Edwards

DiPalma

The plan would also involve a dramatic change in the governance of the state's bridges: 19 bridges in seven communities would be added to the four already under the Turnpike and Bridge Authority, an announcement from the legislative press office said.

A heated controversy about the state's plans to collect tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge has caused a flurry of interest among East Bay legislators in sources of alternative bridge maintenance revenue.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Conservative and liberal activists hosted a joint forum at the Rhode Island State House Thursday afternoon that they said was meant to provide the "fair, thoughtful debate" so far been lacking on the question of whether or not the state should default on its failed $75 million investment in Curt Schilling's now bankrupt video game company 38 Studios.

The forum, which included experts on both sides of the debt default debate, came just hours before the House Finance Committee was slated to hear from a financial analyst with ties to the 38 Studios deal on the possible consequences of default.

Many on the six person-panel agreed that state leaders need to make much more information public about the possible consequences of default.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Governor Chafee's administration re-affirmed its desire to repay the state's debt on its failed investment in the now bankrupt video-game company 38 Studios.

Richard Licht, Chafee's director of administration, said the governor is "emphatically opposed" to Rhode Island becoming the first state since the Great Depression to renege on a so-called "moral obligation" bond.

"Under no circumstances would I ever recommend the General Assembly not pay these bonds," he said.

Chafee spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger said lawmakers should wait and see what happens with other options the state is exploring to cover the debt, including a pending lawsuit.

Hunsinger also said the administration would make available soon its analysis into the costs and benefits of defaulting on the debt, as well as other options it has explored to either restructure or lower the cost of the debt.

The comments came moments before a panel of lawmakers were slated to once again consider the question of whether or not to the state should pay the $75 million - plus interest - now owed.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The budget-writing House Finance Committee is hearing testimony Thursday evening from financial analysts with ties to the 38 Studios deal on the possible consequences of defaulting on the more than $100 million debt.

Matthew Fabian and Lisa Washburn, managing directors at Municipal Market Advisors, have been invited to provide insight as a "neutral, expert third party."

The Massachusetts-based financial research company has an extensive client list that includes Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp., the state's insurer in the 38 Studios deal.

Fabian and Washburn are expected to be the only speakers at the meeting, in which no comments or questions from the public will be allowed.

Earlier in the day, conservative and liberal activists hosted a joint forum at the State House to provide the "fair, thoughtful debate" they said was lacking on the issue.

And Governor Chafee's administration re-affirmed its desire to repay the state's debt.

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. -- The first synagogue ever to be established in this town since the town's founding in 1677 is planning three days of festivities this weekend as part of the dedication of its building at 1251 Middle Rd.

Temple Torat Yisrael, whose members had worshiped on Park Avenue in Cranston for 60 years, decided in 2005 it should relocate to accommodate population shifts. They moved into the new building in April 2012.

Festivities this weekend include a shabbat service honoring its volunteers Friday at 7:30 p.m.; a family-friendly service with brunch (for which an RSVP is requested) Saturday at 9:15 a.m., and the dedication Sunday at 2 p.m.

Their old building was sold to Praise Tabernacle Church in May 2012.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Two men have been charged in federal court in Providence with witness tampering in connection with a person cooperating with police regarding the trafficking of acetyl fentanyl, a synthetic drug linked to 12 deaths in Rhode Island.

They are Joshua Rojas, also known as Joshua Ramos, 19, of Woonsocket, and Victor Burgos, also known as Fat Boy, 20, of Providence.

The drug has been identified as a never-before-seen variant of the narcotic painkiller fentanyl. The drug is an opiate similar to morphine and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not prescribed by physicians.

It's alleged that Rojas and Burgos took threatening actions and made threatening remarks in an effort to intimidate the person cooperating with law enforcement.

Burgos has also been charged with one count each of possession with the intent to distribute acetyl fentanyl and distribution of acetyl fentanyl.

Both have been detained.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- One side argued the rights of childrens' camp owners to screen out potential child predators by checking their social-media postings. The other side said it is not worth "stomping'' on everyone's privacy to weed out a few.

In the end, the Rhode Island House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill to ban employers and schools from requiring students and employees to "disclose the password or any other means for accessing a personal social media account.''

The lawmakers included an exemption, sought by Fidelity Investments, for companies that routinely "supervise communications'' by their employees on insurance and securities matters, in keeping with federal law.

But they rejected 63 to 8 a bid by Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster, to also exempt camp owners, citing the case of one that saw on a job applicant's Facebook page "things that, quote, no reasonable person would allow their child to be supervised by this individual.''

House Judiciary Chairwoman Edith Ajello acknowledged the possibility that "one time in several years, a picture will be posted online that will shed light on a person's character that was not apparent during the reference check process.

