Rhode Island
‘Assault weapon’ ban; Foster DPW lawsuit; celebrity wedding cakes: Top stories this week
RI National Guard’s 42nd Leapfest international competition
Paratrooper from 19 nations compete in the RI National Guard’s 42nd Leapfest competition in Exeter.
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of Aug. 4, supported by your subscriptions.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
Just endorsing a ban on military-style rifles hasn’t been enough to make one a reality, so Gov. Dan McKee on Tuesday said he plans to propose such a ban in his state budget for next year.
Speaking to reporters about Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after a State House news conference, McKee said he wants to show that an “assault weapon” ban is a priority and raise the level of attention it gets from lawmakers.
“We’re all in on the … gun issues to make sure that I’m putting it in front of the General Assembly next year, that I get an assault weapon ban. I’m going to roll it right into my budget next year,” McKee said
Politics: McKee says he will include an ‘assault weapon’ ban in next year’s budget
FOSTER – Four employees have filed suit against the Town of Foster, claiming that Department of Public Works Director Gordon E. Rogers has been verbally abusive and that the Town Council has done nothing to address his alleged bullying of them at Town Hall.
Rogers is also a Republican state senator representing Foster, Coventry, Scituate and West Greenwich. First elected in 2018, he is the Senate minority whip.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Superior Court, paints the picture of a hostile work environment where employees were targeted and/or harassed by Rogers. It also says the employees complained to Human Resources and Town Council members, but that nothing was done.
In an interview with The Hummel Report, Rogers denied the allegations in the lawsuit, calling them “hogwash” and “politics at its highest level,” orchestrated by a faction of people in town trying to have him removed as DPW director.
Courts: Lawsuit accuses Foster DPW director, state senator, of abusive, bullying behavior
In the late 1960s, Sister Ann McKenna taught school in Belize. For two of those years, one of her students was Nellie Cayetano, who years later would become the mother of gymnast Simone Biles, one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
Journal columnist Mark Patinkin talks with Sister Ann, now retired and living in Warwick, about her memories of young Nellie, who grew up in poverty. She speaks to how Nellie’s faith and grit amid her own early challenges likely helped her raise Simone, whose early childhood was spent in foster care.
What happened when Sister Ann reached out to Nellie a year ago to congratulate her on her daughter’s success? Read the column to get the full story.
Mark Patinkin: Watching from RI, a retired nun recalls the small part she played in Simone Biles’ life
In the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, chef Mark Soliday of Confectionery Designs is making wedding cakes that are gracing the pages of national magazines.
When Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo married Tellef Lundevall on July 20 in Hyannisport, their dramatic eight-layer wedding cake was inspired by one served at Eunice Kennedy’s wedding to Sargent Shriver back in 1953. Mariah’s cake was made by Confectionery Designs, said the spread in People.
Olivia Culpo married Christian McCaffrey in Watch Hill in June, and there’s the photo in Vogue of their six-tier wedding cake with alternating tiers of vanilla sponge and red velvet cake made by Confectionery Designs.
Non-disclosure agreements prevent Soliday from discussing those cakes, but this 38-year veteran baker can dish about wedding cakes all day long in the most entertaining of ways. Food editor Gail Ciampa has the delicious details.
Food: Meet the baker behind Olivia Culpo and Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo wedding cakes
Cranston is losing two of its food institutions.
Wein-O-Rama has closed its doors at 1009 Oaklawn Ave. The diner had a 62-year run, opening in 1962.
Solitro’s Bakery has announced Aug. 18 is its last day as the family sells the building at 1594 Cranston St. The bakery opened in the 1950s in Knightsville.
Journal food editor Gail Ciampa talks with the owners about why they decided to retire, and whether the bakery might have a second act.
Food and dining: Two longtime Cranston food institutions are closing. What’s behind the decisions
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
Rhode Island
Does Rhode Island have the worst drivers in the country? One state is worse, per new study
Zebras run wild along Washington state highway
Video captured the moments when four zebras were seen running though traffic in Washington state.
