NightSide News Update 4/25/25

Time now is eight oh seven, which means it's time for Night Side with Dan Ray.

I've been Kyle Bray WBZ, Boston's News Radio. Thanks for joining us night Side, Dan Ray.

I'm don Yourazy Boston's News Radio. Kyle Brah, I love you. Sign off. I've been Kyle Bray. Hey you are still Kyle Bray, no doubt about that. Thanks very much, Kyle. Stay dry tomorrow with all the weather that's coming in hope all of you stay dry as well. It sounds like they're talking about them monsoon tomorrow here in New England, and that must be the weather the Red Sox are experiencing tonight out in Cleveland, Ohio. I often called the Mistake by the Lake. My name's Dan Ray. There are

All, so you can call them Irish step dancers or Irish dancers.

Yes, perfect, So I see these folks, and of course all of us have experienced river dance, and which is which is Irish dancing? You've got to be really in good shape here athletically. These these people are more than these They are more than dancers. They're athletes. Correct.

Yes, it's a very athletic sport. It's extremely hard and it takes a lot of precision, precision in practice These kids practice up to seven days a week prepping. You know, their whole world revolves around it at that level of going to the world, so it's really a high level for it. Like you were saying, at what.

Age do you introduce kids who really want to be competitive? Obviously it can be taken up by anyone, but I'm assuming if by time you're fifteen or sixteen that that window has probably closed. What time hockey players have to start to start skating as early as three? Back?

Go ahead, tell me, yes, we actually have a tiny top class and we take dancers at three years old, and actually we do. There's adult dancing is huge, and Irish dancing you can be any age. The Irish dance community spans all different ages and levels.

But in terms of the competitive dancers, I assume this is something that someone like Francesca, who I'm going to talk to now, probably started at a very early age. Francesca, you were one of the dancers on the trip with your dance teacher and coach, Molly Francis Ludwin. When did you start doing this activity?

Seriously, I started our dancing when I was four years old, so I've been doing I'll know.

No that's great, that's great. And as you got older and you became more serious, what is it about the sport that that that allowed you or compelled you to take it as seriously? I know kids start piano less is when they're five or six, and by seven or eight they're done and they're not concert pianists. What what drew you into this, uh, this competition or we I guess we could call it a sport, but what what what is about it that that has that has drawn you into this high level of competition?

So I would say as I got older, the more dance competitions I did, and the better I got with the result, I definitely was encouraging to keep going and then see like the best I could get, And my mother really pushed me to do the best I could.

It's okay, that's okay. Parents. Sometimes I'm sure she pushed you in a in a supportive way. Is that your first trip to Ireland last weekend?

No, I've actually been there twice twice.

Okay, I've I've been there a few times myself. I actually have dual citizenship, so I I believe me, I'm very very much aware of just the difficult this this sport. I mean it's it's not an easy sport to uh, you know, to to really accomplish. I mean you you're an accomplished dancer. What do you hope to do with this? Is this something you're going to carry on and become a teacher or a coach or how where will this sport take you?

Yeah? For sure.

I mean I already help a little bit with Molly teaching some of the younger girls team dances, and I really enjoy it and hopefully one day maybe I could be in river dance or like some sort of professional dance company.

Very nice and last questions, Francesca, for you, has this helped you? My understanding is you're still in high school. Are you're a junior or a senior?

I'm a senior senior.

Do you know at this point where you if you're going off to college next fall?

Yes?

I am where you're going?

If I could ask Junny Cortland.

Okay, now, do they have any sort of a program there where you can continue to to compete and perfect perfect your your your vocate your avocation here?

They don't have an IRSTS program, But the college is only like forty minutes away from Francis Academy. So I would hope to continue to try to get to Francis Academy in practice.

All right, let me come back to your to your teacher and your coach, Molly Francis. Letwin Molly, what what advice would you give to a family that has a young girl or a young boy who might be interested in the sport. Obviously we reach a pretty wide audience here. We're heard in most of the eastern the US. How is there a website that parents can go to? You know you're located, I know in Syracuse, we're in Boston, but there's a lot of people in different places, is

Yeah. So, Actually, if you go to the c l r G website, c l RG is our organization, and we also have the North American Irish Dance Teachers Association, which you can look up your local like what dance schools are near you. There's a registry there and if you just google Irish step dancing clergy. It would bring you to local schools.

