senate initiative dubbed "Moving the Needle," all intended to improve the state's business rankings.

Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed has touted the jobs training effort, which is modeled after similar programs in Georgia and New Hampshire,

It remains to be seen, however, whether the bill has enough support to win passage in the House, where the initiative died last year.

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Newport's Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum wins top accreditation; free admission for Rhode Islanders Saturday

May 22, 2013, 2:43 pm
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By Features staff
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International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum

A tennis court is at the center of the complex.

NEWPORT, R.I. -- The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is now accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Hall of Fame announced Thursday -- the museum industry's highest achievement, it said.

"Accreditation indicates that the accredited museum is operating at the highest level of museum professional standards," the Hall said in a news release, "and that it demonstrates a commitment to excellence in all that it does: governance, collections stewardship, public programs, financial stability, and continued institutional improvement.

"Of the nation's estimated 17,500 museums, just over 1,000 are accredited, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is the first sports hall of fame to receive the honor."

In celebration, the Hall will host an open house Saturday with free admission for all Rhode Island residents with valid proof of residency.

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East Providence officials: City's tax rates for 2014 will boost revenues by 2.4 percent

May 22, 2013, 2:58 pm
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By Richard C. Dujardin

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The city has announced its new tax rates for the 2014 fiscal year that begins in July, rates that officials say will increase tax revenues by 2.4 percent.

The new individual rates of $22.78 per $1,000 of assessed valuation on residential property, and $25.21 per $1,000 on commercial property are both 9.1 percent higher than the current year rates. But officials say the sharp increases will be offset, in most cases, by a general decline in assessed valuations as reflected by the city's 2012 revaluation.

There will continue to be a homestead exemption for owners of one, two and three-family homes who live on the property, however the exemption this year will be 13.5 percent instead of 14 percent.

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Missing URI student who was heading home to Pennsylvania still missing

May 22, 2013, 3:53 pm
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By Richard C. Dujardin

royer_80.jpgCOLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- The police say they have not come up with any new leads in the disappearance of a 21-year-old University of Rhode Island student whose car was last spotted in Lebanon County, Pa., around 1 p.m. Friday.

Matthew R. Royer, 21, who is enrolled in URI's doctor of pharmacy program, called his mother on May 16 to tell her he was "about to leave" the school in South Kingstown to head home.

Surveillance footage showed him stopping at a Sunoco station about 30 miles away from his home in Collegeville. His car was then spotted on Friday at Pennsylvania's Routes 501 and 422.

A trooper at the Skippack barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police said Thursday there has been no news since that sighting.


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Developer Weiss plans hotel for vacant Wickford Elementary School

May 22, 2013, 4:38 pm
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By Andy Smith

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- Developer Stanley Weiss has a $1.1-million option to purchase the vacant Wickford Elementary School from the town. Town Councll President Elizabeth Dolan said Weiss plans to develop the building, vacant since 2006, into a meeting center and upscale hotel with 30 to 40 rooms.

Dolan said Weiss must obtain a rezoning for the land and approval from the Department of Environmental Management and Coastal Resources Management Council before the project can continue.

Weiss, who created the Hotel Providence in downtown Providence, has a six-month option with the town.

In 2011, North Kingstown voters rejected a $3.85 million bond referendum to rehab the 1904 building and convert it into offices for the town and school administrations.

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PolitiFact R.I. rules URI professor's claim on race and police stops Mostly True

May 23, 2013, 2:30 am
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By C. Eugene Emery Jr.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Amid the debate over whether Rhode Island's campus police should be armed, several University of Rhode Island faculty members expressed concern that students, especially minority students, could be targeted by police who haven't been adequately trained.

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Read the PolitiFact ruling

(The state Board of Education is expected to vote on the issue Thursday night.)

One of the URI opponents is Lynne Derbyshire, an associate professor of communication studies and women's studies.

"All of us who have grown up in the U.S. have grown up making distinctions with regard to skin color," Derbyshire was quoted as saying in the May 16 Providence Journal. "If you are black or brown, you are nine times more likely to be stopped and frisked. If we arm campus police, we are potentially endangering students of color."

Derbyshire said she the statistic she cited was from New York City.

