Providence Journal (Providence, RI) articles from December 2002

Providence Journal (Providence, RI) archives from December 2002

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Notes Column.
December 1, 2002... Dec. 1--About 1,000 people stood and applauded when Governor-elect Don Carcieri rose to speak at last Monday night's business dinner organized by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. "I can tell expectations aren't very high,"...

Congress' Easing of Clean Air Act Draws Storm of Disapproval.
December 1, 2002... Byline: John E. Mulligan Dec. 1--WASHINGTON--Environmentalists are unhappy about the Bush administration's easing of rules on how industry complies with the Clean Air Act. The outcry has been louder from the Northeast than other...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 1--QUESTION: I recently attended a Providence Bruins hockey [game] at which time they do what they refer to as a 50/50 fundraiser. I bought 10 tickets at $1 apiece and I was the winning ticket and the prize was...

Cranberry Growers Stay in Market Despite Hard Times.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Daniel Barbarisi Dec. 2--The bog is empty now, just a dark brown thicket surrounded by a ditch and a dirt road. The harvest is finished, the cranberries carted off, and with fingers crossed, Mary McCaffrey anxiously awaits the...

Providence Journal, R.I., Environmental Journal Column.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Peter Lord Dec. 2--EPA TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS OF $20,000: Community groups, churches and other nonprofit organizations working on projects that address environmental problems at the community level are being invited to...

Rhode Island's Narragansett Tribe Embraces Harrah's in Proposed Casino Venture.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Zachary R. Mider Dec. 2--WEST WARWICK, R.I.--Embracing its former rival, the Narragansett Indian tribe has agreed to pursue a casino here with Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment. Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said yesterday...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 2--So you plan to retire at 65 and collect full Social Security benefits? Forget about it. Beginning next month, you'll have to work two months beyond your 65th birthday in order to qualify for full Social...

Many Shoppers Fear Financial Burden of Holiday Season.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 2--WARWICK, R.I.-- Karen Lavaglio is no Scrooge. Far from it. In fact, the working grandmother would love a visit from the ghost of Christmas past. Back then, at least, she could buy gifts without sweating...

Providence Journal, R.I., People in Business Column.
December 2, 2002

Hearing Will Revisit Massachusetts Casino Possibilities.
December 2, 2002

Amgen Releases More of New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 3--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Amgen Inc. has offered its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug to 40,000 new patients, wiping out the waiting list for Enbrel and possibly paving the way for the launch of its Rhode...

East Greenwich, R.I., Council, Legislators Decry Casino Proposal.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Andrew C. Helman Dec. 3--EAST GREENWICH, R.I.--Local legislators told members of the Town Council and School Committee last night that they oppose any attempts to build a casino in West Warwick. Council members and legislators...

With Harrah's Backing, Narragansett Tribe Tries for West Warwick, R.I., Casino.
December 3, 2002... Dec. 3--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Narragansett Indian tribe is back at the political table, renewing its push to win approval to build a casino in West Warwick, after 10 years of going bust in state politics. The push was on in earnest last...

Hopkinton, Mass to Explore Development Potential.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Katie Mulvaney Dec. 3--HOPKINTON, Mass--A team of consultants will soon examine the development potential near Exit 1 off Interstate 95. The Town Council last night unanimously selected Pawlowski Associates, Inc., of...

Rhode Island Workers to Face Tax Hike on Temporary Disability Insurance.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 3--CRANSTON, R.I.--The maximum tax that Rhode Island workers pay under the state's Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program will jump by more than 16 percent next year, agency officials said yesterday. ...

Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday Sales Rose 12 Percent this Year.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 3--Faced with long wish lists and a looming deadline, shoppers lifted retailers' sales and their spirits this weekend as they bought up billions of dollars in DVDs, apparel and toys. Sales on the three...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 3--I've received a lot of calls from readers in response to the Nov. 12 MoneyLine, which focused on the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against a local health insurer, UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc. ...

