EAST PROVIDENCE — The Haven United Methodist Church Thrift Shop will be open on upcoming Saturdays, Jan. 18, and Feb. 1 from 10 a. m. to noon.

Enter the shop via the front door of the church located 200 Taunton Avenue. A wide selection of plus size clothing for men / women, shoes, coats, and sweaters are available. Donations can be dropped off at this time. Proceeds for roof repairs.

A submission to The East Providence Post print edition this week incorrectly stated the date as January 19.

Photos by Rich Dionne

Representatives from the East Providence Police and Fire Departments, the Rhode Island State Police and Department of Environmental Management participated in the search for Mr. Larue, whose whereabouts have been unknown since Thursday, Jan. 2.

EAST PROVIDENCE —  The City Of East Providence Public Works Department has announced that due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, Jan. 20, rubbish collections for the entire week will be delayed one day.

Residents are asked to have rubbish  containers at the curbline by 6 a.m.  for collection. For information call 435-7710 or 435-7701.

EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence Affirmative Action/EEO Office plans a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative program.

On the third Monday of January the country celebrates Dr. King’s birthday to remember his tireless fight for justice and equality.

The East Providence EEO invites the public to participate in commemorating his life and legacy by enjoying a movie based on Dr. King’s life and teachings.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” Dr. King often stated.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event locally takes place Thursday, Jan. 23, 6 to 8 p.m., at East Providence City Hall, 145 Taunton Ave., Third Floor, Conference Room 306.

People of all ages are welcome to attend this free event, which is sponsored by the City of East Providence Affirmative Action / EEO Office. Light refreshments will be served.

EAST PROVIDENCE — Alan Shawn Feinstein, the noted philanthropist, recently visited the Alice M. Waddington Elementary School in Riverside, a member building of the Feinstein Leadership program.

Last summer, Waddington students were among those asked to participate in an upcoming PBS documentary called “Good Deeds Program,” an initiative created to encourage students to perform “acts of kindness that make a positive difference in the lives of others.” In concert, their teachers “are provided with  incentives including grants for projects they undertake with their classes to help better their communities” through the program

During his visit to the school, Mr. Feinstein provided Waddington students with Junior Scholar cards, which let students and families enjoy community events/activities for free or reduced prices. Each student also received a journal to record good deeds. The documentary including Waddington students is set to air in February.

EAST PROVIDENCE — The  East  Providence  Public  Works  Department, Recycling/Refuse  Division has announced  a collection  time  delay  for  Wednesday,  Jan. 22.

Due  to  the  current  winter  storm  conditions  which  are  expected to continue  through  the  evening  hours  and  Wednesday,  residents scheduled  to have  rubbish  collection are asked to please wait until the morning morning to put your barrels out to the curb.  Collectors  will  not  start  to  pick  up  rubbish  until  8 a.m. This  will  give residents time to get barrels set out to the curb in the morning.

For more information please contact the Dept. of Public Works/Recycling office at or 435.7710.

EAST PROVIDENCE — Due to the excessive snowfall totals expected over the next 12 hours, all schools in the city, including parochial and private, have canceled classes on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

In addition, a parking ban remains in effect until further notice and the start of trash collection has been delayed until 8 a.m..

For an updated list of postponements click here…

EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence Emergency Management’s  vaccination clinic remains as scheduled on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the East Providence Senior Center, 610 Waterman Ave. Everyone aged six months and older can receive a flu shot at this event.

The strain of flu that is most prominent this year is H1N1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have observed that this strain is disproportionately impacting children, young adults, and middle-aged adults this year.
In addition to influenza vaccination, the clinic will offer vaccinations against pertussis (whooping cough), and pneumonia (see below). There is no cost for the vaccinations and health insurance is not a requirement. Anyone who is insured should bring his or her insurance card.

The East Providence Emergency Management webpage can be found on the City’s website, eastprovidence.com, under “City Departments Online.” Facebook users can find updates on the “EastProvEMA” page.

EAST PROVIDENCE — A planned public forum sponsored by the School Committee on the condition of East Providence High School scheduled for Wednesday evening, Jan. 22, has been postponed.

Classes Wednesday were canceled due to the overnight snow fall. In addition, School Committee Chairman Joel Monteiro noted City Facilities Manager Ed Catelli was left stranded out of town by the poor weather conditions. Mr. Catelli was expected to lead both a discussion on EPHS and a tour of ongoing and expected improvements needed in the building.

