Archive - Feb 2012 - News Article
February 22nd
WOONSOCKET â Continuing concern over pension reform and the cityâs shaky financial condition are helping fuel one of the biggest retirement waves among police and firefighters since 2009.
Fourteen workers have tendered retirement papers since December â six police officers and eight firefighters, according to figures supplied by the cityâs personnel department.
Nearly 50 additional public safety employees, including 18 police officers and 26 firefighters, are currently eligible to retire with at least minimum basic pension benefits.
WOONSOCKET â The much-bemoaned financial burden of upgrading the wastewater treatment plant will begin hitting home in the form of steep hikes in sewer fees as soon as the next bills go out in May.
The average homeowerâs bill of $69.23 per quarter will rise by some 12 percent, effective immediately, followed by a series of increases in each of the next four calendar years of 11, 11, 5 and 5 percent, respectively, under an ordinance adopted Monday by the City Council.
Heralding the 1663 Royal Charter for the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations as âone of the great human rights documents of the world,â Gov. Lincoln Chafee set the stage Tuesday for the celebration next year of the 350th anniversary of King Charles IIâs grant to John Clarke and Roger Williams.
A history buff who frequently references Roger Williams, the stateâs founder, and the charter in his speeches and Statehouse presentations, Chafee appointed a 34-member commission to organize a celebration for the sesquarcentennial, which will culminate on July 8, 2013.
February 20th
WOONSOCKET â The state chapter of the ACLU has filed a âfriend of the courtâ brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston, siding with Gov. Chafee in his efforts to prevent accused murderer Jason Pleau from facing a possible death sentence at the hands of federal authorities.
Four other ACLU affiliates, from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Puerto Rico, which are covered by the courtâs jurisdiction, are also parties to the brief, as are the national and state associations of criminal defense lawyers.
February 19th
Ann L. Hogan has always believed that not only should a person strive to achieve personal success in their own lives, they must go out and serve others. Service to others, she says, not only gives meaning to your own life, it makes life better for others.
âService should be an element of everyone's life. People need to have that experience of giving to others,â says Hogan, 83, a retired school teacher from Pawtucket.
February 18th
WOONSOCKET â A motorist's discovery of a relative's stolen car operating on Wood Avenue resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old city boy on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and driving violations Thursday.
WOONSOCKET â The school department's continuing budget problems will be back in the limelight this week when the school committee considers laying off all of the department's union employees for the coming school year.
February 17th
PROVIDENCE â Common Cause Director John Marion, a government watchdog and frequent critic of the General Assembly, found himself standing with Gov. Chafee and legislative leaders at the Statehouse Thursday, hailing what he called âa big improvementâ in the stateâs campaign finance laws.
PROVIDENCE â The pain started in her lower back and slowly migrated toward her ribcage.
Kristen Dubois thought she was passing a kidney stone.
She wasnât.
She was giving birth in the bathroom of her fianceâs Willow Street apartment in Woonsocket.
âI was like, âOh my God. I canât believe it,â says Dubois. âI started yelling for my boyfriend. âHeâs coming out! Heâs coming out!ââ
February 16th
BELLINGHAM â Saint Blaise Church's history as a parish is a relatively short, but rich one, marked by a commitment to faith and a sense of community that makes church.
This coming April, Saint Blaise Church will celebrate its past 50 years as it frames its vision for the future.
