Latest news with #McKenney
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gun bills draw a crowd to R.I. State House for seven and a half hours of testimony
Advocates from opposite sides of the gun debate sign up to testify on the proposed assault weapons ban during a May 14, 2025, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the Rhode Island State House. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Dozens of Second Amendment and gun control advocates alike filled the Rhode Island State House rotunda, floors and halls Wednesday, many waiting hours to testify on a bill that would ban a wide array of semiautomatic weapons statewide. It was also a long day for the Senate Committee on Judiciary, which heard seven and a half hours of testimony on 15 gun bills. But nearly every speaker addressed bill S0359 — also known as the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025 — sponsored by Middletown Democratic Sen. Lou DiPalma. Unlike most hearings, Senate staff allowed only a small number of people into Room 313 at a time, and only one row of chairs for people testifying. A Capitol police officer, senate staff, and a stanchion were stationed outside the door to control the flow of people entering the room. As the hearing rolled into its seventh hour, Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, subbed in for Committee Chair Sen. Matthew LaMountain, who had stepped out of the room momentarily. LaMountain and McKenney are listed as co-sponsors on the bill text. Yellow is color of the day as gun rights advocates turn out to oppose assault weapons ban bill 'It sure would make life easier for us if we could simply make policy based on the T-shirt colors,' McKenney joked after one yellow-shirted Second Amendment supporter pointed out yellow shirts outnumbered the red and orange shirts of gun control advocates as they did in years past. DiPalma's bill, plus companion House submission by Barrington Democratic Rep. Jason Knight, is one of two avenues Gov. Dan McKee is testing this year in an attempt to ban the sale and manufacture of firearms with military-style features. The bills' interpretation includes semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns equipped with accessories such as pistol grips, folding stocks, or threaded barrels. The bills would build on prior reforms passed during McKee's tenure, like a magazine cap, an age 21-and-over carrying limit, and a ban on open carry of shotguns and large rifles — successful efforts DiPalma mentioned in his testimony to fellow senators. 'Some will say this is not going to do everything. You're absolutely correct. This is not going to do everything,' DiPalma said. 'It's yet another building block in the framework of gun safety and gun violence. The push to forbid select semiautomatic weapons is old hat at the State House, but this year things have changed following the April 21 death of former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio — a longtime skeptic of firearm bans who had expressed a possible change of heart in his final months. Now, with Senate leadership refreshed, the fate of the bill depends upon the Senate Committee on Judiciary. DiPalma said 24 senators have signed on to support his bill, or 64% of the 38-member body, now down one vote to 37 with Ruggerio's District 4 seat vacant. Another bill co-sponsor is Senate President Valarie Lawson, attended the hearing at various points. 'President Lawson personally supports an assault weapons ban,' spokesperson Greg Paré said over email Wednesday. 'She believes strongly in the committee review process and will let it play out.' Judiciary has 10 members. Committee members Sen. Andrew Dimitri, a freshman Democrat from Johnston, newly elected Sen. Todd Patalano, a Cranston Democrat, and Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat, voiced their opposition to the bill. Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino was mostly quiet during the hearing but has voted against similar legislation in the past. 'I think it's drawn confusion because we're referring to them all as assault weapons, when, in reality, this bill does not really distinguish actual, quote/unquote, assault weapons from handguns and certain kinds of shotguns,' Dimitri, a recreational bird hunter, said during the hearing. Raptakis wondered if a study commission should be formed instead. 'I don't know what you would study beyond what's already been studied. It's either we agree or we don't it's the right time to do it,' DiPalma replied, gesturing with his hands. Raptakis returned to the proposal of a study commission around 9:25 pm, right before the last five testimonies took the stand. 'Thank you,' a weary-sounding LaMountain replied after Raptakis shared the idea. Other senators who sat in on the hearing were Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, who is a licensed gun dealer; Majority Whip David Tikoian, a former North Providence police chief who also served 23 years on the Rhode Island State Police; and the Republican leadership, Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz of North Providence and Minority Whip Gordon Rogers of Foster. Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats took to the State Library an hour before the hearing to denounce the bill. The Democrats in attendance included Ciccone and Tikoian, who stood in the audience, as did Rep. Arthur Corvese of North Providence. Reps. Stephen Casey of Woonsocket, and Deborah Fellela of Johnston stood in the lineup alongside de la Cruz, Rogers, Patalano and gun rights advocates. 