No new date has of yet been scheduled.

To the editor:

Monday, Jan. 20, was a holiday in celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, a national holiday.  I was home due to my company being closed in respect of this great man.

That afternoon I turned on my TV and “Judge Judy” was on, the segment that I watched involved two couples living next to each other in a neighborhood.

The first couple (complainants) had resided in their home peacefully for six years, they were suing the defendants for being a “nuisance”, the defendants moved in one-and-a-half years ago, and they were “countersuing” the complainants.

The defendants were frequently noisy and disruptive. Judge Judy asked very direct questions of both couples to determine who was right. Judge Judy viewed a video of three incidents of the defendants in their activities, and the disruption was proven, loud, excessive noise, police intervention, etc. The defendants were full of “stories” and “excuses” for their nuisance to the neighbors.

Judge Judy reprimanded the defendants and told them they were wrong in their actions, no one has the right to move to a neighborhood and be disrupting and prevent the residents from peaceful enjoyment of their homes. Judge Judy awarded the complainants $5,000 in damages and again reprimanded the defendants.

How simple and quick “Judge Judy” was in accessing one’s right for peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their home. How fast she levied a fine.

I want “Judge Judy” in Rhode Island, we need her quick assessment and good judgement and fast action, something my neighbors and I have not had the benefit of in any way, shape or form.

“Judge Judy “is absolutely correct – No one has the no right to move to a neighborhood and be disruptive and a nuisance!!!

I live in an old established part of this city, the houses are old, some historic, this is actually a “Historic District” – signs are posted on Roger Williams Avenue to that effect . We are being assailed by a stinky, noisy, dirty nuisance of a “recycle, c&d” company that moved too close to houses.

Photos have been repeatedly taken (including those below) and submitted to city and state, complaints formally lodged with the city and state, police have been called. This business owner was well aware of the proximity to residential properties,  so this is his bad choice,  the city allowed it and so did R.I. DEM.  the choice was not ours,  many protested but it was  allowed to happen! And, further insult, DEM has allowed this again after the massive clean-up of the TLA Pondview debacle!   We residents  should not have to continue to suffer!

D.E.M is at fault for the continuing of this type business at this site.

No one has the right to move to a neighborhood and be disruptive and a nuisance!

The on-going type business at 1 Dexter Road, East Providence, R.I. has habitually been a nuisance to the residents with noise, dust, odor, truck traffic…since 1998.

This is a dump – trash, old sofas, old chairs, TV’s, garbage,plastics, insulation, the list goes on and on, I have the photos to prove this, and the work on Sunday. The piles are uncovered and exceed berm height. The stench is back, particulates in the air potentially hazardous to the health of people(please look this up for yourself), dust is covering homes and Omega Pond, where it leaves a cover on the ice, horrendous noise is disrupting residents in their homes!

This weekend on a Sunday, Jan. 19, the police were called about the noise and responded two times to 1 Dexter Road. The work there continued on Monday, a national holiday, which means DEM can’t  respond to disturbances as they they have the day off. Where is our protection?

Seagulls are hovering and they are not attracted to “wood” – it is garbage.

The “Judge Judy” story reminded me of our plight – we are victims, the guilty party is full of “stories” and “excuses”, we have provided evidence of what is really going on at this site. The State and D.E.M .is failing we residents, and our tax dollars are paying the salaries, adding insult to injury!

Myself and my fellow neighbors want justice, we want to live in a peaceful, clean environment. We want protection and action taken against this reprehensible blight of a company.  It is in the wrong location and evidence and history proves this business cannot peacefully co-exist with residential neighborhood, nor can there be any trust in the following of rules, laws, regulations from this operation, the name may have changed but the game is the same.

“Judge Judy” levied a fine to be paid to the complainants for $5,000. for the year and half of “noise” disturbance, which was mainly two to three weekends a month – we in Rumford should be awarded far more that this amount each – we have been plagued by this type  nuisance business since 1998, and been affected by noise, dust, odor for many years! Do the math, I am sure “Judge Judy”  would agree we are entitled to a much greater compensation!

“Judge Judy” has it right – it is time the State of Rhode Island, the Politicians, the R.I. DEM, the court(s), the City of East Providence gets it right!