PolitiFact Rhode Island examined her claim and ruled it Mostly True. Read the complete analysis here.

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Hurricane outlook: Another busy Atlantic season

May 23, 2013, 2:58 pm
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By News staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Get ready for another busy hurricane season, maybe an unusually wild one, federal forecasters say.

Their prediction Thursday calls for 13 to 20 named Atlantic storms, 7 to 11 that strengthen into hurricanes and 3 to 6 that become major hurricanes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there is a 70 percent chance that this year will be more active than an average hurricane season.

"This is your warning," said acting NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.

The season starts June 1 and lasts through November. A normal year has 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major storms with winds over 110 mph.

Last year was the third-busiest on record with 19 named storms. Ten became hurricanes and two were major storms, including Sandy.

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Real-estate developer challenges Chafee proposal to cut R.I. tax credit program

May 23, 2013, 3:16 pm
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By Kate Bramson

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Over the years, as one of Rhode Island's most prominent companies has expanded, Scott A. Gibbs and several nonprofit real-estate development firms he has led have sold land and buildings to CVS Caremark Corp.

Now president of the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island, in Cumberland, Gibbs knows CVS well. He says they're out of room in their current Rhode Island facilities and were talking with him about new investments they might make here.

But when Governor Chafee proposed halving the state's Jobs Development Act tax credit, those conversations about expansion here stopped, Gibbs said.

"Those have gone cold," said Gibbs, who told The Providence Journal he's not speaking on behalf of CVS. "Our concern is very deep."

Gibbs and other business leaders argue that cutting the program would harm Rhode Island's economy. Any publicly traded business like CVS would have to re-evaluate whether it can create jobs elsewhere at cheaper costs, they say.

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Faculty members at URI testify against arming campus police

May 23, 2013, 3:19 pm
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By Linda Borg

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- Faculty member after faculty member testified against arming campus police.

One faculty member said arming police would increase violence and lead to unnecessary accidents.

Two URI police officers disputed charges that minority youth would be targeted if campus police were armed, and one officer said that at Brown University, there have been no incidents related to this problem.

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RIC graduate named Mrs. Rhode Island for national pageant in July

May 23, 2013, 3:27 pm
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By Donita Naylor

BROCKTON, Mass. -- Rhode Island College graduate Sonja K. Brown has been named Mrs. Rhode Island for the Mrs. United States 2013 pageant in Las Vegas in July.

Brown, who has a son, Kacey, 7, and a daughter, Kylie, 6, teaches fifth grade in Brockton, Mass. She received her bachelor of arts in elementary education from RIC in 2004.

In the last two days of the five-day event, contestants will be scored on beauty, charm, personality, poise and the ability to articulate. The winner will get $3,000 in cash and a year as a role model and spokeswoman for married women.

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RIPTA buses will run holiday schedule on Monday; one trip of Branch/Bryant bus cancelled

May 23, 2013, 3:29 pm
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By Donita Naylor

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Because Monday is Memorial Day, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule on all regular fixed-route buses and trolleys.

The 1:15 p.m. outbound Branch Avenue to Bryant University bus will be cancelled to accommodate the North Providence Memorial Day Parade, a news release from RIPTA said Thursday.

Only ADA Trips operate on the statewide RIde Program. The Flex Service reservation line, (877) 906-FLEX, and the RIde reservation line (401) 461-9760, will not be staffed. RIPTA Flex Services will not be available, except for Route 210 (Kingston Flex Service), which will run on the holiday schedule.

RIPTA offices in Kennedy Plaza will also be closed Monday.

For more, visit ripta.com or call (401) 781-9400.


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Narragansett Council 'pleased' by national's vote to allow gay Boy Scouts

May 23, 2013, 3:59 pm
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By Donita Naylor

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Narragansett Council issued a statement Thursday night in reaction to the Boy Scouts of America's National Council voting to allow openly gay boys to participate in scouting.

The following are excerpts from the statement by David Preston:

We are pleased that the resolution proposed by the National Boy Scouts was approved by the voting members of the organization's National Council.

The Narragansett Council interpretation of the national policy is simple and clear. We have zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior or sexual advocacy of any kind within our Scouting programs.