'If enacted, this ban would ban most weapons in common use here in Rhode Island, it would be a blatant violation of the United States Constitution as well as the Rhode Island constitution,' de le Cruz said. Rogers blasted the bill's reliance on 'military-style' features to define an assault weapon, and held up a forward folding grip for the crowd. 'Same gun, same round, same ammunition,' Rogers said. 'but when you put a grip on it forward as an accessory, it becomes an assault weapon. Does that make it any more dangerous? No. Do we go around banning cars that have chrome rims and spoilers on because they look dangerous? No, we don't.' De la Cruz and Rogers continued those lines of argument during the hearing, with both critiquing the bill's language as vague and unreflective of mechanical reality — as well as DiPalma's understanding of kinetic energy. 'The gun has a firing pin that triggers the bullet — the ammunition — that is where the kinetic energy comes from, not the firearm,' Rogers told DiPalma. 'So we bring up the kinetic energy and what it does. And I think you were very theatrical last year, or the year before, when that was brought forward.' Rogers framed Rhode Island's proposed ban as a political outlier rather than a national standard. Only nine states have such bans, he said. 'That tells me 41 states haven't,' he added. An hour-long expert panel brought sharply divided testimony from both sides, from constitutional precedent for bans to historical efforts to forbid sawed off shotguns and bowie knives. If enacted, this ban would ban most weapons in common use here in Rhode Island, it would be a blatant violation of the United States Constitution as well as the Rhode Island constitution. – Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican Jake McGuigan, senior director of government relations for the National Shooting Sports Foundation and a former adviser to Gov. Donald Carcieri, cited homicide data as a reason the bill would be narrowly focused and not accomplish much. 'If we look over the past 13 years, 0.6% — that's 0.6%, not even one percent — of all homicides in Rhode Island are attributed to rifles that will be banned by this bill,' McGuigan said. 'Why do we need a common-sense approach to address 0.6%?…That's not a problem, that's a rounding error.' Greg Lickenbrock, a former gun magazine editor and firearms analyst with Everytown for Gun Safety, pushed back. 'Those are lives, not rounding errors,' Lickenbrock said. After experts departed, a wider range of views emerged. Andrew Wright of Pawtucket criticized the measure as racially and socially exclusionary. Gun control 'always just enforces a white supremacist status quo,' he said. 'Black and brown people, Asian people, queer and trans people are buying guns more now than they were before. They're the people who are going to be most affected by their inability to buy guns that match the weapons already in the hands of the people who want to do them harm.' As the hearing stretched into the evening, more gun control advocates came forward, including Emily Howe a mother of three who described the fear she feels daily for her two kids still in school. 'I've never allowed my kids to wear light-up shoes because I'm really afraid that one day that will be the end of them,' she said. 'If there's a gunman, my kids will be quiet — but the light-up shoes would be one to set them off and let them know where they're hiding.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to protect RI libraries from book bans moves forward
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Legislation aimed at protecting libraries from book bans and affirming free speech in Rhode Island is now headed to the House. The Senate advanced the Freedom to Read Act on Tuesday. If passed, the bill would promote access to information and freedom of expression by prohibiting censorship of library materials. BACKGROUND: RI leaders, advocates push for 'Freedom to Read' bill at State House State Sen. Mark McKenney introduced the legislation, which seeks to safeguard the rights to free speech, free inquiry, and opinion—protections outlined in both the U.S. and Rhode Island constitutions. In recent months, state leaders, residents, and advocates have weighed in on the issue. Some agree with McKenney, who believes materials should not be banned, removed or censored, emphasizing that 'reading is a gift.' Meanwhile, others have expressed strong opposition to the measure, arguing that children should be shielded from 'offensive material' and libraries should be stocked with 'age-appropriate' rather than 'age-relevant' items. MORE: RI lawmakers consider 'Freedom to Read Act' According to the Rhode Island Library Association, every New England state except Rhode Island currently has legal protections in place for librarians, teachers, and museum employees against civil or criminal charges related to their collections. If enacted, the bill would direct the commissioner of elementary and secondary education to create policies for library collection development, including criteria for selecting and maintaining materials and protections against censorship efforts. 'Public libraries are the repositories of free thought, and librarians are the guardians of those principles,' McKenney said. 'It should be the policy of every state to guarantee that libraries remain a place of free and open exchange of ideas without any partisan or doctrinal pressure.' The proposal also asserts that, 'Authors, creators, and publishers have a right to communicate their ideas to anyone who is interested in receiving them. Students and library patrons of all ages have a corresponding right to encounter them without government interference.' The Rhode Island Freedom to Read Act Coalition applauded the Senate's decision to pass the legislation. 'Rhode Islanders care deeply about the freedom to choose the books they and their familiesread,' said Cheryl Space, co-chair of the Rhode Island Library Association Legislative ActionCommittee. This is the third year the Freedom to Read Act has passed in the Senate, according to the coalition. 'There is broad support for this bipartisan bill both within the House of Representatives andaround the state,' said Padma Venkatraman, co-chair of Rhode Island Authors Against BookBans. 'We are eager to see it voted into law.' Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Age
