NightSide News Update 5/20/25

It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going Razy Boston's News Radio.

Thanks very much, Madison. My name is Dan Ray, the aforementioned Dan Ray, the host of Knights I with Dan Ray, and I am delighted to be here as I am always here most every night from eight to midnight, Monday through Friday. Rob Brooks is back in the control room ready to begin to take your phone calls during the

I am well, thank you.

Well, I'll tell you I know that you've done a lot of great work. But everybody associates you with the Brady Bunch. Does a day ever go by when someone doesn't look at you and give you one of those aren't you or didn't you used to be?

Probably not.

I think sometimes I haven't noticed it, so I'm guessing that it's happened out of review. Yeah, you know, my blessing is my curse exactly.

It struck.

It struck early, but it glows warmly forever, and it places me in a privileged position with the audience out there and that were it's kind of transcended entertainment and it's a representative now of family, of American family and our ideal idea of what that is when it functions.

Well, well, you have you kept your head on your shoulders. It's funny I get to talk every once in a while with well known actors or athletes or celebrities. I'm simply a guy who worked in television here in Boston and now who is in the mediocre for twilight career. The twilight of a mediocre career, I should say. But I've gotten interview from people, and the thing that's really amazing,

You know, no, it's not. It's fifteen years now, but over seventeen because we missed two years during COVID, so that brings us back to two thousand and eight.

When was our first benefit. I believe we called the Casino Knight. It wasn't at Kings in Denham. I don't know exactly when we began to have our casino Nights in Denham, but it's been prohops ten years or longer now.

I'll bet you it might have been at what was Moseley's on the Charles.

That sounds familiar. But now you're taxing my No.

No, I understand, I said. The reason is that is that when I was in television back in Well, I was in television from the seventies through the two thousands. I used to go to the events with them. They're wonderful family. Obviously struck by a horrific diving accident. By that one of the members of the Cummings family was struck. But they have turned this into a positive and so Dan is a remarkable story.

It's Dan coming, the youngest of the plant who unfortunately at nineteen I believe it was summer, Yeah, what years was I don't know. We dived into a pond and it wasn't very deep. Unfortunately, it was night, it was dark, and he nearly drowned, and he was immediately diagnosed as a THESIX quadriplegic, a dependent quadruple. Yeah, and that's tragic. But Dan has turned that tragedy into a triumph with a sort of a special kind of courage.

That fair we're really we're really familiar with it. Also, you know Matt Brown, who is a high school hockey player who you may have met along the way, who had done some things with Matt at the age of fifteen, he's done now in his early thirties, and has lived longer in a wheelchair than he did, you know as a boy. Yeah, you know, it's just incredible stories. And no matter how bad a day I might have, you always think about how lucky you are. And we don't think about that as much, however, Is.

That's the true?

Yeah? I do.

How quickly it can be taken away in.

A moment, And I remember hearing the story. I was introduced to the Cummings family through a mutual friend named a fella named Don Johnson, Not the actor Don Johnson, another Don Johnson, businessman here, so you will be there. Let's talk about the specifics. This is going to be a week from excuse me, this is this Thursday. Tonight's the twentieth. This is two nights from now, two nights, two nights from now, Thursday, May twenty second, from six to eleven. It's going to be a key six hundred

Uh.

There's all sorts of sponsorship activity options. There's all sorts of tickets that that can be bought. Uh. You guys are going to raise a lot of money for a great cause. The The website is simply journey hyphenfward dot org.

Uh.

That's going to get you to this. You'll be there. I assume you're You're going to be accessible and people are gonna get a chance to come up and and take a picture with you.

I hope absolutely. At this point, I am a life size collectible. So yes, I lerics to photographics whomever wants a photo, uh and uh, just to rotate through the crowd and try to conduct although I do very little conducting the evening because it's it's just a bunch of fun.

We play.

Know there's there's gambling with funny money and raffles and.

Memorabilia uh that'll be auctioned off raft the tickets supporting that. It's important to note that tickets are available on the website. They are also available at.

The door on Thursday night at six o'clock. I believe the door is open at.

