Providence Journal (Providence, RI) articles from December 2001

Providence Journal (Providence, RI) archives from December 2001

Excite@Home Ruling Could Leave Millions of Web Users Without A Net.
December 1, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 1--Thousands of Rhode Islanders who use Cox Communication's high-speed Internet service may wake up this morning to find their connection has gone off-line. A federal judge in San Francisco ruled...

Bill Proposes Federal Guards at Nuclear Sites.
December 1, 2001... Byline: Bob Wyss Dec. 1--Now that Congress has agreed to post federal guards at airports, it is turning its attention to protecting the nation's nuclear power plants, including those in nearby Waterford, Conn. and Plymouth, Mass. ...

Providence Journal, R.I., Speakers' Table.
December 2, 2001... Dec. 2--TUESDAY Credit Executives Association of Southern New England And Rhode Island Mortgage Bankers Association will hold their Annual Toys for Tots breakfast at 7:30 a.m., Dec. 11, at Metacomet Country Club, Veterans Memorial Parkway,...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Notes Column.
December 2, 2001... Byline: John Kostrzewa Dec. 2--IT ALL STEMS FROM CHANGE: Many local investors bailed out of CytoTherapeutics, the Lincoln biotech company, when it left Rhode Island in 1999 and moved to Palo Alto, Calif. The company later changed its name...

Providence Journal, R.I., People in Business Column.
December 2, 2001... Dec. 2--CITIZENS BANK James B. Fitzgerald, of East Greenwich, has been named chief financial officer and group executive vice president for accounting and finance. He oversees the accounting, corporate taxes and insurance and coporate...

Connecticut Casinos Partner with Retail Stores.
December 2, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 2--MONTVILLE, Conn.--Mall manager Joe Koechel strolls through the Casino of the Earth, the last leg of his daily commute, and his step is lifted by the song of bells and spilling quarters. Past the...

Providence Journal, R.I., Incorporations Column.
December 2, 2001... Dec. 2--There were 5,105 companies that filed incorporation papers with the Rhode Island secretary of state's office as of Nov. 23. KEY: Director (D), Incorporator (I), President (P), Agent (A), General Partnership (GP), Limited Partnership...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 2, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 2--QUESTION: I have a question about savings bonds that were given as gifts to my son, who is now deceased. Some of the bonds have me as a beneficiary on them. There are a few, starting in 1968, that don't have me...

U.S. Government Plans to Issue `Patriot Bonds' to Finance War.
December 2, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 2--Under the tree at Christmas this year, Americans may find an old gift wrapped up in new paper, courtesy of their Uncle Sam. The Series EE U.S. Savings Bond, which has been a staple among gift-givers for...

Investment Seminar in Warwick, R.I., Likely to Help Wide Range of People.
December 3, 2001... Dec. 3--WARWICK, R.I.--Individuals, families and small-businesses will be able to get a free assessment of their financial situations at a day-long forum on money matters Saturday at the Community College of Rhode Island. The event,...

Providence, R.I.-Based Textron Revises Deal to Sell Auto Trim Unit.
December 4, 2001... Byline: Bob Wyss Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Textron yesterday announced it has restructured its deal to sell its automotive trim and instrument panel business to a Michigan company and that it plans to complete the sale by the end of the...

Citizens Financial Group's Pennsylvania Operations Debut.
December 4, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 4--Though the deal closed at midnight Friday, the curtain on Citizens Financial Group's Pennsylvania show didn't rise until yesterday, when the bank opened for the first full day its 345 new branches acquired...

Two New Bidders Place Offers for Bankrupt Newport Creamery.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 5--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Two New England businessmen put separate bids on the table for bankrupt Newport Creamery yesterday that are higher than an earlier offer by a group led by Myrth York. Rhode Island...

Rhode Island Restaurateurs Try to Choose Next Course.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 5--How do you talk about a problem if the mere act of talking about it may make it worse? Theodore M. Fowler, chairman of the 2001 National Restaurant Association, says that dilemma is one tourism industry...