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Brooke Bellamy denies new plagiarism allegations by popular US baker
Brooke Bellamy has denied claims made by a second author accusing the Brisbane-based baker, cafe owner and author of plagiarism. US-based Sally McKenney, of SallysBakeBlog, who has 1 million followers on Instagram, alleged that one of her cake recipes had been copied in Bellamy's Bake With Brooki. McKenney's post on Wednesday came a day after the founder of food website RecipeTin Eats, Nagi Maehashi, went public with allegations that Bellamy, owner of three cafes in Brisbane, copied two of McKenney's recipes in the book published by Penguin. 'I'm so grateful you let me know months ago that one of my recipes (The Best Vanilla Cake I've Ever Had, published by me in 2019) was also plagiarised in this book and also appears on the author's YouTube channel,' McKenney wrote. 'Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit – especially in a bestselling cookbook.' Maehashi, a Good Food columnist, claimed in an Instagram post on Wednesday that the similarities with two of her own recipes 'are so specific and detailed that calling these a coincidence feels disingenuous'. The recipes in question are the caramel slice and baklava. Bellamy had strenuously denied the claims made by Maehashi in a story on her Instagram account. 'I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years,' she wrote. This masthead does not suggest the accusations of plagiarism are true, only that they have been made. Bellamy, who is four months pregnant, released a second statement through her lawyers this afternoon. 'The past 24 hours have been extremely overwhelming. I have had media outside my home and business, and have been attacked online. It has been deeply distressing for my colleagues and my young family,' it read.
Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
How they stack up: The vanilla cakes at centre of wild plagiarism claims
Plagiarism claims against a popular cooking queen over several sweet treats including a vanilla cake have sparked debate about how much ownership chefs and cooks have over recipes. Two authors — RecipeTin Eats' Nagi Maehashi, from Australia, and American Sally McKenney, author and blogger behind Sally's Baking Addiction — have accused Brooke Bellamy of stealing recipes for her bestseller Bake With Brooki, which was published by Penguin in October. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bitter battle breaks out between two of Australia's most famous bakers. The allegations relate to Maehashi's caramel slice and baklava, and McKenney's best vanilla cake recipe. Bellamy, who owns the popular Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, and Penguin have denied the claims. Maehashi argued McKenney's cake recipe had ingredients such as buttermilk, which made it identifiable as belonging to the American. In her YouTube video, Bellamy refers to her cake as 'the best ever vanilla cake'. The ingredients are minimally different. There is a 3g difference in the amount of flour used and 5g in butter measurements. McKenney's also calls for three large eggs and two extra egg whites, while Bellamy's instead asks for four eggs. McKenney's recipe also calls for 400g of granulated sugar, where as Bellamy's asks for a finer caster sugar, although the sugars can be substituted. The ingredients are listed in a similar order and both recipes contain the same three-word note — 'Yes, a tablespoon!' — next to the measurement for vanilla extract. Sally McKenney's Best Vanilla Cake recipe on the left, compared with Brooke Bellamy's Best Fluffy Vanilla Cake Recipe on the right. Credit: Sally's Baking / Brooki Sally McKenney, the baker behind Sally's Baking Addiction, has joined Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats in accusing Brooke Bellamy of plagiarising recipes. Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction 'Nagi ... I'm so grateful you let me know months ago that one of my recipes — the best vanilla cake I've ever had, published by me in 2019 — was also plagiarised in this book and also appears on the author's YouTube channel,' McKenney said in an Instagram story. 'Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit — especially in a best-selling cookbook.' Bellamy has publicly denied the claims she lifted recipes for her book, and shared a 2016 photo of the caramel slice she says predates Maehashi's. 'I have great respect for Nagi and what she has done in recent years for cooks, content creators and cookbooks in Australia — especially as a fellow female entrepreneur,' Bellamy said on social media. 'Recipe development in today's world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators. 'This willingness to share recipes and build on what has come before is what I love so much about baking and sharing recipes — the community that surrounds it.' The Brisbane baker said she has offered to remove both recipes flagged by Maehashi from future reprints to prevent further aggravation. RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi and Brooke Bellamy, who founded Brooki Bakehouse. Credit: RecipeTin Eats/Brooki Bakehouse In a second statement on Wednesday, Bellamy said she does 'not copy other's people's recipes'. 