But I think, what does what does c l r G stand for?

It's it's a it's a Gaelic word. I'm not going to try to say it right now, but it stands for.

By the way, I'm picking up a little bit of a Canadian accent with you. Are you Canadian?

Yes, we're actually close. We're close to the Canadian border. I heard that two hours.

Yeah, did you grew up in Canada?

No, Syracuse my whole life.

Okay, well, we're with the word. When you pronounce the word organization that is that's always a tip up. Well, thank you both for joining us. This was an international phone call. I wasn't sure if we had an Irish stepped an American Irish step dancer and an American Irish step dancing coll coach with roots in Canada. But thank you both very much. Fringe Casca, best of luck as you go off to college. Your parents must be very

Thank you so much for having us.

Okay, good night, folks. When we get back, we're going to talk about something that I'm more comfortable with. I don't think I could ever be an Irish step dancer, but I can eat pizza. The largest pizza festival in New England returns to Boston City Plaza in June, and we're going to talk about it with the co director of the Boston Pizza Festival, something we all can participate in. Right after the break here on Nightside. You're listening to WBC Boston's news radio right here on WBZ ten thirty

Yes, yes, you said it perfectly.

All right? You were the co director of the Boston Pizza Festival. How long has the Boston Pizza Festival been gracing our fine city? How many years?

We started in twenty sixteen, and obviously COVID stopped us for a little bit, but we're back in action. So this is our fifth year back here at City Hall Plaza, so we're so excited.

All right now, Look, even if it was COVID, I would have been there for the Pizza festival. What's the genesis of it? I know you're at City Hall Plaza, which is very close to the Boston's North End, which have the best pizza places in the world as far as I'm concerned. How was it that someone at one day woke up and said, you know what this city means, we need a pizza festival, and a bunch of people said, yeah, you're right. How did it start? What is the genesis of the Boston Pizza Festival.

I'm so happy that you shouted out the North End. I'm a North End kid. I'm born and raised in the North End. So thank you for doing that. We we love kidding me. So the pizza. The pizza festival originated so my family and I my father's from Naples, Italy, and in Naples, Italy, they have the largest pizza festival in the world. And as a family, we would always go to Italy every summer and that was like our

So I cannot.

Believe with my great friend Tom Menino, having been the great mayor Tom Menino, I might say, God rest his soul, that he was mayor for twenty years and one of us didn't say, Hey, let's have a pizza festival. What an opportunity we missed. By the way Naples. I was in Naples last summer with some nightside listeners. We did roam and then went down to the Amalfi Coast. I don't know if you ever been in the Naples airport.

Lovely definitely, it was lovely.

Definitely controlled chaos at that airport for sure, oh man.

And well, anyway, so tell us about the specifics. It's on the plaza so you can't miss it. What are the hours during the day. I assume there's a cover charge to get in. Tell us how it works. I got a lot of pizza lovers, I'm sure listening and are writing this all down.

Absolutely So we'll be there Saturday and Sunday, June twenty first and second from eleven am to six pm. And this year we have a ten dollars cover but in that ten dollars comes two slices of pizza, any any toppings. You can use those tickets to, you know, redeem those tickets at any pizza EA. And it really is, you know, a celebration of pizza. But it's it's an event that you know from my eyes and you know my perspective. You know, we bring everybody together. You know, everybody loves pizza.

And yeah, I just can't wait we have these.

Put let me make sure I understand this, Okay, I want to make sure my audience gets it. So ten dollars per person, adults or children. It's a ten dollar charge per person? Correct?

Correct?

Okay? Like nobody kids under two? They I hope they're not gonna eat a lot of pizza. Is there like one of those things where kids under a certain age are free? Or is it? You know if you walk in with it?

Yeah, children five and under don't won't pay it, won't need a ticket.

Yeah, well, don't bury the lead here, gian Kala, we got it. You know, there's a lot of families out there where they for twenty dollars a mom and a dad and a couple of kids under five, they're golden. So how many pizza vendors? How many shops are going to be set up on the plaza?