Corliss Blanchard

Rumford

Kristine A. Leland, of East Providence, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2013, at Rhode Island Hospital. She was the wife of Arthur R. Leland. Born in Providence she was the daughter of the late James and Elizabeth (Aylward) Seifert.

Kristine was a saleswoman for Avon, and a homemaker. Besides her husband she is survived by her son Theodore James Leland, two sisters Katherine Mello of Seekonk, Elizabeth Seifert of East Providence. She was the sister of the late James Seifert.

Calling hours for Kristine will be held Monday, Jan. 27, from 3-7 p.m. in the Smith-Mason Funeral Home, 398 Willett Ave., Riverside. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Forest Chapel Cemetery, Barrington.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of Kristine to the charity of your choice. Visit smithmason.com for online condolences.

DALLAS, TEXAS — Having scored a role in a Broadway-style touring production fresh out of college, city native and aspiring actor Dan Tracy is both appreciative and excited about the rare opportunity he’s earned in the role of “Tunny” in “American Idiot,” the musical adaptation of punk rock band Green Day’s multi-platinum album of the same name.

City native Dan Tracy is shown in a still-photo from opening night as “Tunny” in the musical “American Idiot.”

“It’s going pretty well,” Mr. Tracy said by phone last week. “The show has been well received. I’ve had a really good time visiting the 20 cities we’ve been to so far and I’m looking forward to another 40 we have to go.

“We just had a week’s sit-down here in Dallas. I have no complaints. Everything’s going well. It’s a very different kind of show than most musicals. It’s very athletic. It takes a toll on our bodies. I was kind of running on fumes there for a while, but I’m ready to go. I’m really looking forward to coming back to the northeast.”

The foundation

It was Mr. Tracy’s decision to attend college in the midwest, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, that played a significant role in his landing of the part in “American Idiot.”

“I got this job basically because I went to Michigan. I owe a lot to the people there. It was such a competitive atmosphere. I had to improve if I wanted to survive,” he explained. “They really do teach you how to be a professional there. You’re a commodity and you have to sell yourself. The people at Michigan really prepared you to get into the business.”

It was during the annual UM “Senior Showcase,” when showbiz producers, agents and casting directors descend upon Ann Arbor to scout the latest crop of talent, that he first caught the eye of those involved with “Idiot.”

“The casting director was in the audience. He liked what he saw. Then it was five months of trying to prove myself to them. They put me through the ringer. I had seven auditions before I finally got the part. I guess I did some things right,” Mr. Tracy quipped.

An admitted ham as a child, who liked to be the “center of attention,” Mr. Tracy was raised in a family that appreciated music and theatre. He also credited two of his childhood mentors, LaSalle Theatre Director Tom Haynes and St. Margaret Music Instructor Ron Precopio, as having the most direct influence on his pursuit of a career in the arts.

“LaSalle was the building block for me to get into Michigan. Tom Haynes told me I could do it. He had the confidence in me. He’s also the one who sat down with my family, with my mother (Molly) and my father (Kevin), and kind of convinced them, my father especially, that I should pursue this,” Mt. Tracy said. “And Ron Procopio is the really the reason why I’m a performer. He’s the one who got me started in the choir, took us to PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center). He knew I had the bug. I thank both of those men for what they did for me.”

The part

The role of “Tunny” presents challenges to any actor due to his complex, aggressive nature and because of the physical limitations he incurs.

“Tunny,” along with “Will,” are two best friends of “Idiot’s” protagonist, “Johnny,” all of whom face some form of struggle as they move into adulthood. Mr. Tracy’s “Tunny” eventually leaves his home town, “Jungle Town,” for the “big” city. Still without direction, he joins the Army, sees combat in a Middle East conflict and loses a leg. He returns home continuing his search for meaning in his life.

“He doesn’t fit in. He gets into the hardcore music scene. He’s a rebel. He has 13 tattoos. He’s searching for a purpose in his life,” Mr. Tracy said of his character. “He joins the Army, is wounded, his leg is amputated, he gets the Purple Heart. He falls in love with a nurse. He comes home still trying to figures things out.”

With dozens of shows now under his belt, Mr. Tracy said his understanding of the character and his performances continue to improve each time he takes the stage.

