Millbury man charged in prostitution ring

A Millbury man has pleaded not guilty to charges of running a prostitution ring in North Andover that involved girls as young as 16. Anthony Gorgoglione, 43, is charged with inducing a minor into prostitution, maintaining a house of prostitution, deriving support from prostitution, and posing or exhibiting a child in a sexual act. Lawrence District Court Judge Lynn Rooney set bail at $150,000. A probable cause hearing is set for Oct. 5. Last week, Melissa Halstrom, 32, pleaded not guilty to similar charges in the case. Conviction on the charge of posing or exhibiting a child in a sexual act carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Authorities say Halstrom and a man she called Tony took photographs of the girls while they were naked, wearing lingerie, or performing sexual acts. The photos were posted on a website that advertised the business. (AP)

Four men accused of helping to obstruct justice in the case of convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown have been arrested, US Marshal Stephen Monier said yesterday. Monier said the men are Cirino "Reno" Gonzales, 30, of Alice, Texas; Daniel Riley, 40, of Albany, N.Y.; Jason Gerhard, 22, of Brookhaven, N.Y.; and Robert Wolffe, 50, of Randolph, Vt. Charges range from accessory after the fact to possession and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Officials believe that the men participated in various efforts to assist the Browns in avoiding justice at their rural home in Plainfield and conspired to impede federal agents. The Browns, who were convicted in January and have refused to turn themselves in to authorities, assert that the federal income tax is not legitimate. (AP)

The University of Rhode Island has suspended campus dances after a student was stabbed in the abdomen at a dance last week. The university said it will review its safety procedures, as well as those at other colleges, to determine how to improve security at its dances. A 20-year-old male student was stabbed early Friday at a dance sponsored by the Cape Verdean Students Association in the Memorial Union building, which frequently hosts similar student events and can hold up to 500 people. The student, whose name has not been released, was treated and released from a hospital later that day. No arrests have been made, the police said. URI dances require students to show identification from the university or from another school. (AP)

A new state analysis shows that the number of people without health insurance has almost doubled, while companies are increasingly limiting which workers are eligible for employer-sponsored plans. The state Health Insurance Commission used federal and state data to examine Rhode Island's uninsured population. In 2005, just over 119,000 people under age 65 lacked health insurance, representing a 92 percent increase over five years. If the current trend continues, almost one in five Rhode Islanders will lack health insurance by 2010. Meanwhile, the number of workers eligible for employer-sponsored health care plans is falling. According to the report, 69 percent of workers were eligible in 2004, down from 83 percent seven years earlier. (AP)

Providence has become the first city in the state to include cellphone users in its reverse 911 system. City officials say they started the notification system last year. It allows public safety officials to send recorded messages to people in case of a crisis. Cellphone users must register on a city website to participate. Leo Messier, head of the Providence Emergency Management Agency, said expanding the system to include cellphones is important because many people no longer use traditional land lines. (AP)

One construction worker was killed, and a second was critically injured yesterday when a crane struck power lines at their work site, the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office said. The accident occurred as the crane was being used to set a modular home in place at a subdivision on Lily Drive, Chief Deputy Troy Morton said. The two workers were transported to Bangor hospitals, where one was pronounced dead. The names of the two men were not immediately released. Central Maine Power dispatched a crew to the site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating the accident. (AP)