You know?

I mean, obviously you'll have I'm sure many, But what's the what do you think you'll have in terms of vendors there?

We'll have thirty different pizza rias. Some coming all the way from Italy and fifty six vendors total, so you know, we'll have dessert, we'll have gelato. We have so many other additors other than pizza. But the cool part of this year is we have a pizza festival from Italy joining us we're hosting. It's called Pizza Avico and they're from the peninsula of Sorrento in Vico Quinca, Italy, and they're a really world renowned pizza festival and we're so grateful.

I've been in Sorrento. Beautiful city. I really hi, very some very nice shops in Sorrento. By the way, have you been in Sorrento.

Yes, I love it. There's nothing like those nights in Sorrento.

Yeah, really it really is. So look, I assume that you'll be able to perhaps purchase a beer or two if you want at the festal yes, absolutely, just want to make sure in case. I don't want anyone to suffer from dehydration. Okay, you know, I'm just I'm a pretty thoughtful guy here and I want to make sure everybody's happy. Well, this is great. Saturday June twenty first, Sunday June twenty second. How big a crowd do you think you're going to get? In all honesty, you're talking.

About you know, last year we did twenty five thousand people over the weekend, and this year, you know we we should be you know, right around those those numbers, and you know, increasing our marketing efforts and partnerships and some really cool activations. It really is going to be a great event.

I'm sure you and they were night side listeners right now who are marking it on their calendar, on their calendar. So I thank you so much for you amazing tonight. I loved Italy, I love pizza, and you sound like a great guy, and it's going to be a fabulous event. Thanks so much for joining us tonight and spending a few minutes.

And please be my guest, come eat some pizza with us.

You know, if I'm in town that weekend, you know I'm going to stop by and I'll find you. I will find you no matter what. Okay, I will buy my tickets, but I will find you nonetheless. Thanks Gincla.

I appreciate it. Thank you having wonderful evening.

Thank you you too, Bonaie. Thanks. We will take a break right after the eight thirty news. We're going to talk about a very serious effort. It's called Hope for I got to get the precise name here. It's Haymakers for Charity. It's a Haymaker's charity event. It's a boxing program at Haymakers for Hope is what it's called, at the MGM Music Hall right next to Fenway Park. We're going to talk with one of the boxers, Ben Heller, who is boxing and is involved in this because of

With Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.

All right, welcome back everyone. There is a an event coming up that we want to make you aware of. It's been an event that has been around for some time, uh and the event is next we'll actually strike that it's May eighth. Let me double check and make sure that is not this Saturday, and it's not next It's it's a Thursday night if I'm reading my calendar correctly. Here, Yeah, Thursday night at the MGM Music Hall right by Fenway Park. It's called Haymakers for Hope. It's also rock and Rumble

I'm great, how are you?

Thanks for having me good.

I've watched some of your video and I've have a bumping into the street. I'm not gonna want to fight you. You're you're a you're a boxer. You have done this. You have not done this your entire life. But you're taking it very seriously and for a great cause. Your wife is a warrior. You mentioned she was diagnosed with h with breast cancer and has an aggressive form. First of all, how she doing today?

She's doing pretty well today. She she is, like I said, a warrior and battles real hard every day. We've got three teenage kids and she makes it a priority. Uh, she makes a priority that just to be in their lives as normal as possible, and so she's she's a mom first and foremost and running around with the kids and she's doing she's doing really well.

Okay, now, when did you take up boxing? If you don't mind, you're fifty years old. I looked at the video. Uh, and and you look like you clearly can handle yourself in the ring. I'm very impressed. Uh, this is uh the this is a serious activity. You work in real estate, you're a real estate advisor. When yeah, I know why you box, But how long have.

You done it?

Because you look like you're pretty accomplished to me.

Yeah, I've been trained. So I participated in last year's event, and I didn't start training specifically for that. My oldest daughter had asked me about boxing. You know, I've been a boxing fan my whole life. We were talking about it. There's a gym down the street from our house, and we kept driving by it. She wanted to go in. So she and I went in one day and just you know, did a couple of classes and there's she and I and then I kept going with it, and you know, seemed to be good.

Enough at it that they.