Providence, R.I, Toy Designer's Latest Collectibles Are Firefighters, Police.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 5--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--In April 1995, G.I. Joe creator Don Levine suddenly saw heroes who were far different from those of his childhood, far different from those who inspired his classic war toy. There, on...

Austin, Texas-Based Parent of Rhode Island Utilities Proposes Rate Cut.
December 5, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 5--Southern Union Co., the parent of Valley Gas and Providence Gas, has proposed lowering rates for customers of those utilities by about 3 percent to 4 percent. If the proposal is approved by state...

Bankruptcy Judge Could Make Decision in Rhode Island Restaurant Bid.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 6--Committed to saving a Rhode Island institution, Myrth York says she remains confident her offer to buy Newport Creamery is stronger than two higher bids submitted late Tuesday by New England businessmen. ...

Rhode Island Luggage, Leather Retailer Calls It Quits.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 6--After 136 years of helping New Englanders pack in style, Rhode Island luggage and leather retail chain T.W. Rounds & Co. is packing it in. The family-run business is liquidating its remaining stores in...

Drugstore Acquisition Deal to Increase Presence in Massachusetts, New England.
December 7, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 7--In a move that will dramatically advance its presence in Massachusetts and New England, the parent of Brooks Pharmacy said it has agreed to acquire 80 stores from competitor Osco Drugs for $240 million in...

November Sales Prove Disappointing for Many Retailers.
December 7, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 7--Mixing a cool economy with unseasonably warm weather is a recipe for disaster for many retailers, and November proved it: A lot of merchants served up pretty bland sales. In the month that counts as the...

Providence Journal, R.I., Speakers' Table.
December 9, 2001... Dec. 9--TUESDAY: --The Attleboro Chapter of Business Network Int'l (BNI) meets weekly from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Hearth & Kettle, Route 1, South Attleboro. For information, call (888) 314-4264. --The Newport Chapter of Business Network...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Notes Column.
December 9, 2001... Byline: John Kostrzewa Dec. 9--NOT EXACTLY A FRESH START: Nicholas Janikies, winner of last week's bidding war in bankruptcy court to buy Newport Creamery, said he still has plans to bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Rhode Island. His...

In a Recession, Gamblers Still Bet at Providence, R.I.-Area Casinos, Tracks.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 9--LINCOLN -- Flicking the ash off his cigarette, Anthony San Antonio settles down to explain why Lincoln Greyhound Park is full of gamblers on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of a recession. "Those...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 9--A DOUBLE-WHAMMY ON CAR LEASE TAX: A tax upon a tax? Isn't that the sort of thing the Colonists might have found revolting? Well, it's happening today in Rhode Island. People who lease cars must pay not only a...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 9, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 9--QUESTION: Remember when you could earn 6 percent on U.S. Savings Bonds? Whatever happened to those good old days? My question relates to . . . Series EE U.S. Savings Bonds . . . I have some bonds that I...

Working Poor Families Struggle to Find Affordable Housing in Rhode Island.
December 10, 2001... Byline: David Herzog Dec. 10--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Never mind those housing cost-to-household income indicators that economists like. Anne Nolan, the president of Travelers Aid of Rhode Island, has her own measure of the state's shrinking...

Rhode Island Hospital Unveils $60 Million Plan to Renovate, Expand.
December 10, 2001... Byline: Felice J. Freyer Dec. 10--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Rhode Island Hospital is about to launch its biggest building project since it opened the Hasbro Children's Hospital in 1994, with plans to double the size of the emergency department and...

Rhode Island-Based Lottery Company Notes 19 Percent Jump in Quarterly Sales.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 11--WEST GREENWICH, R.I.--GTECH Holdings Corp.'s sales rose 19 percent to $263.6 million during the third quarter, but the company said it expects to take an $11-million to $14-million charge in the fourth...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 11--When the U.S. Treasury starts selling a new style of savings bond this week, known as the Patriot Bond, take a look at the fine print for a special benefit that may interest you: a guaranteed rate of return....