“I feel like I’m developing the character more and more every night. I started in a place where I felt like it was this other person I was trying to create. Now I feel as though I know the character and there’s more and more of me in him every day,” Mr. Tracy said of “Tunny.”

“A lot of that has to do with the director and the producers,” he continued. “They’ve given us a lot of freedom to explore the characters and express ourselves. It’s an awesome opportunity to have as a performer.”

As for working impaired at times due to “Tully’s” amputation, Mr. Tracy is quick to acknowledge the set crew for their work.

“I’ve got a wheelchair rig and other times my leg is hidden,” he added. “The crew has done a great job with it. I actually have had people come up to me congratulating me for doing the role with my disability or asking if I’m an amputee. I tell them, no, I have both legs.”

The reception

“Idiot” has played pretty much to positive reviews throughout its run. According to promotional literature, it’s a one-act, through-sung stage musical, which began in California in 2009 then debuted on Broadway a year later before ending its year-long stay on the “Great White Way” in 2011. There’s been two previous touring productions. The third and current tour is expected to be its last.

The musical takes its cue from Green Day’s album, which was released in 2004 and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, 6 million alone in the United States. Green Day lead singer, guitarist and lyricist Billy Joe Armstrong is responsible for nearly all of the material on the record and the musical. Director Michael Mayer is also credited for his contribution to the Broadway production. Fans of the band have helped the musical approach the same level of success as the album upon which it’s based.

“It’s been really nice to have the support of the audience for a show like this,” Mr. Tracy said. “As a performer, it makes you give even more when the crowd is into it like they’ve been. It’s like a rock concert. It’s great to get that kind of feedback. I’m excited to get that type of emotion when we get back near home.”

The next step

Mr. Tracy and his “Idiot” castmates are signed to the show through the end of the tour this spring. Unfortunately, he’ll still be on the road when other productions, including television pilots, are being cast, but he intends to pursue all avenues available to him when his run with “Idiot” ends.

“Hopefully I can continue to ride this wave and see where it takes me,” Mr. Tracy added. “I thought about going back to school for producing, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just going to continue on. I’d like to eventually write and direct as well. You’ve really got to able to do it all in order to support yourself, to make a living in this business.”

“American Idiot” the musical comes to the northeast over the next few weeks. Upcoming area performances show, which Mr. Tracy noted is “R rated. There’s some explicit content,” include: Amherst, Mass., Feb. 4, UMass Concert Hall; Portland, Maine, Feb. 6, Merrill Auditorium; Boston, Feb. 7-9, Boston Opera House; Burlington, Vt., Feb. 11-12, Flynn Center; Morristown, N.J. Feb. 13, Mayo Performing Arts Center; Waterbury, Conn, Feb. 15, Palace Theatre. For ticket information visit www.americanidiotthemusical.com.

PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School boys’ indoor track and field team, second during the regular season dual meet competition, finished a disappointing sixth Saturday, Jan. 25, in the 2014 Metropolitan Division Championship Meet held at the Providence Career and Tech Academy Field House.

The Townies mustered only 29 points competing against the rest of their Metro brethren. Dual meet champ Classical followed up its unbeaten regular season by sharing the division meet title with LaSalle, each compiling 117 points. The Rams improved significantly from their fourth-place finish in the dual meet standings.

Third during the regular season, Barrington matched that finish Saturday with a total of 52 points. Moses Brown finished fourth with 46 followed by Central in fifth with 39.

East Providence’s 4×800 meter relay team of Ryan Vieira, Alex Gorman, Chris Santos and Mike Monagle delivered the best result for the Townies, the quartet running a second-place time of 8 minutes, 45.8 seconds. LaSalle won the race in a time of 8:15.7.

Of note as well locally for the Rams, city native Jack Salisbury won the 1,500 meter race in a time of 4:09.3. The LaSalle sophomore added a third-place run of 2:43.3 in the 1,000.

Santos and Vieira were also part of East Providence’s third-place run in the 4×400 relay, the pair joined by Alejandro Duarte and A.J. Andrade in clocking a time of 3:45.9.

In the third of three relay events, the Townies’ team of Jayden Chase, Eddie Andrade, Trystan Casey and Ryan Williams ran fourth in the 4×200 with a time of 1:36.7.

Santos was the lone East Providence runner to place individually, running a 1:31.2 to finish sixth in the 600 meters.

