Archive
April 13th, 2013
PAWTUCKET â Alfred Smith feels confident now that whenever he has to lie down on a floor, he has the ability to raise himself back up. This was a personal milestone for the 70-year-old man with developmental challenges, and he took his first step through an Adaptive Yoga project offered by Shri Studio.
PAWTUCKET â The project to replace the crumbling Pawtucket River Bridge, which carries I-95 over the Seekonk River between Exits 27 and 28, is now expected to be completed some time during the first half of August.
Thatâs the latest estimated completion date for the $81 million bridge project, which began in the fall of 2010.
April 12th
CUMBERLAND â For runners like Dave Constantino, the unicorn on the logo of the Boston Marathon has been fitting.
For nearly a decade at the hallowed 26.2-mile race, the 43-year-old Cumberland native has tried to track down his own personal unicorn â that is, break the 3-hour mark â but each time, heâs fallen short.
And he has come oh-so-close. Two years ago, his time was 3:04:46. The previous year, he ran a 3:07:40. And in 2006, his second trip to Boston, he turned in a 3:09:27.
PAWTUCKET â From a win-loss perspective, the Pawtucket Red Sox canât ask for much more. Winners of six of seven games, it seems that Mother Nature, not the opposition, is the teamâs toughest foe in the seasonâs early stages.
Fridayâs postponement of Rochester-Pawtucket marks the second time in three days that the pitter-patter of raindrops has come into play for Gary DiSarcinaâs ball club. This past Wednesday saw Pawtucket play two innings at Lehigh Valley before the game was halted in the second inning due to rain.
Gertrude Lebeau
PAWTUCKET - Gertrude Lebeau, 90, of Pawtucket, passed away Thursday, April 11, 2013 surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of Leo Lebeau. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Ernest and Gertrude (Houston) Vashey. Mrs. Lebeau was a lifelong resident of Pawtucket.
April 11th
PAWTUCKET â It was clear that David Ortiz was in no mood to stroll down memory lane.
Asked if he felt a touch of nostalgia upon returning to McCoy Stadium for the first time since the memorable three-game show he put on during the summer of 2008, the Red Sox slugger offered a wry smile. After being down for so long, itâs clear that Ortiz is using his rehab stint with the PawSox as a prime opportunity to make up for lost time.
âBeen a while, huh? Yeah, man, just coming down here to get some at-bats and get that engine going,â said a succinct Ortiz.
PAWTUCKET â As if enough confidence wasnât radiating from Jose Iglesias already, the shortstop was privileged enough to spend part of his Thursday afternoon with a noteworthy batting practice partner.
About two hours prior to first pitch, David Ortiz emerged from the clubhouse to get a few on-field swings. Fighting through the crowded wall of TV cameras and microphones, Iglesias had every intention of stepping in the cage the moment Ortiz needed a breather.
Iglesias may have been at McCoy Stadium, but it was clear that the big leagues were still on his mind.
PAWTUCKET â Mix burning wooden pallets with a propane-fed fuel source and what do you get? A massive blaze of the type that kept firefighters very busy on Lockbridge Street Thursday afternoon.
At around 12:40 p.m., a fire broke out at the J.S. Pallet Company, 60 Lockbridge St. According to Capt. Robert Thurber, the city's fire marshal, a malfunctioning drying device used in the pallet-making process set off a blaze in a trailer at the commercial facility.
PAWTUCKETâWith several comments made about the benefits of âan extra set of eyes,â the City Council on Wednesday voted to engage the services of city resident Alan Tavares as a fiscal watchdog during the upcoming budget process.
The council voted 8 to 0 to accept the volunteer services of Tavares, a retired financial official who lives on Pinecrest Drive. Councilor Jean Philippe Barros had been present at the meeting earlier but left prior to this vote.
Robert E. Gendreau
SEEKONK - Robert E. Gendreau, 80, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. He was the beloved husband of Norma M. (Poirier) Gendreau for fifty-eight years. Born in Pawtucket, a son of the late Armand and Lucy (Lagasse) Gendreau, he resided in the Hebronville section of Attleboro before moving to Seekonk in 1969.
Rae Ann Zavota
PAWTUCKET - Rae Ann Zavota, of Annie Street, Pawtucket passed away on April 10, 2013 at her daughters home in Seekonk Ma. She was the wife of the late John F. Zavota.
