Nightside With Dan Rea

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!These are New England’s most picture-perfect fall foliage towns Guest: Diane Bair - Boston Globe reporter/contributor The Big E Fair in West Springfield is well underway! What are some of the wild foods featured this year & things happening at the fair? Guest: Eugene (Gene) Cassidy – President & CEO of the Big E (Eastern States Exposition) Are we on the verge of a youth unemployment crisis? Guest: Lisa Miller - senior marketing, strategy and innovation consultant The 1775 British bombardment and burning of present-day Portland, Maine. A largely forgotten horror of the Revolutionary War. Guest: Holly K. Hurd, the executive director of the Tate House Museum

Monday, President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said taking acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to higher risk of autism, and will instruct the FDA to recommend doctors suggest limiting the drug's use during pregnancy. What do you think? Dan invited listeners to call in with their thoughts. 

This week the U.N. General Assembly will take place in New York for its 40th session where talks of a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict is expected to dominate the conversation. The U.K., Australia and Canada have already formally recognized a Palestinian state, prompting an angry response from Israel. What other countries will join in support of a Palestinian state?

The city of Quincy is facing a lawsuit over its plan to erect two statues in front of their new public safety building to honor first responders. The statues in question depict St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and fire departments. A “multifaith group of Quincy residents and taxpayers” being represented by the ACLU take aim with the statues saying they violate the Massachusetts Constitution by promoting one religion over another. Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said the selection of the statues had nothing to do with the Catholic religion, that they were chosen in “an effort to boost morale and to symbolize the values of truth, justice, and the prevalence of good over evil.” Mayor Koch joined us to discuss.

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life Guest: Steven Pinker, PhD - Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University – author of this new bookProstate Cancer Awareness Month Guest: Ed Randall - Founder + Chief Advocacy Officer of Fans For The Cure Is ‘career catfishing’ real? What is it and what do you need to be on the lookout for? Guest: Johnnie Garmon - founder and managing partner of The Perissos Group, a mission-driven consulting business   Does Tylenol Use during Pregnancy Cause Autism? Guest: Dallas Reed, MD, Chief of Genetics and an OB/GYN at Tufts Medical Center  

NightSide’s last hour of the week we like to keep it light and fun. With Autumn knocking on the door, Dan asked what's your favorite thing about this season? 

A little over a month ago, President Trump met with Russian President Putin in Alaska with hopes of making progress towards an eventual peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. After the meeting Trump said it was very productive, yet roughly a month later not much progress has been made towards reaching a peace deal, with Trump saying, Putin “let me down.” Do you think Putin is playing Trump? Will we see some sort of end to the ongoing war in Ukraine, anytime soon?

Next week, a Boston federal court judge will consider a case that raises questions about whether women as well as men should be obligated to register for the military draft. As it stands right now under current U.S. law, anyone who was born a man and is currently between the ages of 18 and 26 is eligible and required to register for the draft. Attorney Wendy Murphy, a women's rights activist represents a MA woman who feels women as well as men should have equal rights and responsibilities when it comes to registering for the draft. Attorney Murphy joined us to discuss.

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!Epilepsy Foundation New England is pushing new legislation to improve safety in Massachusetts schools. Guest: Kimberlee Schumacher - Interim President and CEO of Epilepsy Foundation New England Sept. 18th was National Cheeseburger Day! The first ever burger was made with coffee and brown sugar back on Sept. 18th,1885. How different is the original recipe burger than what we eat today?   Guest: Chris Carosa – Hamburger Historian - author of Hamburger Dreams: How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack The Case Of America’s Greatest Culinary Mystery   If you lost your wedding ring or favorite piece of jewelry at the beach, in the woods, wherever, did you know there’s a network of metal detectorists who are ready to jump into action & help you?!Guest: Dennis Boothby – Metal Detectorist based out of New England with The Ring Finders BU Study of Young Athletes Finds Neurodegeneration Might

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there have been countless examples of people losing their jobs or being suspended over their controversial comments about Kirk’s death. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is the latest public figure to be suspended, and his show pulled “indefinitely” for comments he made during an opening monologue on his show earlier in the week. What constitutes as free speech, and can you separate yourself and your political viewpoints from that of your company? Dan  discussed the legalities of free speech and working for a privately owned company or entity that might hold your comments against you.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there have been countless examples of people losing their jobs or being suspended over their controversial comments about Kirk’s death. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is the latest public figure to be suspended, and his show pulled “indefinitely” for comments he made during an opening monologue on his show earlier in the week. What constitutes as free speech, and can you separate yourself and your political viewpoints from that of your company? Dan  discussed the legalities of free speech and working for a privately owned company or entity that might hold your comments against you. Attorney Harvey Silverglate joined us to discuss.