In the field events, Tom Lopes and Leon Edmonds each recorded fourth-place results for the locals. Lopes cleared 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump. Edmonds threw 41’9″ in the shot put.

East Providence head coach Bob Lyons chalked up the Townies’ performance Saturday to some poor efforts, injuries, a couple of key absences and not enough preparation on the part of the staff.

“I’m feeling terrible for my kids. I feel bad for kids they have worked hard all year. Only thing to do is go back to work on Monday and coach the kids up and just tell them to do the best they can with what we have,” Coach Lyons added.

The Townies return to the PCTA Field House Saturday, Feb. 1, to vie in the Class A Championship Meet.

— Photos by Tim Marshall

EAST PROVIDENCE — While not in any danger of going away entirely in the near term, there’s a real chance the traditional Thanksgiving Day gridiron rivalry between East Providence High School and LaSalle Academy will suffer greatly in significance if a plan forwarded by the state’s football coaches committee is implemented by the Rhode Island Interscholastic League as expected.

The annual holiday showdown between the Townies and the Rams, the longest running Turkey Day contest of teams from Rhode Island (the game between Westerly and Stonington, Conn. is older) is likely to become a non-league contest once a restructuring of the playoff schedule is implemented.

The coaches committee and the RIIL have each expressed their desire to have all preliminary round postseason games played the week prior to the Thanksgiving, as has been the case for the last several years in the Division II ranks.

The governing bodies cite a very crowded schedule, which has seen teams, including E.P. and LaSalle, play three meaningful and physical contests (Thanksgiving, a semifinal and the championship Super Bowl) in a span of 10 days, as the reason for proposing the change. And to accomplish that, teams would have to complete their regular season schedules by the second week of November.

East Providence and LaSalle, both in Division I, have counted their holiday outing as a league contest. In order to meet the new guidelines, however, Thanksgiving would in the future be considered a non-league game, one that doesn’t count in the D-I standings, or possibly serve as a playoff game if the Townies and Rams are matched up in the semifinals, according to East Providence Athletic Director Bob Duarte.

“The game is not going away,” Mr. Duarte stressed. “But there’s a possibility that when we play on Thanksgiving it will be a non-league game. The (RIIL) wants to start the playoffs the Friday before Thanksgiving. Obviously, the LaSalle-East Providence (Thanksgiving) game would become irrelevant if we play earlier in the season.”

It’s likely the complaints of East Providence and LaSalle have fallen on deaf ears to a certain extent because, as it stands under the current alignment of the state’s four football divisions, only four schools are affected by the potential change. Besides the Townies and Rams counting Thanksgiving as a league game, the intracity showdown between Cranston East and West is also a Division I league outing. Officials from those schools, however, support the change, Mr. Duarte said.

He added, “It’s only really those four schools that are affected, and the Cranston schools want it. They want to the two games each season, the two gates (ticket revenue).”

Though the two-gate possibly may seem enticing for E.P. and LaSalle, administrators at the schools are looking at the potential downside of the change. The Townies and Rams, at their peak when both teams are strong, can draw upwards of 10,000 patrons to Pierce Memorial Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, when alumni at the schools are keenly interested and several return to the state to visit relatives.

“We’ve voiced our displeasure with the proposal, East Providence and LaSalle,” Mr. Duarte continued. “We feel that there’s the potential to hurt the gate if we’ve already played earlier in the year. We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible. A lot of people attend the game based on its significance as a league game. If it’s not as significant, then it’s likely not as many people will want to come watch it.”

If the game were a playoff semifinal contest, of course it would only add to the luster of the rivalry. But if the game doesn’t count in the standings, then Mr. Duarte is afraid it would basically turn into an exhibition if one or both teams are still in the postseason picture.

“There will likely be no desire on the part of the coaches to play the game hard if they have a championship game to prepare for the following week. They wouldn’t want to get anybody hurt,” Mr. Duarte said.

A formal declaration by the RIIL is expected to be made in the next few weeks.

“We haven’t heard anything yet. I’m sure we will soon, but I don’t think it’s going to be what we want to hear,” Mr. Duarte added.

PROVIDENCE  – The office of United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha announced David Crisostomi, 38, of East Providence, was sentenced Wednesday, Jan. 29, to 35 years in federal prison for using a prepubescent minor to manufacture child pornography and for possessing and distributing child pornography.