Six and we would love to see as many people they're supporting a Journey Forward because this is a a local Canton outfit started by Dan Cummings for the benefit of those enduring paralysis or spinal cord uh trauma or issues.

Journey forward bettering lives of those with paralysis. Let me let me ask you real quickly, Christopher. I know that you obviously are involved in charitable activities, but what else are you doing these days? My understanding is that you're living a very busy life, and I just want to give you a chance for people to catch up with what what do you How are you besides doing this charitable work? What else are you doing?

You know, like a rolling stone, I've gathered no month because I have my hands in too many fires. Perhaps I you know, segued out of entertainment boy. That would have been late eighties, and I found myself in the high tech space. I did retire from that in the

But it's a.

Tremendous success story that I'm very lucky to have said yes to. I guess my advice to anyone out there is opportunities come along, and by saying no, there is no opportunity, by saying you'd never know where even when you doubt that there could be anything that comes from it. I am you know, I'm amazed by how my life has turned out. It's not by plan, it's but somehow I'm being rewarded, perhaps for a path life I don't know.

Well, I'll tell you what you'll be rewarded for. You've been rewarded for all the good things that you've done along the way. And I think that I think, I think that's absolutely true, Okay, and I have it. I think there's a big being up there that kind of runs the show. But whether it's faith, kismick, karma, or whatever you want, you surround yourself with good things and good things will happen. So Christopher Knight home, okay people.

Oh, I've been dealing with that and recently I started a production company, former Prodigy, Inc. And we're working on our next project. First product was a documentary on It was called True Love the Film.

And it documents this wonderful personality, this young lady with william syndrome, and it brought awareness to Williams. An award winning documentary our first production. We're moving off now into scripted endeavors and hope to be placing in front of our audience out there for more producty project in the future.

Well, boy, I tell you, get a busy lifestyle and that's that's the way to stay sharp. Christopher Knight, thank you so much. Really enjoyed chatting with you. If I wasn't on air Thursday night, I'd be standing over there trying to get a selfie with you. But thanks for I'd be there in spirit, that's for sure. And please say hi to the Cummings family and particularly Dan kits, so I share it. Thank you, we share the first name. Thanks so much, Christopher, and thanks for the good work

It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w B Boston's news radio.

Delighted to be joined by Will Gilson. He is the chef and owner of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. He grew up in a New England farm and from there years of culinary expertise. He serves award winning food to guests. I want to welcome Will Gilson to the to Nightside. How are you tonight.

Will I'm doing all right.

How are you, Dan, I'm doing just great.

I've heard the term, and I'm sure most of ours have heard the term a Michelin restaurant and Michelin stars, And I don't know. I know a lot about food. I mean, I like food, but I always associate the word Michelin with those four things on the bottom of my car tires. How did we get from Michelin tires to Michelin stars at top notch restaurants, restaurants that you've been associated.

With, you know amazingly enough, the fact that you know Michelin is a European thing. Uh, it actually is a very American kind of thing if you think about it. Of the goal was to try to create a guide of different places that you could drive to so you'd actually use your tires more. And then that was the entire that's the entire reason why there was a Michelin Guide to start down there.

You're not making you're not making that up. That is that's oh okay, all the sense in the world. And so Michelin Guide is coming to Boston. I'm assuming that a lot of restaurants are either going to be really excited or really nervous tell us about it.

Well, you know, I think the thing that's crazy about Michelin coming to Boston is that so many of us for so long thought that that was not something that was going to be coming here. I mean, many of us who have restaurants here believe that Boston is a world class city, understand that it's one of the first

So, so, is this the sort of thing where people come into it to the restaurants You've got great restaurants, as I understand that all the restaurants that I see associated with your name are great restaurants. Do they come in undercover or do you know they're there? How does how does this game work? And I don't know if I should use the word game, but obviously there's a little competition going on here. I think. Yeah.