Sales During Post-Thanksgiving Weekend Lift Retailers' Spirits.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 3--Faced with long wish lists and a looming deadline, shoppers lifted retailers' sales and their spirits this weekend as they bought up billions of dollars in DVDs, apparel and toys. Sales on the three...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 3, 2002

Rhode Island Leads States with Lowest Percentage of Uninsured Children.
December 3, 2002

Coventry, R.I., Council Approves Harris Mill Redevelopment Plan.
December 3, 2002

Former Rhode Island Broker Files for Bankruptcy Protection.
December 4, 2002... Byline: David McPherson Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Under court order to repay millions of dollars he defrauded from investors, former Rhode Island broker Dennis S. Herula is seeking haven in the bankruptcy system. Herula last month...

Cable Television Rates Rise for Customers in Southeastern Massachusetts.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Cable television customers in Southeastern Massachusetts will pay an average of about 7.8 percent more for the most-popular level of service, beginning Jan. 1. The rate increases...

Massachusetts Gambling Panel Hears Pros, Cons of Slots, Casinos.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Daniel Barbarisi Dec. 4--FALL RIVER, Mass.--Massachusetts lawmakers looking to legalized gambling as the way out of the state's fiscal crisis lined up against clergy and concerned citizens fearful of its negative impact at a public...

CORRECTION: Hopkinton, R.I., to Explore Development Potential.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Katie Mulvaney Dec. 4--A story slugged, PJ-DEVELOP, moved by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News for Dec. 3, contained an error in the headline. The headline should have read Hopkinton, R.I., not Hopkinton, Mass. Please use...

Sweeping Renewal of West Warwick, R.I., Village Remains Undefined.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Zachary R. Mider Dec. 4--WEST WARWICK, R.I.--Spectators packing the Town Council chambers yesterday came away with a few new details of a massive building project proposed for Arctic, and they also had an early chance to voice...

Gaming Firm, Providence, R.I.-Area Tribe Paint Positive Picture of Casinos.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Mark Arsenault Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Harrah's Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian tribe started building their ideal casino last night -- in the hypothetical. Gary W. Loveman, who will become Harrah's CEO next month,...

Providence, R.I.-Area Retailers Beef Up Their Staffs to Handle Holiday Crunch.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--It doesn't take a Ph.D. to sell toys -- even if they are for really smart kids. So Jeff Catubig was a bit surprised at the qualifications of some of this season's prospective job applicants...

Pawtucket, R.I., Physicians Target Uninsured with New Primary-Care Service.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Felice J. Freyer Dec. 4--A primary-care doctors' group is offering low-cost medical care to uninsured and underinsured people, through an unusual arrangement that its founder believes has not been tried anywhere else. Hillside...

Rhode Island Governor Approves Response Plan against Outbreak of Smallpox.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Peter B. Lord Dec. 4--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Governor Almond yesterday approved plans to inoculate 1,200 key public health and safety workers across the state with a smallpox vaccine so there will be a "strategic reserve" of key workers...

New Zoning Plan for Wickford, R.I., Gets Mixed Reviews.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Erin Emlock Dec. 4--NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.--Changes in Wickford zoning regulations are getting mixed reviews from business owners in the historic village. A new zoning ordinance amendment makes village properties that were...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 4, 2002

Rhode Island Program Awards Amgen $563,438 Biotechnology Grant.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 5--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation yesterday awarded Amgen Inc. a $563,438 grant so the biotechnology giant can train 375 new workers for its drug manufacturing facility in...

Rhode Island Legislator Hopes for Anti-Casino Consensus.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Andrew C. Helman Dec. 5--EAST GREENWICH, R.I.--Area legislators are taking the first steps to build a coalition against the revived proposal for a casino in West Warwick, crystallizing sentiments aired at a meeting with the Town...

EPA Grant Would Assess Contamination in Woonsocket, R.I.
December 5, 2002... Byline: David McFadden Dec. 5--WOONSOCKET, R.I.--Vacant mill buildings, once the symbols of the region's vibrant commercial and industrial hub, could still have contaminants in the soil beneath them, a possibility that has scared many...

Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits Considers North Providence, R.I., Site.
December 5, 2002... Byline: S.I. Rosenbaum Dec. 5--NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I.--A Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits drive-through restaurant may be moving into a vacant lot on Mineral Spring Avenue, said Town Planner Leo Perrotta. The restaurant company has begun...

Rhode Island Has Nation's Highest Jump in Housing Prices.
December 5, 2002... Byline: John Castellucci Dec. 5--PAWTUCKET, R.I.--A federal report released Monday showed Rhode Island had the sharpest increase in housing prices in the country. Housing prices jumped 14 percent in the Ocean State for the year that...

Two Endangered Landmarks Hang On in Southeastern Massachusetts.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Mark Reynolds Dec. 5--One of the endangered landmarks is a 27-room Attleboro mansion -- the former home of famed jeweler Charles Tappan. The other is a former whale oil refinery -- a gabled New Bedford building with rubble...

Rhode Island Pension Fund to Keep Money in Stocks.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 5--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The State Investment Commission decided yesterday to keep the majority of the retirement system's $4.9 billion invested in the stock market and voted to expand its investments in real...

Johnston, R.I., Respiratory Therapy Business Expands Quickly.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Greg Coppa Dec. 5--Bernard F. Lambrese started out 16 months ago with two employees in a small office in Johnston. His business, Respiratory Solutions, Inc. now employs 40 people. The home respiratory-therapy provider plans to...

Public Gives Coventry, R.I., Cell-Tower Plan Cool Reception.
December 5, 2002

Former Rhode Island Broker's Pay-Back to Scam Victims Under Trustee Watch.
December 6, 2002... Byline: David McPherson Dec. 6--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The harsh words of U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi are likely to haunt Dennis S. Herula for a long time to come. "Unmitigated liar," fox guarding the henhouse and "one of the...

More Rhode Island Debtors Go for Broke.
December 6, 2002... Byline: David McPherson Dec. 6--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Holiday-happy shoppers, here's a tidbit to remember before you whip out that plastic: more and more debt-laden Rhode Islanders are declaring bankruptcy. And it's not businesses that are...

Fewer Shopping Days Hurt November Sales.
December 6, 2002

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 6, 2002

Incentives Seem Necessary to Lure Car-Buyers.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 7--Call it the Wal-Marting of the auto industry. Just as department stores have made coupons everyday fare, car manufacturers have come to rely on generous incentives to sell their vehicles. It started a...

Rhode Island's Bonanza Bus among Five Lines Sold to Peter Pan.
December 7, 2002... Byline: David McPherson Dec. 7--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Family roots are returning to Bonanza Bus Lines. Owned for the last few years by a Scottish transportation giant, Rhode Island-bred Bonanza and four other New England bus operators are...

Cessna Unit of Textron to Cut 1,500 Jobs.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 7--Sputtering demand for jets has forced the Cessna Aircraft unit of Textron Inc. to cut an additional 1,500 workers, or 13 percent of its work force, just two months after saying it would eliminate 400 jobs....

Nation's Seasonal Retail Hiring Retreats from a Year Ago.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Lynn Arditi Dec. 7--The nation's retailers last month employed about 15,000 fewer seasonal workers compared with November of 2001, suggesting they're expecting weaker holiday sales this season. The retail industry last month...

Rhode Island Council Seeks More State Funds for High-Tech Start-Ups.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 7--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Rhode Island Economic Policy Council says it plans to ask the General Assembly next year to double the amount of state money budgeted for start-up technology firms. It is also proposing...

Conference-Center Plan Envisions Taking Down Newport, R.I., Transportation Hub.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Richard Salit Dec. 7--NEWPORT, R.I.--A new wrinkle has been added to the long-debated revitalization of the Gateway Center transportation and tourism hub. City and civic leaders are now considering building a...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 7, 2002

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Notes Column.
December 8, 2002... Dec. 8--Rhode Island, Massachusetts leaders can't gamble on a quick fix Don Carcieri and Mitt Romney campaigned for governor on their business experience. They were elected by offering a change from politics as usual. Both promised to...

