Portsmouth TTimesimeseastbayri.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013 VOL. 1, NO. 35 FREE Fallen Marines remembered, 30 years later Wish list for ferry: restrooms and heat Competitor A&R Marine’s application gets hearing Tuesday BY JIM MCGAW [email protected] An advisory panel charged by the Town Council to make recom- mendations on ferry service stan- dards for Prudence Island made a host of suggestions following a meeting on the island Saturday. The Prudence Island Planning Commission (PIPC) said the ferry should have restrooms, offer Thanksgiving Day service and offer “consistent” snow removal from the docks, among other rec- ommendations. The Town Council voted Oct. 15 to ask PIPC, its liaison to the island, to meet in order to gather islanders’ opinions on the ferry PHOTOS BY RICHARD W. DIONNE JR. issue and report back to the coun- Deborah Connor (left) consoles her mother, Jeanne Giblin, during the Beirut Memorial ceremony at the Portsmouth Historical Society Wednesday cil. The town may present the rec- morning. Mrs. Giblin lost her son, Sgt. Timothy Giblin, in the attack on Oct. 23, 1983. ommendations at a public hear- ing Tuesday, Oct. 29, when the R.I. Public Utilities Commission’s Division of Public Utilities and Several East Bay residents among those killed in 1983 Beirut terrorist attacks Carriers (PUC) considers A&R Marine’s application for a certifi- Yesterday, Oct. 23, marked the The ceremony coincided with cate of public convenience and 30th anniversary of the Beirut the observance at the Beirut necessity (CPCN). The public is Barracks Bombings, in which 241 Memorial site in the Camp Leje- welcome to the hearing, which Marines were killed in a terrorist une Memorial Gardens, which begins at 10 a.m. in Hearing attack on their barracks. many of the families of the fallen Room A of the PUC building, 89 The annual memorial ceremo- Marines from Southeast New Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. ny to honor the memory of those England attended. On Sept. 19, A&R Marine — Marines killed was held Wednes- “Our state and our nation doing business as Prudence & Bay day morning at the Portsmouth remain eternally grateful for the Islands Transport — filed an Historical Society. nine Rhode Island Marines and all application for a CPCN, which Among the nine Rhode Island 241 Americans who lost their lives would permit the company to run Marines who died in the attack serving with the multi-national a ferry from Prudence Island to were two brothers-in-law: Cpl. peacekeeping force in Lebanon 30 Bristol. That service has been Stephen E. Spencer, 23, of years ago,” said U.S. Senator Jack offered exclusively by Prudence Portsmouth; and Lance Cpl. Reed, a graduate of West Point and Island Ferry Inc., owned by Bruce James F. Silvia, 20, of Middletown. a former Army Ranger. “It is our Medley, since the mid-’80s. Also killed were PFC Thomas duty to keep their memories alive More than 50 islanders attend- Shane Brodeur (left), Anne Marie Lafazia and Roger Drumheller (right) Julian, 21, a 1979 graduate of and honor their heroism and this ed the meeting Saturday on Pru- listen to “Taps,” played in memory of the soldiers who perished in Portsmouth High School; and Cpl. ceremony is a fitting tribute to Beirut. Ms. Lafazia lost her two uncles, Cpl. James Silvia and Cpl. dence, according to Harry Ster- Edward Soares Jr., 21, of Tiverton. their sacrifice and service.” Stephen Spencer. See FERRY Page 10 History alive Jr. firefighters Historical Society hosts Fire station welcomes Harvest Social families at open house PAGE 3 PAGE 16 Page 2 Portsmouth Times October 24, 2013 Boy Scouts make connections over airwaves 56th annual Jamboree on radio merit badges through the that’s the future emergency crew the Air held at Glen Park Jamboree. “We have guys who for communications.” have not used radios before and BY JIM MCGAW now they’re aficionados and are Once-a-month camps [email protected] thinking about getting their own Although Troop 1 camps out Twelve-year-old Kyle Judy certification,” said Mr. Norton, once a month at various locations, made a lot of long-distance calls adding that about 14 members of the weekend’s Jamboree remind- over the weekend. Troop 1 camped out for the ed the troop “that right here in “I was talking to people from event. They were joined by other Portsmouth we’ve got some great Illinois, I got a guy from visiting Scouts including seven camping facilities. The Glen is a Arkansas, one from Indiana. I got Webelos from Cub Scout Pack 77. beautiful place,” Mr. Norton said. one from Jamaica,” said Kyle. “We had 30 to 40 people here at While they were packing up But the member of Boy Scout any one time.” Sunday, Mr. Norton shared a Troop 1 in