"If we fish long enough through ... people's private lives, we will likely come across someone who has done something objectionable ... but that doesn't mean we should be permitted to stomp on the privacy rights of every other employee,'' she said.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Providence Journal photo by Kathy Borchers

Providence Journal video by Kathy Borchers

WARWICK, R.I. -- The state Board of Education has voted to renew the contract of state Education Commissioner Deborah Gist for two more years.

The vote to renew was 7 to 3, with members Collen Callahan, Larry Purtill and Mathies Santos voting against.

The two-year contract will begin with a base salary of $193,800, an increase of 2 percent, with further increases after that.

The decision came after Gist had met for more than 90 minutes behind closed doors with members of the panel.

The board members went into closed session in a room inside the main building on Community College of Rhode Island's Knight campus around 6:25 p.m. Thursday.

Forty-five minutes later, they invited her to join the meeting. Just after 8:45 p.m., the decision to extend her contract was announced.

The board members took a public vote once they emerged from the closed session.

Earlier in the evening about 100 teachers demonstrated outside the building, chanting "Fire Deborah Gist" and "Deborah Gist has to go."

Many of them appeared to become upset when a campus policeman told them that only people who had signed up to speak could enter the hearing room

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the president of the National Education Association in Rhode Island to get a feel for the state of public education here.

NEA R.I. President Larry Purtill said that Duncan called because "he wanted to have a conversation about what's going on here in Rhode Island."

Purtill, who is a member of the state Board of Education, has been openly critical of Gist's leadership.

Duncan did not try to persuade Purtill to change his opinion of state education.
"We never talked about that," Purtill said. "I gave him my view and that was it."

Earlier versions of this story were published at 4:43, 5:39, 6:47, 8:50 p.m.
With reports from Journal photographer Kathy Borchers

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Updated June 6, 2013 6:27 PM

Providence Journal file photo

Gerard Donley

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Special Assistant Attorney General James Baum told jurors Friday that he had "no doubt " Michael Drepaul was willing to testify against the man accused of stabbing him outside a funeral parlor.

He spoke with Gerard Donley, the lawyer for Drepaul's alleged attacker, Jamaal Dublin. Donley was surprised that Drepaul, a convicted felon, was willing to take the stand, Baum testified.

Baum was "shocked" when he encountered lawyer Donna Uhlmann at court. According to Baum, Uhlmann rapped on a yellow notepad and said, "I represent Michael Drepaul. He ain't testifying."

Uhlmann told Baum she represented Drepaul "for life," Baum testified.

Things got heated, Baum said. "It stunk, and I told her it stunk."

Baum took the stand in Donley's trial. Donley is accused of conspiring with Uhlmann and Dublin to bribe Drepaul not to testify.

The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires

R.I. Gov. Lincoln Chafee speaks at a press conference Friday at PPAC announcing the first annual Ionafest in honor of former Arts Council chief Iona B. Dobbins.

IONA DOBBINS in 2012

On Friday, Governor Chafee and local arts leaders announced plans for "IonaFest," a statewide festival designed to showcase the talents of local artists while calling attention to the economic impact of the arts in Rhode Island.

The event, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, honors Iona Dobbins, a longtime arts advocate who died last July.

"The arts have always played a central role in Rhode Island, back to the days of Gilbert Stuart," Chafee said. "IonaFest continues that legacy."

Intended to be held annually, IonaFest will feature a daylong series of events, including exhibits, performances and a parade through downtown Providence. For more information, visit ionafest.org.

The Pawtucket Red Sox have canceled tonight's game against the Charlotte Knights. The game will not be made up because this is the last scheduled meeting between the teams this season.

Tonight was supposed to be Bat Night, with the first 4,000 children under 14 who enter the park receiving regulation Axis bats. That promotion has been rescheduled to Sunday, June 30, when the PawSox host Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Fans holding box seat tickets or general admission tickets (without a specific rainout date printed on them) can trade those in for Bat Day on June 30 or any remaining regular-season game at McCoy.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Often maligned as instruments of isolation and separation, social media can benefit relationships when used wisely, experts assert.

"For those families who have access to technology and are able users of technology, staying updated on what other family members are doing through Facebook and other forms of technology has really changed how much family can know about one another," says Carol J. Auster, professor of sociology at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.

In this Sunday's installment of The Providence Journal's #eWave: The Digital Revolution series, read about how the relatives of Federal Hill resident Catherine Beyer Hurst -- a family that is spread from Denver to Dubai and points between -- stay close when they are physically apart. And join the conversation on Twitter, #eWave, and on Facebook.

PROVIDENCE _ Legislation has been introduced in the Senate to establish a special commission to study the possibility of building a multi-million dollar parking garage next to the Garrahy Judicial Complex.

