Officials urge Congress to act on tobacco issue
NORTH PROVIDENCE – Mayor A. Ralph Mollis and Councilman Paul F. Caranci are urging Rhode Island’s congressional delegation to act quickly to restore authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco as a drug. And they are asking state representatives to appropriate funds to pay for enforcement compliance checks until Federal action is resumed. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that the FDA had no authority to regulate tobacco as a drug. Among the regulations that the FDA had developed is the requirement that anyone under the age of 27 buying a tobacco product present a photo ID. The FDA also required compliance checks to make sure vendors were enforcing its regulations. Rhode Island law has similar requirements, but the court ruling prevents the FDA from reimbursing communities that enforce the regulations.
Elizabeth Webbing’s owner files for Chapter 11
CENTRAL FALLS – California Webbing Industries, the company that operates under the Elizabeth Webbing Mills name, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors in U.S Bankruptcy Court in Providence. The papers filed showed that the company’s debt far exceeds its assets, but the company issued a statement which said, “The existing management and webbing employees remain in place and the company will continue to operate in the ordinary course of business while formulating a plan of reorganization.” California Webbing has two operations: Elizabeth Webbing, the manufacturing division which makes fabric for straps and other webbed products, and Unitex, its distribution division, which distributes industrial awning, sign and marine textile fabrics and hardware. The company said in its court documents that it intended to sell or liquidate its distribution division and reorganize the webbing or manufacturing division.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
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Hasbro pays fine, denies culpability
PAWTUCKET – Although denying that it had violated any law, and asserting that a car seat for infants that it has withdrawn from the market was not defective, Hasbro Inc. has agreed to pay a $400,000 fine to settle a complaint brought against it by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The commission complained that a Playskool Baby Fold ‘n’ Carry infant carrier had a defective locking mechanism. Playskool is a division of Hasbro and sold more than 30,000 of the carriers between 1991 and 1993. The commission accused Hasbro of failure to report the defective lock “in a timely manner,” resulting in several severe injuries to children. In its statement, Hasbro said it agreed to settle with the CPSC to avoid prolonged legal proceedings. The company withdrew the carrier from the market in 1996 and urged anyone still in possession of the device to stop using it immediately. To receive a $35 refund, customers are asked to call Playskool at 1-800-752-9755.
Bacou reports record sales, earnings
SMITHFIELD – Bacou USA, Inc. reported record sales, net income, and earnings per share for the fourth quarter and year ending Dec. 31, 1999. The personal protection equipment manufacturer reported that net sales for the fourth quarter were up 31.4 percent to $71.4 million, compared with 1998’s fourth quarter sales of $54.3 million. Bacou acquired Perfect Fit Glove in April 1999. That segment of the company produced $14 million sales for the last quarter. For the entire year, Bacou’s net income rose from $21 million 1998 to $27.2 million in 1999.
Cooperative agreement preserves Matta Farm
PROVIDENCE – A cooperative agreement worked out among various interests and organizations have resulted in the preservation for future generations of the 229-acre Matta Farm in Tiverton. The farm was purchased for $1.2 million from the George Matta family by the Tiverton Land Trust, with a conservation easement held by the Department of Environmental Management and the City of Newport. Included in the $1.2 million were $400,000 from state open space funds, $200,000 in watershed protection funds from the RI Water Resources Board, through the City of Newport, and $160,000 in North American Wetland Conservation Act funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. Other money was drawn as follows: $200,000 from contributions received by the Tiveton Land Trust, $135,000 from the Nature Conservancy, $135,000 from the Tiverton/Little Compton Insurance Trust, and $25,000 from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc. The Audubon Society, DEM, and members of the Tiverton Land
Trust are working cooperatively to produce a management plan for the property.
Hoyts to open 16-screen cinema
PROVIDENCE — Hoyts Cinemas Corp. will open its newest state of the art 16 screen Stadium Complex Megaplex at Providence Place on Friday (April 14). The Hoyts’ complex will accommodate close to 4,200 people. Each auditorium features wall-to-wall screens, with the largest more than 62 feet wide and more than 25 feet tall, among the largest movie screens in the Northeast, accordingly to the company. During the opening weekend (April 14-16), the company will offer all patrons free pop corn and the first 100 patrons will receive free admission.
$1.7 million for victims’ assistance
CRANSTON – U.S. Sen. Jack Reed has announced that the Governor’s Justice Commission will receive a $1.7 million grant from the Office of Justice Programs. The grant, awarded by OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime, will be used to provide funding for the Crime Victim Assistance Program.