`New' Savings Bond Honors Terror Victims.
December 12, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 12--The U.S. Treasury yesterday began selling a new style of savings bond -- the Patriot Bond -- partly as a way for savers to combat terrorism and honor those who were killed or injured as a result of the...

Some Jobless Workers Find Time Running Out on Unemployment Benefits.
December 12, 2001... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 12--A week or so after Vicki Gravel lost her job as a manager at the Gansett Animal Hospital in Pawtucket, she re-arranged the furniture in her bedroom. Next, she went through a box of her old Barbie dolls that...

Rhode Island Public Utilities Group to Pick Narragansett Electric Rate Plan.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 13--Should Rhode Islanders pay a little more for electricity next year in order to have the peace of mind that rates probably won't increase for the next three years? That's the question facing the...

Rhode Island Economic Group Changes Management of Venture Capital Program.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 13--The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation today hands over control of the state's venture capital conference, which it has run for three years, to the Rhode Island Technology Council. The EDC is...

Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission Approves Lower Rate Proposals.
December 14, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 14--The Public Utilities Commission yesterday delivered several holiday gifts to Rhode Islanders. It approved pending proposals from utility companies that will lower rates for electricity and gas for all...

Providence Journal, R.I., Speakers' Table.
December 15, 2001... Dec. 15--TUESDAY: The Attleboro Chapter of Business Network Int'l (BNI) meets weekly from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Hearth & Kettle, Route 1, South Attleboro. Speaker: Wendy Juergens, assistant director of BNI. Topic: How to build your business...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 15, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 15--If you expect to lose your job, of if you've already lost it, don't plan on unemployment compensation to cover all your expenses. If you're eligible for unemployment benefits (some people aren't), the...

Nostalgic, Homey Gifts Brighten Prospects for Some Rhode Island Merchants.
December 15, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 15--Shoppers rushing with their weekend fliers, sales slips nipping at their dough. New apparel being hung for a buyer, and merchants saying "Everything must go!" Everybody knows, if they are going to...

Providence Journal, R.I., People in Business Column.
December 16, 2001... Dec. 16--CITIZENS BANK: Jeffrey J. Kolarik, of Warwick, has been named senior vice president and regional group operations manager. He has been with the bank since 1999 and previously was vice prsident/items processing at Fleet Services Corp....

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 16, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 16--QUESTION: My wife closed out an IRA that she owned. What she did with the money is, she paid off a school loan that my son had . .. Her IRA was worth $10,000; she paid off school loans worth $8,000. What tax...

Providence, R.I.-Based Defense Company Supplies Missiles for War Effort.
December 17, 2001... Byline: Bob Wyss Dec. 17--WILMINGTON, Mass.--Despite all of the razzle-dazzle during the Persian Gulf war 10 years ago about the air attack on Iraq, only about 10 percent of the weapons dropped were so-called "smart bombs." Compare...

Immunex, Amgen Officials Say Acquisition Won't Change Rhode Island Plans.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 18--Immunex and Amgen officials insist that the Amgen acquisition of Immunex will not affect plans to spend more than $500 million in Rhode Island over the next three years to expand production of the...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 18--This is the first installment in a two-part MoneyLine series about coping with the financial and other aspects of losing your job. If you expect to lose your job, or if you've already lost it, don't plan...

Electric Boat Opens $12.4-Million Processing Center in North Kingstown, R.I.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Bob Wyss Dec. 18--NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.--The star attraction was the steel. Or maybe it was the 5,000-watt laser cutter and the high-definition plasma cutter which yesterday sliced through inch-thick sheets of steel like a hot...