The bill was filed by Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggiero, D-Providence, North Providence, and it calls for the formation of a bipartisan commision comprised of three senators, three representatives, Mayor Angel Taveras, or his designee, the director of the Department of Transportation; director of the Department of Administration; state court administrator and chairperson of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.

The legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veteran Affairs. Under the terms of the bill, the commission must issue its findings and recommendations by Dec. 31.

Rhode Island ranks among the top 10 states with the highest population of people 65 and older considered "economically vulnerable," according to a report released this week by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C.

"Many of America's 41 million seniors are just one bad economic shock away from significant material hardship,'' according to the EPI report.

In Rhode Island, 51.8 percent of people 65 and older are economically vulnerable, the 8th highest in the country and the highest in New England. Massachusetts' share is 48.4 percent and Connecticut's is 46.4 percent.

States with large minority populations tend to have the highest levels of elderly vulnerability, the report says.

The report measures economic vulnerability by the U.S. Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, which is based on a family's expenses and their available resources, including government assistance programs.

COVENTRY, R.I. -- A West Warwick woman faces nine felony counts of embezzlement after the chairman of Boy Scout Troop 1, which meets at St. Vincent De Paul Church, noticed that the troop's checking balance was unusually low.

Police Lt. John Shields said that troop Committee Chairman J. Rockne Starks asked for a printout of transactions over the past year and determined that the treasurer had written nine checks out to "cash" and cashed them herself. She had begun paying back the money before the crime was detected, Shields said.

Katherine A. Valenti, 54, of 34 New London Avenue in West Warwick was summoned to appear in District Court, Warwick, on June 12.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority wants the state government to pick up the cost of the authority's debt service for the fiscal year that ends June 30, about $1.7 million, to help balance its budget.

Wayne Hannon, a deputy state budget officer assigned to RIPTA, said that the estimated deficit stands at $2.5 million.

He said the authority is discussing the matter with the House and Senate Finance committees, which are putting the annual state budget together.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A 2-percent pay raise is not all that state Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is poised to get out of her new contract approved on Thursday night.

According to Department of Education spokesman Elliot Krieger, Gists's base salary during the year that ended on June 30, 2012 was $190,000.

The state paid her an additional 7.3-percent "annuity'' payment on top of that, which would have brought her pay to $203,870 had her salary not been subject at that time to a $203,000 cap.

But the calendar that year included an extra pay period, elevating her salary to $210,807.70. And she received a $200 a month car allowance. The total: $213,207.

The new contract raises her base pay by 2 percent to $193,800 and the annuity payment brings it to $207,947.40.

Her car allowance is going up to $225 a month and her new contract provides a new $2,500-a-year "technology allowance,'' that will put her salary at roughly the same place it was last year with its extra pay period: about $213,147.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The National Weather Service has posted a flood warning for Kent and Providence counties, and a watch for elsewhere in Rhode Island and much of the rest of New England through Saturday morning, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea pass through.

The Weather Service said heavy rain will very likely produce some flooding in urban areas and areas with poor street drainage. Smaller rivers and streams also could flood.

The Weather Service said two to three inches of rain were be expected in Rhode Island overnight from Friday to Saturday, with heavier rainfall possible in some areas.

High surf advisories, along with rip currents, are also forecast for south-facing beaches along the Rhode Island coast.

Get the latest flood alerts, high surf advisories here.

This entry was first posted at 4:22 p.m.

JAMESTOWN, R.I. -- Beginning June 25, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will sell E-ZPass transponders for $10 instead of the usual $20.95, and new account holders will get a $10 credit toward future toll expenses.

Also, drivers can apply for a transponder at AAA offices in Rhode Island, Somerset and South Attleboro.and at certain times and locations in Bristol, Middletown, Tiverton, and Roger Williams University at the former Ramada Inn. Applications are also available at bridge authority headquarters in Jamestown, except June 21 and 22, when that office will be closed for computer updates.

For dates, hours and locations, visit ritba.org or call (877) 743-9727. The offer is for a limited time, but the end date has not been chosen.

First-time account holders must deposit $25 and list a bank card number to replenish the account when it gets low.

Drivers do not have to be R.I. residents to qualify for the R.I. E-ZPass discount. The $10 credit can be applied only once per account regardless of the number of transponders linked to it.

E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used in the Northeast, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and as far west as Illinois. The same transponder can be used anywhere in the network.

This weekend's Rhode Island history mystery at our Time Lapse blog involves a spot that wasn't always the parking lot it is today. Once it was lively, later it was rugged: Once upon a parking lot, this is a historic spot.

See a large photo and hazard a guess in comments at that second link, then come back Sunday for answers.