Providence Journal, R.I., People in Business Column.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Pat Pothier Dec. 8--KAHN, LITWIN, RENZA: Peri Ann Aptaker, of Providence, has been promoted to principal. She joined the firm in 2001 as director of financial planning. She concentrates on assisting clients with financial, estate,...

Newport, R.I., Officials Plan $10 Million Conference Center.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Richard Salit Dec. 8--NEWPORT, R.I.--City and tourism officials are preparing an ambitious effort to build an estimated $10 million conference center aimed at making Newport a more desirable convention destination. Mayor...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 8--I was on Wall Street a few years ago, visiting the offices of the National Association of Securities Dealers. That's the outfit that regulates brokerages, stockbrokers and a lot of financial advisers. (It's...

Wal-Mart Plans Distribution Center for Killingly, Conn.
December 8, 2002... Byline: Katherine Boas Dec. 8--Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, wants to build its second New England distribution center in Killingly, Conn., just over the state line. With the proposed warehouse would come 1,000 new jobs --...

Providence, R.I., Council to Consider Aquaculture Projects.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Alisha A. Pina Dec. 9--Two aquaculture projects will be discussed at tonight's Town Council meeting. One, which would use a town-owned dock at the Glen Manor House to grow oysters, was well received at the last council meeting. ...

Providence Journal, R.I., Speakers' Table.
December 9, 2002... Dec. 9--MONDAY: Providence Rotary Club will hold its weekly meeting at 12:15 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel, Charles and Orms Streets. Cost: $13. Topic: Rotary scholar presentation. For information, call 463-6013. --The New England Section of...

To Win Financing, Narragansett, R.I.-Based Small-Business CEO Perfects Pitch.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Andrea L. Stape Dec. 9--CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Cheryl Zimmerman sits on the couch with a nervous laugh. Less than 30 minutes until showtime and she looks relaxed. Already at least 100 people wait in the Massachusetts Institute of...

Rating Lowered to Junk-Bond Level for Cranston, R.I.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Scott Mayerowitz Dec. 9--CRANSTON, R.I. -- Saying that Mayor-elect Stephen P. Laffey's threat to default on an $18-million short-term loan is "something the bond markets did not stomach easily," Fitch Ratings has lowered its bond...

Newport, R.I., Conference Center Discussions Take Council by Surprise.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Richard Salit Dec. 9-- NEWPORT, R.I. -- A preliminary plan to build a conference center in Newport -- possibly on the site of the Gateway Center -- has excited some tourist industry members but caught City Council members by...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 9--I read the article (about) insurance limits on joint accounts, and I've gotten into an argument with someone over this. They told me that the rules with FDIC say that if you have an account in your name only,...

University of Rhode Island Scientist Tracks Pollution with Electricity.
December 9, 2002... Byline: Paul Davis Dec. 9--SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.--For more than a century, companies and landowners have dumped or buried chemicals in fields, rivers, ditches and woods. But how to find them? Today, most builders and developers rely on...

Providence, R.I., Review Panel Takes up Proposal to Build Hotel.
December 9, 2002

Plan for 13-Story Apartment Building Raises Concerns in Providence, R.I.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Gregory Smith Dec. 10--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--A 13-story apartment building has been proposed for a small parking lot on Canal Street at the foot of College Hill, behind Olive's bar. But members of a city review committee recoiled...

Landfill Cleanup in Providence, R.I., Would Create Green Space.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Karen A. Davis Dec. 10--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--In recent years, environmental and elected officials have worked to develop strategies to revitalize the Woonasquatucket River and convert nearby abandoned industrial sites into usable...

Snow Dampens Big Retailers' Holiday Spirits.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Lisa Biank Fasig Dec. 10--As predicted, the holiday shopping season is shaping up to be more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho, as retailers blame snow and crummy weather for limp-along sales in the first week of December. Wal-Mart said...