Threw my hat in the ring for Haymakers given my story with my wife, and so I trained last year and ended up raising two hundred and eighty thousand dollars last year for my fight. And the fight didn't win with my hand being held above my head, which feel like I had some unfinished business. So I got an opportunity to do it again this year, and so I

Yeah, I did the same thing as a kid. I grew up in the city, not the mean streets of the city, but I grew up in Boston and everyone you know, I'm a little older than you are, and every once in a while you got into a beef and that's the way you settled it. Back in those days, you weren't pulling out a gun or a knife or anything out. And I boxed one time, just for a minute. I'm not going to buy you with the story, but

Well, you know, it's it really is a you know, it takes a village. Our community has really come out for Amanda and me, and it's been a lot of a lot of people from all, you know, corners of our life have come forward and just made the donation. You know, some people as little as twenty five bucks in some pretty sizable checks. But it's been a you know, really humbling to have our community come out and show

So people who are listening tonight, can they just donate directly to the charity or do you have a specific place they can donate which is associated with your event this' upcoming.

If you look up Haymakers for Hope and it lifts all the fighters, Ben Heller's there and you can donate through me and that way it goes to Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Each fighter can nominate any sort of cancer charity they want, but Breast Cancer Research Foundation is what's

No, well, it's something. But I do understand that the larger fight that you're going to win here is for Amanda. So if they just go to the website Haymakers for Hope dot Org, I assume that's a correct at it or and then they.

Read it and then yeah, and then Benjamin Heller and you can say, you know, donate here, and you know, I appreciate everything. If we between last year's fight and this year's fight, we're at about four hundred and sixty thousand dollars, So I really want to be able to get the half a million dollars, which is way more than I ever expected. And it's just like I said,

So again, this is a Thursday night, May eighth, seven thirty. I assume that it's open to the public. It's a public event. I'm I'm assuming a matter of fact, that's true.

You can you can buy tickets on the same website.

Yeah, I've gone right here to your website, which is great. There's a there's a picture of you, of you the donation. It's at the MGM Music Hall everybody. There's where you get tickets and it says donate to Benjamin, which means that you make the donation to your to the charity. Do you have any idea who you'll end up fighting that night?

I do.

I think I've met him before. His name is Parker Willard. He's a god but my age, a couple of years younger than me. Tough guy. You know, I've done a lot of time fundraising. I gotta I gotta spend these last couple of weeks training some more. He's gonna give it as all.

I know.

He fought before too, and he's got a cause that's just as important to mine as mine. So we're gonna give it all in the ring for a good cause. I think, you know, for for six minutes, we're gonna sort of forget that we're amateurs and go out there and pretend that we're this is what we do for a living.

But it's uh, also it's great. Is it two three minute rounds to three two minute rounds?

Three rounds?

Yeah, that's okay, that makes more sense, uh, Ben, you know, look it sounds like such a great cause. Congratulations to having the courage to get into the ring. And we wish you and your family and especially Amanda's just all the luck in the world. So they can they go haymakers for hope. Find your name, Benjamin Heller. Uh and and you you're you're in the ring, but your family's in the ring with it with a bigger fight, so you know, god speed, you know, watch out for those

Well, I really appreciate it. It's honored to be on the air with you. And you know, I'm a kid from the city of Boston too, and I really appreciate it so thanks, I.

Hope, I'm more honored to have you on the air if the truth, you know, because you're doing something that very few people ever get an opportunity to do in their life, and it really does put the sport in perspective. So all the luck in the world. I'm sure it's going to be a great night for you and for your family and raise a lot of money. Thank you, my friend, we'll talk again.

Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Very welcome. Ben, Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Who's going to get in the ring the age of fifty second time? If you go to the website Haymakers for Hope, there's some video and this guy has trained. Let me tell you, he's not the sort of person you want to get into a disagreement with. He's going to be prepped and ready for May eighth at the MGM Music Hall at

Boston's news radio.

All right, we're wrapping up our last quick conversation of the night. We're going to be talking with Genesis Corella. She's a senior policy analyst at ed Trust. Genesis, welcome to Nightside.

How are you good, evening, Dan? I'm doing well.

How are you okay? I think I know what senior policy analysts would mean. But what is ed Trust? I'm sure that's some sort of a trust. Tell us about it. So.