Bus Firms Picking Up More Passengers.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Bob Wyss Dec. 19--The bookings are returning. Sixty phone calls came in one day this month at Classic Coach in West Greenwich. It took John and Rosemary Gauvin, who own the small motorcoach company, all day to answer them. ...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 19--This is the second installment in a two-part MoneyLine series about coping with the financial and other aspects of losing your job. The first part appeared yesterday. When God closes a door, He opens a...

Board at Rhode Island Hospital Network Names Hasbro President to Chairmanship.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 20--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Lifespan's board of directors has elected a new chairman -- Alfred Verrecchia, president and chief operating officer of Hasbro Inc. Verrecchia, who has been on the Lifespan board for...

Program May Extend Benefits to Former Mill Workers in Central Falls, R.I.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 20--As many as 400 former workers at Elizabeth Webbing Mills in Central Falls may be eligible for additional unemployment benefits and worker retraining funds through a program designed to help companies hurt by...

CORRECTION: Cranston, R.I., Investment Firm Faces Fraud Charges.
December 21, 2001... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 21--Providence Journal, R.I., has moved a corrected version of the story slugged PJ-INVESTMENT, moved by KRT Business News on Dec. 20. Please use that version, which follows: Cranston, R.I.,...

Discount Retailers Offer Off-Price Items in Providence, R.I., Area.
December 21, 2001... Byline: Genia Gould Dec. 21--Skateboards slightly dented in a truck wreck. Furniture legs damaged by a water leak in an Ethan Allen showroom. Discontinued blue Cuisinart food processors. These are the products that some discount...

New Chairman of Providence, R.I.-Based Hospital Network Plans No Changes.
December 21, 2001... Byline: Felice Freyer Dec. 21--The new chairman of Lifespan's board of directors yesterday signaled that a hands-off philosophy would guide him in his new role with the Providence-based hospital corporation. Alfred Verrecchia, chosen...

Lipstick Sales Rise Despite U.S. Economy Woes.
December 21, 2001... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 21--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--It has been called self-esteem in a tube. The red badge of courage. Poison. The waxy colors women in many parts of the globe smear on their smackers has, over the centuries, been coveted,...

High-Tech Woes in Massachusetts Affect Rhode Island.
December 21, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 21--As Massachusetts struggles to cope with thousands of unemployed workers cut loose by an ailing high-tech industry, Rhode Island appears to have dodged the technology rockslide. But a closer look at...

Hot Dog Manufacturer in Rhode Island Hopes to Reopen Soon.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Karen Lee Ziner Dec. 22--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--This much is true: Rhode Island without the "Saugy" would be as wrong as French fries without the vinegar. The deli-style dog long ago became an Ocean State institution. But now,...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 22--The U.S. Treasury on Dec. 11 unveiled a new type of U.S. Savings Bond, called the Patriot Bond. The Treasury also said at the time that the Patriot Bond would be available for sale immediately, either over the...

Retailers Hope for Big Weekend.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 22--Forget the golden rings and maids a'milking. Anybody who plans to shop on the third day before Christmas will need the golden rule and milk of magnesia. Squeezing into the malls on the last Saturday of...

Providence Journal, R.I., Speakers' Table.
December 23, 2001... Dec. 23--WEDNESDAY: The Business Exchange Club meets weekly at Bickford's restaurant, Seekonk. For business professionals interested in building business through member referrals. For information, call (401) 738-7250. Reservations are...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Notes Column.
December 23, 2001... Byline: John Kostrzewa Dec. 23--THE LIGHT OF HIS LIFE: Mark S. Hayward, the U.S. Small Business Administration's district director in Rhode Island, was surprised last week to learn he will be an Olympic Torch bearer in Fall River on...

