Latest news with #Pawtucket
23-05-2025
R.I. State Crime Lab passes accreditation review. Its director remains under scrutiny.
Rhode Island Crime Laboratory Director Dennis Hilliard sits before the commission that monitors what happens at his lab during its quarterly meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Rhode Island State Crime Lab Director Dennis Hilliard says he is still struggling to fill three open positions for firearms examiners, nine months after an investigation found discrepancies in testing conducted at the troubled lab. But the State Crime Laboratory Commission put Hilliard's job performance under the microscope during a 90-minute closed-door meeting Thursday at the Cranston office of the Rhode Island Attorney General. Hilliard, who earns $143,628-a-year as lab director, a position he's held since 1992, waited in the lobby while four of the five commissioners met in a conference room. 'Just to let you know, the person they're going to discuss is me,' Hilliard, 70, told reporters. The lab in Fogarty Hall on the University of Rhode Island's (URI) Kingston campus temporarily suspended toolmark testing last August after discrepancies were found in lab results for casings from a Glock pistol seized as evidence in a 2021 Pawtucket murder case. The casings were flagged as matching a different firearm in possession of the Boston Police Department. That led to delays in nearly two dozen criminal cases, which underwent re-testing at labs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Hilliard told the commission that all those cases have since been verified. Commissioners had copies of a report by an assessment team from the ANSI National Accreditation Board, which visited the lab in March. The report found 'no issues with the competency of the examiners' who now handle evidence for firearms, trace evidence, and latent prints at the lab. But it did find the lab did not conform with 15 of 172 professional standards or 91.3%. Hilliard said the issues were mostly paperwork-related and that staff were working to address them in order to maintain accreditation. The executive session took up half the commission's quarterly meeting. Deputy Attorney General Adi Goldstein, who chairs the panel as a designee of the AG's office, announced that no action was taken following the commission's return to open session. Hilliard moved up the lab's accreditation review two years sooner than required in its standard accreditation cycle after it had to halt how examiners determine if a cartridge or shell is fired from a specific gun last August. What will it take to exonerate the R.I. State Crime Lab? The lab in Fogarty Hall on the University of Rhode Island's (URI) Kingston campus temporarily suspended toolmark testing after casings to a Glock pistol seized as evidence in a 2021 Pawtucket murder case matched a different firearm in possession of the Boston Police Department. The suspension prompted delays in nearly two dozen criminal cases, which underwent re-testing at labs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Hilliard told the commission that all those cases have since been verified. A report published last October by California-based consultant Ronald Nichols, who formerly worked for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), found there was a lack of diligence and confirmation bias on the part of three forensic examiners who performed toolmark analysis at the state lab. The three firearms examiners have since left the lab. Nine months later, Hilliard said it's been nearly impossible to find replacements. Most experienced examiners, he said, can work as consultants where they can make far more money in a shorter amount of time compared to what they'd receive at URI. 'We've got a really limited pool,' Hilliard told the commission. Hilliard said only one serious candidate had applied to be a lead examiner position when the position was first up between November and early 2025. That applicant had toured the facility and passed a competency test, but turned down a job offer, saying the salary was too low. At the time, URI offered a salary range of $70,971 to $107,830 for the lead examiner's position. The new job listing posted on URI's website May 16 lists a salary range between $82,082 to $125,379. No applications have been received as of Thursday, Hilliard told the commission. Goldstein questioned why the lab has only recently updated the salary range when Hilliard told the commission in January that a pay bump would likely be needed to attract applicants. Hilliard explained that it took that long for URI to reclassify the job's pay grade. 'It wasn't until last Wednesday that I was informed that they would accept, recruit, and update,' he told the commission. A similar pay update will be required for the position of a standard examiner, which initially had a salary range of $65,980 to $100,314. A technician from Baltimore had been offered a job, but Hilliard said the candidate declined due to family issues. He told Rhode Island Current the new salary will likely range between $76,159 and $116,529. Of the two standard toolmark examiners, Hilliard told the commission one will be filled by an in-house candidate being trained by the ATF. He is expected to begin work early next year, Hilliard told reporters. In the meantime, new toolmark exams will continue to be handled by two former New York City police examiners from Stria Consulting Group contracted by the lab. Any toolmark case still requires final verification by examiners at SCL Forensics in Texas and FoCoSS Forensics in New Hampshire. Additional verification was deemed necessary by the commission to minimize the risk of confirmation bias — the principle that if you know what you're looking for, you're more likely to find it. But Hilliard said third-party labs have slow turnaround times. He told the commission it often takes six to eight weeks to receive the external verification since the labs handle other cases from their own states as well. Hilliard asked the commission to allow the lab to reduce the number of cases verified out of state. Goldstein denied that request, telling Hilliard to come up with a formal proposal for a 'statistically valid sample of cases' for the commission to consider at a future meeting. 'Until that is proposed,we proceed with the current process,' she said. After the meeting ended, Hilliard said he's proud of what he's done for the lab. 'I've done everything in my power to expand this lab,' he said in an interview. 'This was a dream job up until this issue.' 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12-05-2025