Which states have the worst drivers? Rhode Island is one of them, according to a new study.
The online marketplace platform LendingTree released a new study revealing the worst drivers across the country, and Rhode Island took the second spot.
The silver lining is you can still say Massachusetts drivers are worse, as they took the top spot.
The study was compiled based on insurance inquiries from November 2023 to November 2024. Researchers tallied the number of accidents, DUIs, speeding-related incidents and general citations and calculated the total per 1,000 drivers in each state.
Alternatively, other New England states like Vermont and New Hampshire were ranked among the best drivers around the country.
Why does Rhode Island have bad drivers?
Rhode Island has the second worst drivers in the country because it has one of the highest rates of driving-related incidents, at 60.6 incidents per 1,000 drivers between November 2023 and November 2024.
The only state with a higher rate, Massachusetts, has 61.1 incidents per 1,000 drivers.
Rhode Island has the second-highest accident rate, at 39.7, tying with California.
The Ocean State also ties with Wisconsin for the 13th-highest DUI rate, at 1.9.
As for speeding-related incidents, Rhode Island ties with Hawaii as the 28th-worst at a rate of 2.4 incidents per 1,000 drivers.
Which states have the worst drivers?
These are the states with the worst drivers, according to LendingTree:
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- California
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Washington
- Maryland
- North Dakota
- Utah
Which states have the best drivers?
These states have the lowest number of driving-related incidents per 1,000 drivers, making them the best drivers:
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- Vermont
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
- Alaska
- West Virginia
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
Rhode Island
Rhode Island officials ask government for flexibility while residents renew services by paper | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island officials sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday for assistance to ensure residents are able to stay enrolled in essential services in response to the RIBridges cyberattack.
In the letter, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo asked the federal government to work with the state of Rhode Island to help residents stay enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
On Dec. 5, the RIBridges system was hacked by international ransomware group Brain Ciper, which put the personal data of about 500,000 Rhode Island residents at risk, according to officials.
In the letter, officials said RIBridges was shut down, and as a result Rhode Island residents must submit paper applications, rather than online applications, to enroll for their benefits.
Officials said this time period is when people apply to renew coverage, and ask for the government to “grant the state of Rhode Island any assistance and flexibility it requires within all application rules and regulations.”
In the letter, the Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation said:
Dear Secretaries Becerra and Vilsack:
In light of a major cyberattack, we write to urge your Departments to grant the State of Rhode Island flexibility and time to comply with administrative requirements related to its public benefits programs and to provide any additional support to ensure that eligible individuals do not lose access to needed benefits.
On December 5, 2024, RI Bridges, the State of Rhode Island’s integrated online platform for social services, was hacked and the personal data (including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank information) of approximately 500,000 people was stolen and has been held for ransom. The State directed the vendor responsible for administering the platform to shut down RI Bridges in order to remove all malicious code and remediate the threat. Individuals now must submit paper applications to secure their benefits. The impact could be large since RI Bridges manages enrollment and eligibility verifications for programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and more. HealthSource RI, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace was also affected by this hack, which comes during the annual open-enrollment period for health insurance, when people apply for or renew coverage.
We appreciate everything your Departments have done already to assist Rhode Island with this situation, but given the scope of this hack and that it has targeted our most vulnerable constituents, we ask that you grant the State of Rhode Island any assistance and flexibility it requires within all application rules and regulations.
Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to your prompt reply.
In the meantime, Rhode Island officials advise residents to protect their data, freeze your credit, monitor your credit, request a free fraud alert on your files, use two-factor authentication for accounts, and be aware.
For more information, call the RIBridges call center at 833-918-6603 or visit cyberaltert.ri.gov.
RHODE ISLAND — Here are some share-worthy stories from the Rhode Island Patch network to discuss this afternoon and evening.
This post features stories and information published in the last 24 hours.
Thank you for reading Patch.com in Rhode Island.
Here are some more Rhode Island Patch headlines you may have missed:
Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.
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