Mr. Neronha was joined in the announcement by Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field office of the FBI.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Mr. Crisostomi to serve lifetime supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Mr. Crisostomo pleaded guilty on March 12, 2013, to three counts of production of child pornography and one count each of possession and distribution of child pornography. At the time of his guilty plea, Mr. Crisostomi admitted to the court that on at least three occasions he participated in the recording of child pornography with a prepubescent minor, and that he downloaded and shared child pornography with others.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “A child’s innocence, once taken, can never be fully recovered.  The defendant preyed on the most vulnerable and the most deserving of our protection.  Every day of his very long sentence is warranted.  I want to thank all those who helped bring this defendant to justice, in particular the men and women from various law enforcement agencies who make up the Rhode Island State Police ICAC and the FBI, who consistently demonstrate extraordinary leadership in this critical area.”

According to information presented to the court, on January 6, 2012, an undercover agent from the FBI’s Innocent Images Operations Unit observed that a user later identified as David Crisostomi was online and was sharing two folders containing child pornography.  Three days later, an undercover agent observed that Mr. Crisostomi was online and was now sharing four folders containing child pornography.

On February 16, 2012, agents from the FBI and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a federal search warrant at Mr. Crisostomi’s residence and seized numerous images and videos depicting child pornography, computers and other electronic devices.

Mr. Crisostomi has been detained in federal custody since his arrest on February 16, 2012.

Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police commented, “The underlying facts uncovered in this investigation resulted in this sentence.  For more than the next three decades, this defendant will not be a threat to any children, which is comforting.  I commend the investigators from the State Police ICAC Task Force, the FBI Agents and the prosecutors for bringing a predator to justice.”

“Mr. Crisostomi will sit for 35 years where he belongs,” said Vincent Lisi, the FBI Special Agent in Charge who is responsible for the FBI in Rhode Island. “The public should know we have many deeply committed special agents actively searching for individuals of Mr. Crisostomi’s kind.  For others like him, his sentence should be a clear warning that there is nothing more important to the Rhode Island State Police, United States Attorney’s Office and FBI than ensuring the safety and protection of our children from those who harm them.  We spare no effort when innocent children are manipulated or harmed by adults.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

PROVIDENCE — The tradition of the East Providence High School-LaSalle Academy Thanksgiving Day, though still intact, will for the time being, at least, be fundamentally altered.

The expected became official Thursday, Jan. 30, when the Rhode Island Interscholastic League issued a press release from the most recent Principals Committee on Athletics meeting held the previous day where the governing body formally approved changes proposed by the football coaches association to the structure of high school football playoffs.

As written in the minutes of the meeting, “Beginning in the fall 2014 season all League games that were played on Thanksgiving Day must be played during the regular season. As a result, all semifinals football games will be played on the Friday before Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving Day games will be played as non-league games and the division (I, II, III and IV) championship games will be played a minimum of eight (8) days after Thanksgiving.”

The move specifically affects just six of the near 50 football playing schools in the league — East Providence and LaSalle, Cranston West and Cranston East, Smithfield and North Smithfield — whose Thanksgiving Day games are played on Thanksgiving. Only representatives from East Providence and LaSalle, however, voted in opposition to the coaches’ proposal. The Townies and the Rams, who have played on the holiday 85 times since 1929, have the longest standing Thanksgiving Day rivalry between schools from within the state.

“The way I feel is there was no recourse. It was going to be done regardless,” said East Providence Athletic Director Bob Duarte, who attended the Thursday Principals meeting. “It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the game wasn’t such a huge tradition, but it is. East Providence and LaSalle have been playing on Thanksgiving Day for 80, 90 years. It is a big deal, but it won’t be anymore, and I hate for the game to be relegated to just another game, but with this decision it has.”

The news came as no shock to legendary East Providence High School head coach John “Sandy” Gorham, who has participated in the Townies-Rams holiday rivalry as either a player, coach or interested observer for the better part of the last 45 years.

“We knew it was coming. You didn’t have to be a wise man to see which was the wind was blowing,” Coach Gorham. “We knew what was driving the Interscholastic League was they felt the playoffs games should be played before Thanksgiving so you would 10 full days off before the Super Bowl. I guess they’re right to a point. And once the (Interscholastic League’s) medical advisory supported the move, we knew it was just a matter of time.”