Providence Journal, R.I., MoneyLine Column.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Neil Downing Dec. 10--You'll soon see some key changes in the Rhode Island income-tax booklet -- if you get one. To print the booklet, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation plans to use a less expensive grade of paper. The tax...

Scientists Focus on Salt-Pond Pollution along Rhode Island's Coast.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Peter B. Lord Dec. 10--NARRAGANSETT, R.I.--When you look closely at Rhode Island's coastal salt ponds, you find less eel grass, too much nitrogen from septic systems and other sources and, in some cases, a sharp decline in incoming...

Central Falls, R.I., Small Business Workshops Target Latino Community.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Tatiana Pina Dec. 10--CENTRAL FALLS, R.I.--Adriana Isaza Dawson didn't expect much more than 15 people to come to the workshop but Progreso Latino's chapel was standing room only by the time it started. Forty-seven Latinos --...

Verizon's Rate-Increase Plan Rings True for Regulators.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Timothy C. Barmann Dec. 10--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Verizon Communications and a state agency have reached a compromise that would allow the telephone company to raise basic residential rates up to $1 per line per month next year and...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 10, 2002

Rhode Island Governor-Elect Intensifies Anti-Casino Stance.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Mark Arsenault Dec. 11--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Don't expect a casino to solve the state's financial problems, Governor-elect Don Carcieri said yesterday. And don't expect the new governor to support a casino project in Rhode...

Plan for 343 Condos Goes to Providence, R.I.-Area Zoning Board.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Randal Edgar Dec. 11--Under current zoning, the 97.8 acres owned by Highland Hills LLC in northeast Cumberland could be developed with about 40 single-family homes. Highland Hills intends to build 343 condominiums on the site....

Woonsocket, R.I., Developer Turns Vacant Textile Mill into Condominium Project.
December 11, 2002... Byline: David McFadden Dec. 11-- WOONSOCKET, R.I.--Can converting the mills of the city's former industrial glory into owner-occupied condominiums reweave the fabric of the former mill town? Burgeoning developer James Alarie believes...

Rhode Island to Expand Cleanup of Pascoag Ground Water.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Kate Bramson Dec. 11--The Department of Environmental Management is expanding its cleanup efforts at the former Main Street Mobil Station in Pascoag and plans to install a second remediation system to treat the community's...

Study Measures Rhode Island's Hospital Treatment.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Felice J. Freyer Dec. 11--Positioning Rhode Island at the forefront of a national movement, the state Department of Health yesterday released comparative information on how often 10 hospitals provided the recommended care for three...

Woonsocket, R.I., Medical Center Defends Patient Care.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Felice J. Freyer Dec. 11--Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket contends that it didn't get a fair shake in yesterday's Health Department report on hospital performance, saying its low scores for the treatment of heart attacks and...

New Location of Hotel Loading Dock Suits Providence, R.I., Panel.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Gregory Smith Dec. 11--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The developer of a proposed hotel on the site of the Fogarty Building downtown says that he can put the hotel loading dock on the south side of the building after all. That news...

Arguments in Rhode Island Lead-Paint Poisoning Case Submitted to Judge.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Peter B. Lord Dec. 11--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Atty. Gen. Sheldon Whitehouse is asking a Superior Court judge to take advantage of a "remarkable opportunity and responsibility" and rule for the state in its landmark lawsuit against eight...

Atlantic Coast Airlines Awaits Fallout from United.
December 11, 2002... Byline: David McPherson Dec. 11--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Most passengers probably do not even know its name, but the leading commuter airline operating at T.F. Green Airport has a big stake in the outcome of the United Airlines bankruptcy. ...

Providence Journal, R.I., Business Briefs Column.
December 11, 2002

Cranston, R.I., Officials Promises Bond-Rating Agencies City Will Pay Loans.
December 12, 2002... Byline: Scott Mayerowitz Dec. 12--CRANSTON, R.I.--City Council President-elect Peter T. Pastore Jr., trying to reassure bond-rating agencies, sending a letter to them Tuesday saying that he will ensure that the city does not default on its...