Mrs. Zavota was born in Pawtucket, the daughter of the late Raymond Boyle and Ann (Kane) Boyle. She worked in customer service for Shaws Market before retiring.
Mrs. Zavota is survived by her children, Kimberly Cordeiro and her husband Kevin of Seekonk Ma, John Zavota and his girlfriend Elizabeth Gatchell Pawtucket and Michael Zavota and his wife Megan of Pawtucket.
Ann R. Buckley
LINCOLN - Ann R. (Hunter) Buckley, 94, passed away on April 10, 2013 at Elmhurst Extended Care, Providence after an illness. She was the wife of the late Richard I. Buckley, Sr. and the daughter of the late Thomas F. and Jane (Campbell) Hunter and the stepdaughter of the late Mary (Neil) Hunter, and the sister of the late William J. Hunter.
PAWTUCKET â While Woonsocket students will be the first in the Blackstone Valley to begin their summer vacations with the last day of school on June 19, most other Valley schools, including Pawtucket, East Providence and Central Falls, will have their final days of the academic year somewhere during the week of June 20-26.
Blackstone-Millville Regional School students wonât be leaving for the summer until a full nine days later on June 28.
PAWTUCKET â Faced with the prospect of severe overcrowding at most of the city's elementary schools, Schools Superintendent Deborah Cylke is proposing that a majority of the incoming sixth graders be relocated to classrooms at Goff or Slater junior high schools in September 2013.
April 10th
Wednesdayâs announcement from the Rhode Island Principalsâ Committee on Athletics regarding the awarding of a two-year football officialsâ contract to a group from Massachusetts does not automatically spell the end of Rhode Island-based officials from overseeing games statewide.
What remains to be seen is just how many Rhode Island officials are willing to put hurt feelings aside and âbreak ranks,â those words coming from Bruce Guindon, a Pawtucket native and registered Interscholastic League official.
PAWTUCKET â A tip for those with plans to turn out at McCoy Stadium for the Pawtucket Red Soxâ home opener on Thursday night: Make every effort to get comfortably seated by around 6:15.
An elaborate pre-game ceremony laced with pageantry will directly lead into the 7:05 first pitch between Pawtucket and Rochester. The festivities commence with a tribute to neighboring police and fire units. The jubilant spirit inside the ballparkâs walls will undoubtedly remain at a fever pitch when the 2012 Governorsâ Cup champion PawSox are recognized as part of a special ring ceremony.
LINCOLN â Regarding the defending state championship unit he oversees, Lincoln High head coach Dick Ryan has very few reasons to feel nervous.
Even on a day that saw senior pitching standout Lindsay Mayer demonstrate that she is human after all, the Lions were still able to outclass the opposition in every conceivable sense. Lincoln was supplied by plenty of offensive fireworks and a stout defense that was on full display during the fifth inning of Wednesdayâs game when centerfielder Adriana Toro unleashed a cannon of a throw to nail a Smithfield baserunner at third base.
WOONSOCKET â On Monday afternoon at Slater Park, Tolman High mustered only one hit in a 3-0, extra-inning loss to defending Rhode Island Division I champion Lincoln.
Naturally, that was a point of contention for head coach Craig Giarrusso, who in practice has been working with his girls to produce more at the plate.
It showed, and then some, in a Division I showdown with Woonsocket on Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers bashed 14 hits, 11 of them in the final three frames, to post an easier-than-anticipated 8-0 victory at Cold Spring Parkâs Baldelli Field.
Margaret M. French
ATTLEBORO, MA - Margaret M. French, 74, formerly of Attleboro, died Friday, March 15, 2013 in Deland, Florida. She was the wife of William French. She was a daughter of the late John S. and Dorothy M. (Poirier) Grant. She had lived in Attleboro before moving to Florida in 2008.
She had worked for Leach & Gardner before retiring in 2002.
Mildred E. Hayden
CUMBERLAND - Mildred E. Hayden, 84, passed away Tuesday in the Philip Hulitar Center, Providence. She was the beloved wife of the late John F. Hayden.
Born in Central Falls she was the daughter of the late George A. and Florence (Schofield) Carr. She was a life long Cumberland resident.
Mrs. Hayden was a communicant of St. Patrick Church, Cumberland. She was also a former volunteer for Home and Hospice Care of RI for many years.