Ed Trust is a national organization and we're submitted to dismantling racial and economic barriers and set it in the American education system. Our approach centers on the analysis of data to identify opportunity gaps, indicating for policies that promote equity, and working closely with the range of stakeholders to help sort of shift the narrative and build momentum around urgent needs for systemic improvement.

Gotcha, are you on a headsetter on a speakerphone by any chance? Or no? I'm just having a.

Little tough you know, I'm just on my phone.

Sorry, Oh great, Well, if you then talk right into the mouthpiece. It's going to be much better. Okay, that's okay, that's going to Yeah, you sound much better already already. Oftentimes people hold that mouthpiece a little about their mouth, or they hold it a little below their mouth, and it doesn't sound quite as good when they held it right to their mouth. So just please continue to do that for us. So the state of math in Massachusetts

Correct.

So right now, more than half of Massachusetts students aren't meeting grade level expectations in maths. So, for example, just forty one percent of third through eighth graders that are exceeded expectations last year on them. Past and outcomes are even more concerning for our black, Latino multi lingual learners, students with disabilities, and students from low income backgrounds. And

Now, I know that you probably are aware. It looks to me, I'm not sure if you're I think you're in Rhode Island. Correct, no problem, But we're talking obviously about Massachusetts, and I assume that you are familiar that Massachusetts last November voted to eliminate mcasts as a graduation requirement. The test will still be administered, but obviously the stakes will be much less. Do you think that's a good development or poor development in your opinion?

That's a great question. So at ed Trust, we believe that a rigorous, uniform statewide graduation standard of course, paired with some strong state oversight, is really essential to ensuring that all students, regardless of the district that they attend,

So, okay, you just gave me an answer. I didn't understand that I heard the words. Is it a good development or a poor development overall?

In your opinion, a poor development?

Okay.

My next question then, is one of the things that's coming down the line that all of us need to be concerned about, not only those of us who are out of school, but particularly those of us who have kids in school, artificial intelligence. What needs to be done to make sure that kids in poorer communities are given as many opportunities to be aware of artificial intelligence, how to use it and use it properly as kids in

Yeah, that is sort of an emerging issue area. And it's not just because in rural schools there's disparities among various geographyes, income levels, And it really comes down to sort of acknowledging this emerging area and sort of keeping up with the twenty first century trends, ensuring that teachers are really well equipped to teach AI and sort of support students and using it well and effectively, and as well as state really strong state guidance to ensure that

Yeah, the concern is that that's the latest thing, and it has applications in mathematics, but it also has applications in other areas in English writing skills and all of that. And you know that kids who are in the who were challenging schools, whether it's the private schools or whether it's the exam schools in some communities, they're going to be challenged, But I just don't want to see other kids who are in more you know, traditional schools fall

I appreciate that. Yes, I think AI can be a very powerful tool, but as sort of with any new emerging technology, it needs to be used responsibly and shouldn't take away from the real critical learning that students should be exposed to.

If folks want to get more information about what your group does and the reports that you've written, is there an easy website because there are a lot of people who are very interested in the issues that you're involved in. Is there a website that we can direct people to.

Yes, you can read our leadst brief on the map I say that ed trust dot org backslast Massachusetts. You can sell us on LinkedIn and Twitter at trust m A and V are also on Bluesky at trust in m.

A okay, so it's ED trust So it's just capital E and then you know as education the abbreviation E lowercase D, capital T lowercase r U, s T dot org, slash Massachusetts. Want to make sure that you know some of these are case sensitive, and I don't want people to be frustrated. It's a capital E and a capital T, but all one word ed trust E, D T, r U, s T, capital E, CAPITALT dot org. Thanks so much, Genesis. I I appreciate it. The work you're doing is very important,

Thank you.

Have a great night.

All right, bye bye. All right. When we get back, we're going to talk about a development in Massachusetts which troubles me, to be honest with you, we picked up a story earlier this week out of the State House News Service, in which some legislators out there, the more progressive legislators, you know, the folks who wanted to get rid of capital punishment many years ago, their progeny now would like to get rid of life in prison without parole, which to me is crazy. We will be talking with