Flo Jonic

A former Johnston man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his common-law wife. Donald Greenslit was also sentenced to the maximum allowed by law for several lesser crimes.

A jury found Donald Greenslit guilty of murder, following a nine-day trial in March.  Prosecutors argued that on January 22, 2012 Greenslit murdered Stacie Dorego, his common-law wife. He tried to hide the crime by dismembering the her body and burning it in a fireplace in the basement. The victim’s two children were present at the time of the murder.

Westerly residents may be awakened to the sounds of helicopters overhead Thursday morning.  Continuing a practice begun in 1997, the town of Westerly is conducting aerial spraying against mosquitos.

The targeted areas are portions of Chapman Swamp and the swamp area adjacent to Hespar Drive.

The town uses Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium which prevents larval mosquitoes from developing into adults.  The state Department of Environmental Management says it safe to humans and the environment.

Spraying begins Thursday at 7:00am and continues through 2:00pm.

Former Brown University president Ruth Simmons is being honored by the French government for her contributions to the advancement of French arts and culture.

Brown has been named Chevalier in the French National Order of the Legion of Honor.  The award is the highest decoration offered by the French government.

Simmons is not only fluent in French but has written about French-speaking authors and poets.

Rhode Island Moderate Party leader Ken Block is weighing a second run for governor. Block said he will announce in the not-too-distant future whether he’s in the race.

In 2010, Moderate Party founder Ken Block, with virtually no statewide name recognition, garnered 6.5 percent of the vote in the race for governor.  Block is hinting he’s going to make another gubernatorial run in 2014.

The owner of  Providence tax preparation company has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for tax evasion and for continuing to operate his business in violation of a court order.  The company – known as “Refunds Now Inc.” -- first came under the federal radar in 2010.

Vietnam veterans were honored at a Statehouse ceremony marking the 52nd anniversary of the start of the war. One unit was singled out for recognition.

During the Vietnam War only a handful of National Guard troops were called up to serve in combat roles.  Rhode Island National Guard’s 107th Signal Company was one of them.  Warner Dauphinee of Scituate remembers the 12 month tour of duty this way:

“I didn’t want to be there. It was hot, uncomfortable,” said Dauphinee, “not a place I’d ever vacation that’s for sure.”

This will be one of the last Mondays in which advocates accompany victims of domestic violence to court.  The domestic violence court advocacy program is closing on Mondays because of state budget cuts.  State support for victims of domestic violence has been on the decline for six years.

The town of Westerly is close to fulfilling its promise to rebuild the Misquamicut Beach area by Memorial Day.  The town has made great strides since Superstorm Sandy left a path of destruction last fall.

It’s not perfect yet, but Misquamicut Beach looks a lot better than it did six-and-a-half months ago. Tons of sand the storm dumped on Atlantic Avenue have been put back on the beach, sand dunes have been restored and shopkeepers are making repairs. Jennifer Cordier of Hartford, Connecticut visited the beach Sunday and was pleasantly surprised.

The city of Central Falls has taken steps to be more accessible to residents. Starting next Tuesday and continuing on the second and last Tuesday of every month, Central Falls City Hall will be open until 7:00pm.

On the same Tuesdays, Central Falls Mayor James Diossa will hold “office hours” where city residents can come to his second floor office and meet with him. The office hours will be from 4:30 to 7:00 pm.

Diossa said he is making the changes to accommodate the busy schedules of the city’s hard-working residents.

Katherine Russell, the North Kingstown native who is the widow of suspected marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has added a new person to her legal team, someone with expertise handling cases involving terrorism.  Her original lawyers come from a small Providence firm called DeLuca and Weizenbaum.

They specialize in medical malpractice.  Rhode Island Public Radio's Flo Jonic looks into how the firm ended up representing Katherine Russell, and what her legal options as the probe continues into what she knew about her husband's activities.