East Providence and LaSalle will face each other in the early part of the Division I regular season, some time in either September or the beginning of October the latest, according to Coach Gorham. The schools still plan to maintain their traditional holiday game, but its two most important aspects — competition and financial — will be impacted dramatically due to playoff revision.

“Does it hurt? Yes. It hurts the tradition of the game. It hurts the gate,” Coach Gorham continued. “Let’s be honest, we’re not as good as we once were and LaSalle is who they are. They beat us 30-6 last year. They’ve won the last seven (Thanksgiving) games. Who’s going to want to come watch that game if played once already during the season?

“And in the years when we are fortunate to be one of the four playoff teams, and if we both make it to the Super Bowl, then Thanksgiving is going to turn into a junior varsity game. The starters may play a series or two, but the coaches aren’t going to want to risk injuries with the state championship game still left to be played. Needless to say we”re very disappointed.”

There was a chance the Thanksgiving Day could be used as a semifinal playoff game between the schools, but a precise reading of the amended rules on scheduling seem to remove that possibility. Mr. Duarte, however, said it’s possible the schools could ask for special dispensation from the RIIL to conduct Thanksgiving as a playoff game if necessary.

“It killed the fun of the game, killed the tradition,” Coach Gorham concluded. “Barrington and Mt. Hope (Thanksgiving Day) is still a ‘big’ game because they’re not in the same league and they only play once. But it came down to only East Providence and LaSalle and one or two other leagues games, and we weren’t going to hold up what the Interscholastic League. There was nothing we could do.”

EAST PROVIDENCE — Investigating the case since last fall, East Providence Police Detectives have recently been able to identify the suspect in an unsolved theft case as Cameron Pezza, whose last known address is in North Providence.

Mr. Pezza, 19, is the suspect involved in the theft of a wallet from a parked vehicle at the East Buffet, 52 Narragansett Park Drive, East Providence, in September of 2013. He is described as being of medium build and height.

Shortly after the theft, Mr. Pezza was observed in surveillance camera photos (shown below) fraudulently using a Bank of America credit card at the CVS located at 1919 Mineral Spring Ave. in North Providence.  The suspect used the stolen credit card to purchase numerous pre-paid gift cards.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Mr. Pezza, please contact East Providence Police Det. Jose Taveira at 401-435-7600 x 20037.

The case is one of 16 still listed as outstanding on the East Providence page at www.rimostwanted.org, where the information for this report was initially posted.

PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School indoor track and field teams competed in their respective class championship meets Saturday morning, Feb. 1, at the Providence Career and Tech Academy Field House, the Townies placing seventh in the boys’ Class A event and eighth in the girls’ Large Class competition.

In the girls’ meet, LaSalle edged out Classical for the title, the Rams recording 113 points to the 92 of the Purple en route to their eighth Large Class title in a row. E.P. scored 14 points.

Senior Rachael Finn provided the Townies with their top individual result, a leap of 17 feet, .5 inches in the long jump to finish second. Annabelle Hauck of Cranston West won the event with a distance of 17’3.75.”

Finn also ran sixth (7.81) just behind teammate Sierra Cunningham in fifth (7.65) in the 55 meter dash. Quashira McIntosh of Hope won the dash in 7.36.
Cunningham chipped in with a solo fifth, running a 44.3 in the 300 meters. Classical’s Alicia Holloway won in 43.41. She and Finn also ran legs of East Providence’s sixth-place effort (1:52.76) in the 4×200 meter relay along with Tayla Carnevale and Kaitlyn Bellamy.

Hendricken won another boys’ Class A title Saturday with 116 points, the 21st consecutive title for the Hawks. North Kingstown was second with 93 and LaSalle, aided by city native Jack Salisbury, was third with 76. The Townies scored 15 points.

Alejandro Duarte and Matt Horton paced the locals, each finishing third in an event. Duarte did so in the long jump covering 20’9.” Lee Moses of Hendricken won at 23 feet even. Horton was in the show position in the 55 meter hurdles, clocking an 8.41. Max Leatham of Chariho won the event in 8.1.