'Like many bakers, I draw inspiration from the classics, but the creations you see at Brooki Bakehouse reflect my own experience, taste, and passion for baking, born of countless hours of my childhood spent in my home kitchen with Mum,' she said. 'While baking has leeway for creativity, much of it is a precise science and is necessarily formulaic. 'Many recipes are bound to share common steps and measures: if they don't, they simply don't work.' Legal experts say recipes are unlikely to be protected by copyright laws. 'There's quite a high hurdle to jump to show that a recipe has enough originality to allege copyright infringement,' Queensland University of Technology intellectual property expert Kylie Pappalardo told 7NEWS. 'Copyright is an area where these things come up all the time. There's always singers or somebody alleging someone has copied something from somebody else. 'There is copyright in creative expression, but not in facts, data, etc.' The situation is complicated because the allegedly stolen recipes — caramel slice, baklava, and vanilla cake — are fairly common baked goods where there is little room for creativity, Pappalardo said. 'At the end of the day, there's probably only so many variations you could have that would still work and taste good,' she said. 'That is why I say that copyright is very thin, if it exists at all in these recipes.' - With AAP
7NEWS
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
‘Yes, a tablespoon': Brooki Bakehouse owner Brooke Bellamy faces plagiarism claims over vanilla cake and other recipes
Plagiarism claims against a popular cooking queen over several sweet treats including a vanilla cake have sparked debate about how much ownership chefs and cooks have over recipes. Two authors — RecipeTin Eats' Nagi Maehashi, from Australia, and American Sally McKenney, author and blogger behind Sally's Baking Addiction — have accused Brooke Bellamy of stealing recipes for her bestseller Bake With Brooki, which was published by Penguin in October. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The allegations relate to Maehashi's caramel slice and baklava, and McKenney's best vanilla cake recipe. Bellamy, who owns the popular Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, and Penguin have denied the claims. Maehashi argued McKenney's cake recipe had ingredients such as buttermilk, which made it identifiable as belonging to the American. In her YouTube video, Bellamy refers to her cake as 'the best ever vanilla cake'. The ingredients are minimally different. There is a 3g difference in the amount of flour used and 5g in butter measurements. McKenney's also calls for three large eggs and two extra egg whites, while Bellamy's instead asks for four eggs. McKenney's recipe also calls for 400g of granulated sugar, where as Bellamy's asks for a finer caster sugar, although the sugars can be substituted. The ingredients are listed in a similar order and both recipes contain the same three-word note — 'Yes, a tablespoon!' — next to the measurement for vanilla extract. 'Nagi ... I'm so grateful you let me know months ago that one of my recipes — the best vanilla cake I've ever had, published by me in 2019 — was also plagiarised in this book and also appears on the author's YouTube channel,' McKenney said in an Instagram story. 'Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit — especially in a best-selling cookbook.' Bellamy has publicly denied the claims she lifted recipes for her book, and shared a 2016 photo of the caramel slice she says predates Maehashi's. 'I have great respect for Nagi and what she has done in recent years for cooks, content creators and cookbooks in Australia — especially as a fellow female entrepreneur,' Bellamy said on social media. 'Recipe development in today's world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators. 'This willingness to share recipes and build on what has come before is what I love so much about baking and sharing recipes — the community that surrounds it.' The Brisbane baker said she has offered to remove both recipes flagged by Maehashi from future reprints to prevent further aggravation. In a second statement on Wednesday, Bellamy said she does 'not copy other's people's recipes'. 'Like many bakers, I draw inspiration from the classics, but the creations you see at Brooki Bakehouse reflect my own experience, taste, and passion for baking, born of countless hours of my childhood spent in my home kitchen with Mum,' she said. 'While baking has leeway for creativity, much of it is a precise science and is necessarily formulaic. 'Many recipes are bound to share common steps and measures: if they don't, they simply don't work.' Legal expert weighs in on baker battle Legal experts say recipes are unlikely to be protected by copyright laws. 'There's quite a high hurdle to jump to show that a recipe has enough originality to allege copyright infringement,' Queensland University of Technology intellectual property expert Kylie Pappalardo told 7NEWS. 'Copyright is an area where these things come up all the time. There's always singers or somebody alleging someone has copied something from somebody else. 'There is copyright in creative expression, but not in facts, data, etc.' The situation is complicated because the allegedly stolen recipes — caramel slice, baklava, and vanilla cake — are fairly common baked goods where there is little room for creativity, Pappalardo said. 'At the end of the day, there's probably only so many variations you could have that would still work and taste good,' she said. 'That is why I say that copyright is very thin, if it exists at all in these recipes.' Stream free on