How far away has your luggage been left behind never to be returned? Josh Bittker is a local Cambridge guy whose luggage despite containing an Apple AirTag with its exact location known, had his luggage left behind at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris by Air France, never to be returned. Despite persistent communication by Bittker and assurance from the airline that they knew where his luggage was and that it would be returned, the airline turned around and dubbed the luggage a total loss and it ended up at a Parisian thrift store! Josh shared his story with us as we invited listeners to also share your lost luggage stories!

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!September is National Suicide Prevention Month – Raising awareness about suicide and how to help. Guest: Christi Taylor Jones – Psychotherapist & suicide survivor - MA author of "Touched by Suicide: A Personal and Psychological Perspective on the Longing for Death and Rebirth" The unique story of how MA based Jefferson Rubber Works, a 50-year-old supplier of custom-molded rubber products found success in the pet products industry, thus Ruff Dawg was created! Came up with the popular dog toy – the K-9 flyer! Guest: Carrie Quinn – Marketing Director of Ruff Dawg Bill sponsors say public restrooms need to be changed - Universal changing stations for adults with disabilities or health conditions, plus diaper changing stations for babies, would be required in certain public buildings. Guest: Alison Kuznitz – State House News Reporter MSPCA-Angell Warns of Parvovirus Dangers Following Hospitaliza

Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel made some comments that had his parent company suspend his show indefinitley. Dan shared his thoughts and invited listeners to call in with their opinions on Kimmel's suspension. 

Parents are left with an impossible decision after an 18-year-old Falmouth student was accused and arrested for threatening a school shooting in Falmouth. Ian Fotheringham is charged with threatening to use a deadly weapon in a public building. While police did not find any weapons upon investigation, it raises concerns over how to handle such threats and the difficult decision for parents over whether they send their kids to school where a shooting threat has been made. At a hearing, a district court judge ruled that the teen can go free if he posts $2500 bail and wears a GPS monitoring device. What would you do as a parent or a student?

Last year the data showed that the majority of students in 561 MA elementary schools were not proficient in reading and less than half of MA's elementary and middle school students met or exceeded expectations on the 2024 English language arts MCAS, down more than 20% from pre-pandemic levels. Lawmakers have introduced a bill, the “Right to Read Act,” that would promote high quality comprehensive literacy instruction in all MA public schools. Mary Tamer, a former Boston School Committee member and the Executive Director of MassPotential, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the success of all K-12 students across the Commonwealth, joined us to discuss.

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!The Return of Taste of Fenway on Wednesday September 24th! Guest: Steven Farrell - Executive Director of Fenway Community Development Corporation New Massachusetts license plate honors K9 officers and handlers. Guest: James (Jim) LaMonte – Founder of the K9 PTSD Research Center in Seekonk, the group who came up with the idea of the plates Europe bans chemical used in some gel nail polishes, classifying it as a ‘reproductive toxicant’. Tufts doctor things there should be some type of regulation in the U.S. She thinks it would be a particularly good idea for women of childbearing age to avoid gel nail polish… Guest: Dr. Farah Moustafa - MD, Dermatologist and Director of Laser and Cosmetics at Tufts Medical Center Retired Milford firefighter John Hennessy, who, after a lifetime of service with the Milford Fire Dept., now needs help finding a donor for a lifesaving kidney. Guest: John Hennessy – Re

With so many stories in the news, Dan invited callers to bring up any topic for discussion.

In recent years, the FBI has seen a huge increase in the number of child and teen sextortion cases. James Woods was a 17-year-old college-bound track star who took his life after being the target of sextortion. James’ parents, Tamia & Tim Woods, started a foundation that educates students and parents alike about the dangers of sextortion. Tamia and Tim joined us on NightSide and discussed what sextortion is, how kids are being targeted, and in some cases, taking their own lives as a result.

Michael Addison is the only individual on death row in New England. Addison was sentenced to death in 2008 for killing a Manchester, NH police officer back in 2006. The NH man has been trying to appeal his case for years with no luck until recently NH Supreme Court justices granted him another opportunity to plea for his life. Since NH abolished the death penalty in 2019, Addison and his attorneys argue it would be fundamentally unjust to put him to death now. Do you think Addison should be taken off death row now that NH abolished capital punishment?