The Townies’ 4×200 relay of Jayden Chase, Duarte, Eddie Andrade and Trystan Casey ran fifth in 1:38.6. Also for the locals, Leon Edmonds threw sixth (42’6.5″) in the shot put while the E.P. 4×4 of Chris Santos, Duarte, Mike Monagle, Eddie Andrade (3:43.3) and 4×8 of  Santos, Ryan Vieira, A.J. Andrade and  Monagle (8:48.4) took the same positions.

LaSalle’s Salisbury won the 1,000 meters in a time of 2:35.2.

Those athletes who have yet to earn a spot in the upcoming state meet can do so this week at various last-chance qualifying competitions. The 2014 R.I. Indoor State Championship Meet takes place Saturday, Feb. 15, at the PCTA Field House beginning at noon.

PROVIDENCE — State Representative Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence) has submitted two bills early in the 2014 session to address school security issues, pieces of legislation she also submitted last year in the wake of the  Newtown, Conn.

“Despite our country’s promise to work toward preventing future tragedies like the one in Connecticut, it seems all that work has been put aside and the mental health community’s pleas have been ignored,” Rep. Kazarian said. “I still hold the belief that prevention of these types of tragedies is possible. Our schools are in desperate need of more resources that will help students and families deal with a range of mental health and behavioral issues. Mental health issues have been pinpointed as the root cause for the devastating school atrocities and we need to do more to recognize these issues in our schools and help treat them.”

The first bill (2014-H 7218) would require all public schools in grades kindergarten through grade 12 to have at least one full-time certified school social worker for every 400 students, per last year’s recommendation from the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA). This year, SSWAA endorsed a new model which recommends one social worker for every 250 students. Representative Kazarian noted that it may be impossible for Rhode Island to adapt to that model with budgetary concerns across the state being so prevalent.

“We have to improve what we have to the best of our ability,” Rep. Kazarian said. “The 400-to-1 ratio was endorsed as recently as last year, and that still stands as a much more acceptable system than what we have. A lot of legislation that passes through state government is a compromise, and I think this is a reasonable one.”

The National Association of State Boards of Education notes that Rhode Island’s Board of Regents Regulations for Elementary & Secondary Education Governing the Education of Children with Disabilities only requires a school district with 2,500 students enrolled in public and non-public schools to employ one full-time social worker.

House cosponsors of the legislation, which has been referred to the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, include fellow East Providence pol Rep. Gregg Amore (D-Dist. 65).

The second bill (2014-H 7206) is a resolution asking for an increase in the state’s appropriation for community mental health centers across Rhode Island and appropriate outreach programs. Rep. Kazarian said the state needs both types of investments in order to provide adequate protection and support for students and society at large. Especially in the aftermath of Newtown, there is a renewed focus on mental health and how communities, states and the nation can attack related problems.

“The community mental health centers are the key to identifying issues and providing treatment,” she added. “Many of our nation’s leaders – including President Barack Obama – are calling for increased access to treatment and better outreach programs in both schools and our local communities. This focus on mental health treatment is not a complete solution to problems like Newtown and other highly visible issues in all our cities and towns, but it is necessary. We all have people in our lives who at certain times probably require some type of assistance. If these bills help them access what they need, it is a worthy cause.”

Among the bills co-sponsors in the House are Ms. Kazarian’s fellow East Providence representative Gregg Amore (D-Dist. 65).

EAST PROVIDENCE — St. Mary Academy-Bay View junior Elizabeth Guarino, of Lincoln, recently earned the honor of skating as a member of Team USA 1 at the Synchronized Skating Junior World Challenge Cup being held in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in March 2014.

Ms. Guarino qualified as a member of the Hayden Synchronized Skating Team, the Lexettes, out of Lexington, Mass. She has been skating since the age of eight and has skated for the Hayden Teams for the past three years at the Novice level and now skates at the Junior level. This is the second consecutive year that the Lexettes have won this honor.

Liz Guarino

The selection was made at the Junior World Team Selection Competition held in conjunction with the Foot of the Lake Synchronized Skating Classic this month in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In addition to the Junior World Challenge Cup, the Lexettes will be one of the teams to represent the USA in the Junior division at the French Cup in Rouen, France. This is an International Skating Union sanctioned event that the Lexettes were assigned to based on last season’s accomplishments.

Ms. Guarino traveled to Rouen  last week to participate in this international competition, which ran from January 30 through February 1. In addition to skating with the Lexettes, Ms. Guarino also skates locally with the Pawtucket and Providence Figure Skating Club.