New Chief Executive of FleetBoston Prepares for Post.
December 23, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 23--BOSTON--Somewhere between boarding school and the board rooms, Ivy League and integrations, Charles Gifford formed the philosophy for the job he is again about to take. It is a philosophy that...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 24, 2001... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 24--Every now and then he phones in a message for me on the answering machine at the office. He doesn't have to leave his name; I can tell by his voice that it's him. "Neil," he says, "Henry Stad here." Then,...

Providence Journal, R.I., M. Charles Bakst Column.
December 25, 2001... Byline: M. Charles Bakst Dec. 25--HOUSING UPROAR: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?: On Thanksgiving, I said it was obscene that the Almond administration was making a political football of those who struggle to find affordable housing. By...

Fall River, Mass., Economic Development Office Reports Bustling Loan Business.
December 26, 2001... Byline: Daniel Barbarisi Dec. 26--FALL RIVER, Mass.--This city has a problem -- and it's one that many other municipalities would love to have. Fall River reported record-setting loan activity this year, noting last week that it had...

Return of Christmas Gifts Begins in Warwick, R.I., Area.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Michael Corkery Dec. 27--The children were still sleeping off their Christmas dinners when Sandra McGowan left her Warwick home just after dawn yesterday. McGowan drove along a deserted Route 2 to the Target store, where her...

Providence, R.I., Stores, Employees Labor to Insure Mostly Happy Returns.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Michael Corkery Dec. 27--The children were still sleeping off their Christmas dinners when Sandra McGowan left her Warwick home just after dawn yesterday. McGowan drove along a deserted Route 2 to the Target store, where her...

Surveillance Slump Stumps Smithfield, R.I., Security-Camera Maker.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 27--SMITHFIELD, R.I.--Videology Imaging Solutions Inc. expected sales to jump after Sept. 11. The company makes video cameras -- the type that security companies put in surveillance systems. Carol Ethier,...

Discounts Save Seasonal Sales for Providence, R.I.-Area Retailers.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 28--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Grinch didn't need to steal Christmas this year; many retailers were all but giving it away. Early reports show that overall, holiday sales were just a shade better than...

Armonk, N.Y., Company Sells Its Providence, R.I., Silicon Products Business.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 28--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The parent company of American Silicon Products said yesterday that a pending sale of the Providence business should be positive for its employees, even though workers have yet to learn...

COMMENTARY: America Must Address Shipbuilding Drop.
December 29, 2001... Byline: Joseph D. Antinucci Dec. 29--The U.S. military's involvement in the war against terrorism has reinforced the role of sea power and our reliance on our Navy to get the job done. From aircraft flying off our carriers to surface ships...

EDITORIAL: Euro Makes Sense.
December 29, 2001... Dec. 29--The European Union takes a big step on the road to "ever-closer union" on Tuesday, when the euro replaces national currencies in 12 member states. Out go the franc, the mark, the lira and nine other ancient symbols of national...

Blue Cross of Rhode Island to Pay for Emergency Ambulance Services.
December 30, 2001... Byline: Scott Mayerowitz Dec. 30--The state's largest health insurer, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, has reversed a long-standing policy and will start reimbursing municipal fire departments for medical rescue runs. The...

Tough Times Return to Rhode Island in 2001.
December 31, 2001... Dec. 31--Rhode Islanders will start the New Year in the middle of the first recession in 10 years. The state's economy already was sputtering on Sept. 11 when two jets slammed into the World Trade Center in New York City. The...

Providence, R.I.-Area Community College Proposes Job-Training Center.
December 31, 2001... Byline: Marion Davis Dec. 31--The Community College of Rhode Island wants to open a job-training center at Quonset Point as soon as midwinter, hoping to tap into a growing demand for programs in everything from welding to business...

Memorial-Portrait Business in Cranston, R.I., Finds Niche.
December 31, 2001... Byline: S.I. Rosenbaum Dec. 31--CRANSTON, R.I.-- Paul Nelson sat in front of a computer screen, enlarging images of the dead. He retouched the photos, placed them on preconstructed backgrounds -- a dove for the women, a crucifix for...