Portsmouth wasn’t David Wordell, 17, was among Troop 1 tradition: If someone mis- punished. In fact, he was reward- the Boy Scouts who had never places a piece of their gear and it’s ed with a merit badge. been on the air before. “I talked found by someone else, the per- Kyle was one of many troop to someone from Little Comp- son who lost it must recite and act members who participated in ton, someone from Massachu- out the “I’m a little teapot” rou- the 56th annual Jamboree on the setts and Georgia,” he said. tine. Mr. Norton said the rule Air at Glen Park, which ran from Mr. Norton said the troop was keeps everyone — troop leaders Friday evening to noon on Sun- grateful for the support of the in particular — on their toes. day. Newport County Radio Club, “The troop lives for the day “Boy Scouts all over the world which helped out with the event. when someone like me forgets get on high-frequency and ultra- A member of the club, John King, something,” he said. “We are high-frequency radios and talk to is a ham radio operator who’s incredibly careful about that.” each other,” said Rick Norton, also the director of the Troop 1 leader. “We’ve spent Portsmouth Emergency Manage- hours on the air and we’ve talked ment Agency (EMA). with people as far away as “The EMA was not technically Brandon Cawley, 15, of Troop 1, Jamaica and Germany and all involved,” said Mr. King. “But takes down the American flag at across the United States.” Portsmouth EMA certainly sup- the closing of the Jamboree at Troop members earned their ports that endeavor because Glen Park Sunday. Boy Scouts not running Monday’s field trip, says schools Parents had complained raised by two parents, John and self esteem and communication. district’s own nondiscrimination affiliate organization but which of organization’s Karen McDaid, who said the field The Prince Charitable Trust is rules and asked the committee to has its own board of governors discriminatory policies trip could send the wrong mes- funding most of the trip through a revisit its field trip policy, which he and a separate leadership. sage to students due to BSA’s $6,250 grant, with other costs cov- said requires only that such excur- “Learning for Life has a nondis- BY JIM MCGAW national policy on sexual orienta- ered by the middle school’s Parent sions “positively contribute to the crimination police,” Mr. Croston [email protected] tion and religion. Teacher Organization and a $5- academic curriculum.” The policy, said, noting that the program does A field trip scheduled Monday Monday’s field trip, known as per-student fee for transportation. he said, should include language not discriminate based on religion for seventh- and eight-grade mid- Project C.O.P.E. (Challenging Out- “BSA has a policy of denying that encourages deeper scrutiny or sexual orientation. dle school students is not being door Personal Experience) will be membership to gay and atheist of trips by administrators, and LFL is national education pro- run by, nor is it financially benefit- held at the Boy Scouts’ Champlin scouts and leaders,” Mr. McDaid also exclude any organization gram offering seven programs ing, the Boy Scouts of America Scout Reservation in Cranston. stated in a letter to Supt. Barbara with discriminatory practices. that focus on character develop- (BSA), the chairman of the School Students will take part in numer- McGann, middle school Principal Furthermore, he said, the ment and career education, help- Committee said Tuesday night. ous outdoor activities such as rope Joseph Amaral and teacher Alison school district should show its ing youth make ethical decisions David Croston made his courses, and the program empha- Ernest. “A recent policy change commitment to religious diversity that will help them achieve their remarks in response to objections sis teamwork, problem-solving, will allow gay scouts, but the and gender tolerance by speaking full potential, according to litera- exclusion for leader and the non- out whenever it recognizes dis- ture provided by the organization. religious remains. Our students criminatory practices by organiza- After the meeting, Mr. Croston have the right to learn in an envi- tions tied to student field trips. said he “would not impugn” BSA, ronment free from bias, including “This could be a teachable which he called a “true partner” to field trips.” moment,” Mr. McDaid said. schools. “I respect what Mr. Mr. McDaid, who described McDaid says in every one of his himself as “an atheist and the Schools deny violating policy requests to us. (However), the proud father of an atheist,” In his response, Mr. Croston premise was, it was BSA that was refused to sign the permission slip said the school district is not vio- receiving these funds.