‘Assault weapon’ ban; Foster DPW lawsuit; celebrity wedding cakes: Top stories this week

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

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