Meanwhile, we will continue to serve the Boy Scout Mission, which is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over the course of their lifetimes.... We will continue to focus our energy on our children, and ask others to join us in doing the same.



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Central Falls council unanimously OKs Doherty to head Wyatt jail board

May 23, 2013, 4:21 pm
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By W. Zachary Malinowski

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- In a unanimous 5-to-0 vote, the City Council approved the appointment of Brendan P. Doherty as the chairman of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility governing board.

Doherty, former Rhode Island State Police superintendent and failed Republican candidate for Congress last fall, attended the special meeting in the City Council chambers.

Doherty replaces Steven T. Hartford, the Westerly town manager, who was appointed chairman in September 2011.

The Wyatt jail has been averaging about 616 prisoners so far this year, about 35 prisoners short of what's needed to keep the facility in the black.

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R.I. education board allows colleges to arm campus police

May 23, 2013, 4:56 pm
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By Linda Borg

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Board of Education voted Thursday night to allow the state's public colleges and universities to arm their campus police.

However, the final decision will be left up to each institution in consultation with its faculty and staff.

Only one board member was opposed, William C. Maaia.

Earlier, faculty member after faculty member testified against arming campus police, at the meeting held on the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus. One faculty member said it would increase violence and lead to unnecessary accidents.

Two URI police officers disputed charges that minority youth would be targeted if campus police were armed. One officer said that at Brown University, where police are armed, there have been no incidents related to that.

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Critics of RI education commissioner Gist turn out at board meeting

May 23, 2013, 6:42 pm
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By Linda Borg

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Critics of state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist were out in force at a state Board of Education hearing on Thursday night, when the board also met in closed session to discuss her future.

Renee Chaves, a Bristol parent, said her third-grade son came home crying because he was told he would be sent back to second grade if he didn't pass the NECAP, the state assessment. "He felt like a failure."

Members of a progressive group called Coalition to Defend Public Education said Gist was part of a corporate-driven campaign to privatize public education.

"The commissioner wants to replace public schools with charter schools," said Edward Benson, a coalition member.

Gist has come under increasing fire for the new teacher evaluations, the new graduation graduation requirements and a federal grant called Race to the Top, which ushered in $75 million in federal dollars.

A union-sponsored forum on Monday afternoon drew 700 educators, most of whom expressed their displeasure with Gist's policies.

On Thursday night, the board only heard more of the same, as about 130 people packed the meeting room at URI's Ryan Center, and another 130 watched the meeting on a monitor in an overflow room.

On Wednesday, Mancuso said the board would not vote Thursday night on extending Gist's contract. Shortly before 9 p.m., the board remained in closed session on the subject.

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Today in RI history: Shipyard workers strike

May 24, 2013, 3:55 am
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By Thomas J. Morgan

A year ago today:
The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a request by Governor Chafee and accused killer Jason Wayne Pleau to halt Pleau's federal prosecution until they can seek a high court review.

5 years ago today:
Street by street, lot by lot, city inspectors are undertaking a painstaking survey of boarded-up and vacant buildings in Providence, a count of the casualties of a foreclosure and lending crisis that has cost many people their houses and has inspired others to walk away from loans and from homes they cannot afford.

25 years ago today:
Union workers go on strike at the Robert E. Derecktor shipyard, closing the shipyard that does multimillion-dollar work for the military.

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Cool and wet for much of Memorial Day weekend

May 24, 2013, 4:28 am
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By Jack Perry

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Cool, wet weather will continue today through Sunday, as Memorial Day weekend arrives, according to our weather partners at WPRI.

A flash flood watch is in effect until noon today for most of Southern New England, as periods of rain could lead to rapid rises in streams and street flooding. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible today. High temperatures of 68 to 72 are expected.

Saturday looks windy, raw and cold with temperatures in the 40s and showers likely.

Sunday offers some improvement. Although showers are expected, we could see some hazy sun in the afternoon. The temperature will reach only the low 60s.

Sunday, Memorial Day, looks much better -- mostly sunny with highs around 72.

For more weather and updates, see providencejournal.com/weather.

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