Bicyclist hit, injured by vehicle in Pawtucket
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Police are investigating after a bicyclist was struck by a vehicle in Pawtucket Sunday evening. The incident happened at the intersection of Benefit Street and Central Avenue just before 7 p.m., according to police. Police said sun glare appears to have been a factor. The bicyclist was taken to a nearby hospital for significant, but not life-threatening injuries. Police said the vehicle's driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with officers. No charges are expected. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
10-05-2025
- Sport
Rhode Island FC's home opener has arrived in Pawtucket; Here's what to expect from the club
PAWTUCKET — The spotlight is on Rhode Island FC. The inaugural game at Centreville Bank Stadium is Saturday, May 3. After financing delays, pandemic-related challenges, and a host of kinks to iron out, the club's home opener at its new stadium comes a year after its first season in the USL Championship. Advertisement The stadium's field lighting flipped on for the first time on April 24. RIFC hosted an open house just a couple of days later as the finishing touches were completed on the 10,500-seat, multi-purpose venue. RIFC played its first seven games of the season on the road and they are 1-3-1 in USL play this season. Saturday's matchup against San Antonio FC starts at 4 p.m. and can be watched on myRITV. Rhode Island has competed well against the top teams of the Eastern Conference, despite losses at Loudoun United FC (6-1) and Detroit City FC (4-1-1). Last year's run to the USL Championship was a great start, but they'll need to prove themselves again this season. 'It's been challenging with six weekends in a row just on the road traveling,' RIFC coach Khano Smith said. 'It's just a lot and it's challenging, but we're not going to complain. To get [the stadium], you had to give up something. We had to suffer for six weeks, we had to do it, but now we're at the end of it.' RIFC forward Noah Fuson warms up with the ball during a team practice at the club's new Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket on March 6. Here's what to know about RIFC's home opener on Saturday: Looking at the opener Rhode Island could do itself a favor and win on Saturday. The last thing the club wants to see is a tie in its first game, or worse, allow San Antonio to play spoiler and be the first winners at Centreville Bank Stadium. Advertisement San Antonio currently sits atop the Western Conference standings and already beat the defending champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. 'We've been here before,' Smith said of the season's start. 'We talked to them and this time last year we hadn't won a game. We're better off than we were last year, but you don't need to be in the locker room to see it.' Work crews were still putting together the grandstands that sit alongside the river during media availability last Friday. The press box was shining after one last cleaning on the outside glass and the scoreboard was going through mock introductions. There will still be quirks to work through on Saturday, which are expected with a new stadium. But the home opener should be celebrated. Advertisement 'Fundamentally, we're all the same team,' RIFC's Clay Holstad said. 'We still try to harp on the same principles of pressing [the tempo]. [Smith] still harps on the same stuff, the same stats, repressing and pressures. Intensity is what defines us.' RIFC and its various Cup matches Ultimately what matters for Rhode Island FC is its success in the USL. Wins in the U.S. Open Cup and Jägermeister Cup are gravy, but one match in the Open Cup does provide intrigue. Rhode Island welcomes the New England Revolution to Pawtucket on Wednesday, May 7, for its Round of 32 match. Smith had two playing stints with the Revs — from 2005-08 and again in 2010. It's Rhode Island's first chance to test itself against an MLS club. Advertisement 'It's the best thing that could happen for the club,' Smith said of playing the Revolution. 'Obviously having them be the second game in the stadium, you just couldn't ask for a better opportunity. They have fans and we have fans in proximity. I'm expecting another really good attended match. 'You want to play an MLS team, but I don't think it would have carried the same effect if it was Red Bull or New York City. It's really nice to be able to get them and we're all competitors. [Rhode Island] wants to test themselves against teams at the highest level.' RIFC players take to the field at Centreville Bank Stadium during a team practice on March 6. Rhode Island won't be favored in the match. But a win against the Revs could catapult RIFC into its summer USL slate. Advertisement 'We want to win the Jägermeister Cup, we want to win the Open Cup and we want to win the USL championship,' Smith said. 'That's why we get out of bed. We don't go into competitions thinking we are going to change or you don't want to win.' Expectations of game nights Rhode Island FC is not the Pawtucket Red Sox. That comparison between the two teams will be constant, but it shouldn't be. If there's anything that RIFC can learn from the PawSox, though, is the family feel and date-night atmosphere that the ball club created. Baseball lends itself to that environment more than soccer, but it can be replicated. If RIFC can interact with its fans in a unique way, that will help its growth. Advertisement Rhode Island FC is here, and the true beginning of the club starts on Saturday in Pawtucket. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What to expect from RIFC in Year 1 at Centreville Bank Stadium
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
From Sightlines To ‘Sailgating,' Inside Rhode Island FC's New Stadium
PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND - MAY 7: General view of Rhode Island FC stadium before a 2025 U.S. Open Cup ... More game at Centreville Bank Stadium. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) 'There's something about the dynamic of being on water,' says Rhode Island FC chairman Brett M. Johnson. He's talking about a picture he saw of the USL Championship team's new Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, which held its first matches earlier this month. The 10,000 seat soccer-specific venue sits alongside the same Seekonk River that Johnson once rowed on as a student at Brown University. 'It wasn't pretty, honestly,' says Johnson, describing the polluted river of his student days. Pawtucket has cleaned up its industrial riverside in recent years though, turning once neglected brownfield sites into prime real estate. And the Centreville Bank Stadium is a central part of that. Rhode Island FC isn't the first team Johnson has invested in. He was a founder of Phoenix Rising, and also helped lead the acquisition of Ipswich Town back when it was in the third tier of English soccer. Seeing the impact that Ipswich's on-field success has had on the local area, he hopes to achieve something similar in Pawtucket and give the country's smallest state something to cheer about. Rhode Island FC's first cheer at the Centreville Bank Stadium came when Maxi Rodriguez scored in an Open Cup match against its Massachusetts neighbor New England Revolution. The Revs, who eventually won this local derby 2-1, plays its home games in Foxborough, which is actually closer to Pawtucket than it is to Boston. But Johnson feels Rhode Island FC's home ground gives it something that its local rivals lack. He says, 'nothing detracts more from the beautiful game than playing in an NFL stadium' and says it's a great source of pride that Rhode Island is home to New England's first soccer-specific stadium. He says Revolution's fans deserve their own soccer-specific stadium too. Getting that rectangular home was not easy though. For its inaugural season in 2024, Rhode Island FC played far out of town at the home of Bryant University's Bulldogs. It was also offered the 'Pawsox' baseball stadium when the minor league team moved out of the state, but that stadium's location was not easy to get to and the stadium itself was run-down and tired, not to mention being the wrong shape for soccer, so instead, RIFC chose to build its own stadium on a challenging brownfield site. PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND - MAY 7: Rhode Island FC and New England Revolution walk out during a 2025 ... More U.S. Open Cup game at Centreville Bank Stadium. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) The site had previously been used for a manufactured gas plant so the ground was full of toxic chemicals and had to be capped, meaning that all the utilities and foundations had to be designed above that cap. Rhode Island FC co-founder Dan Kroeber says that the site's history made the build very complicated as they had to make sure they didn't dig below that cap. He says the stadium has been designed with sustainability in mind. It is an all-electric stadium and no plastic is used in its concessions stands, and it's also within walking distance of a new bus and train station. It has been built in a way that allows it to be easily expanded in the future and also be used for other sports such as rugby. Johnson says the stadium, which will eventually be accompanied by a residential and commercial development, will be the catalyst for additional investment into downtown Pawtucket, and that by having a soccer-specific stadium makes all the difference to fan experience as the stadium doesn't have a single bad sightline. He says playing in big NFL stadiums nearly killed Major League Soccer, and that the league's fortunes started to turn when teams like Columbus Crew built soccer-specific stadiums. But the Centreville Bank Stadium has one more trick up its sleeve. Its prime riverside location means fans will soon be able to arrive to games from Newport or Providence by boat, in something Johnson has dubbed 'sailgating.' It's sure to be a big hit.
02-05-2025
- Sport
Search ongoing for purported time capsule at McCoy Stadium
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — As demolition of McCoy Stadium continues, crews are keeping an eye out for a time capsule that may have been buried underneath the field decades ago. It's believed the capsule contains memorabilia from the longest professional baseball game in history, which was played back in 1981. Keith MacWhorter, a pitcher for the Pawtucket Red Sox at the time, told 12 News he knows where the capsule was buried. 'They ultimately decided to put it right in front of our home plate,' MacWhorter said, pointing toward that location as crews worked to knock down the beloved ballpark. 'It would be right in between the Cat and that white truck.' RELATED: Pawtucket searching for possible time capsule underneath McCoy Stadium MacWhorter went home that night during the ninth inning since he was set to pitch the next day, not realizing his team would go on to make history. 'I think I read the newspaper the next morning and it said 22 innings because they went to press at 1 o'clock,' he recalled. 'It turned out it was 32 they played that night.' The game was still tied at two runs apiece when it was put on pause so the PawSox could play their next scheduled game hours later. MacWhorter said he found a ball in his locker with a note saying, 'You're on your own,' since no other pitchers would be available to relieve him. 70 years of WPRI 12: McCoy Stadium and the PawSox It's unclear exactly what's in the time capsule, but MacWhorter thinks there may be 'some burnt bats' since the players were burning them to keep warm. A spokesperson for Pawtucket previously told 12 News the city knows about 'the longstanding belief that a time capsule was buried at McCoy Stadium' and they are hopeful it'll be recovered. If and when the time capsule is found, those updates will be provided to the public. NEXT: New RI tax credit program aims to incentivize affordable housing development Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