So, I mean, as we have been told. Michelin inspectors are already sort of been dispatched to the city to start going around and seeing where the best places are in the city and how to you know, figure out whether or not they meet the criteria of the guide, and the criteria that they've told us so far is it really is all about the food. It's about the quality of the food. It's about how impressive the food is, but also the chef's interpretation of their vision and their

Had to be impeccable.

There couldn't be a speck of dirt on a single bit of silverware. But as they've come to you know, the States, I think that they're starting to help, you know, us understand what the benefits of the guide can be, and that is to really help people find the best restaurants in the city that they are travel one too.

You know, I got to tell you, and I probably shouldn't say this, but I will, and I think, I hope you understand. When I go to new restaurants, one of the things that I judge a new restaurant on is how clean is the restroom? And now you probably think I'm crazy when I say that to you. Maybe I am, But I feel if the restaurant make sure the restroom is clean and presentable and people can be comfortable there, that the dining experience is sure to follow. Am I nuts when I suggest.

That, No, of course not.

I mean I think that a restroom is perfectly representative of whether or not a restaurant cares about the cleanliness

That you that you that you backed me up with that, because I've had friends of mine I've said that to that they look at me like you're nuts. You know, I could care us. That's good, that's good to know. So when will this more importantly, when will this guide appear? And even more importantly, when will the restaurants that you're involved with and other great you know, chefs and owners are involved with, when will they know what the Guide's going to say.

So, what I've been told, and I don't know if I'm speaking out of turn here, is that this fall we are going to see h the guide come out, which is very very quick. I think it's a quick turnaround. And I think that this is, you know, going to be one of those things where it's going to divide

Well, that's that's so well said. Just to give a plug to some of the restaurants that are involved in the Cambridge Street Hospitality Group makes if I hope I get these right, Puritan and Company, Puritan, Oyster Bar, Gippetto and the Lexington, amongst others. And if there's a couple more you'd like to mention, feel free because you've been a great guest.

Well, hey, I'm just happy. Hopefully everybody can come by and check out what we do. Go to our website www dot Ecambridge dot com and you'll find a list of all the restaurants that we operate. But thanks so much for having me, and it's been a pleasure to speak about Michelin.

Well right back at your pleasure to I don't get a chance to talk to a lot of chefs. I talk to politicians, and I kind of like chefs better than politicians.

I want you to know that, Thanks Will, we might just be a little bit more honest.

I like that. I like that. Hey, we'll appreciate it. Love to have you back. Thanks again, and best of luck with the Michelin Star Guide. I think that you guys are going to rack up some great ratings. I know it, I just know it. Thanks so much, Thank you Bett, You're welcome. All right, here's the News at the bottom of the hour. My name is Dan Ray. And by the way, if you haven't gotten the iHeart app, go to your app store, Okay, on your phone or wherever you find it. Pull down the iHeart app, the

Hour, Side with Dan Ray ILLINGBZ, Boston's news Radio.

More little lineup change going on here sometime we do on night Side, and our next guest is doctor Tricia pas Richaw. She's a columnist for the Washington Post and an instructor in medicine at the Harvard Medical School and directs the Institute for Gut Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Doctor push Richer, that is a very impressive resume. I read a lot of resumes, but that's that's a good one. How are you tonight?

I'm doing very good. Thanks for having me, Dan.

Well, thank you very much for being with us. And it's always great. I know that you're a Washington Post columnist, ask a doctor, but also I'm here at Boston based here. So what we're talking about is this is tough stuff. Colo. Rectal cancer is rising amongst young people. We're talking about people in their twenties and thirties and not quite sure why. What's what? Give us the big picture from thirty thousand feet, What's what's going on that this should not be happening.

Right, Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean, this is a trend that has been troubling scientists for decades. So we have known that correctal cancer rates they've been declining amongst US adults over the age of fifties since the nineteen eighties. But for people who are younger, younger adults in their twenties, thirties, forties,

And I think that new clue dealings were dealing it deals with how children come into the world.

Yeah, and so you know, I think what's worries theme to a lot of the scientists, myself included towards seeing colorful concerning where people is that you know, whatever is potentially causing this rise in cases, it probably for many people starts early in childhood. And so if we're talking about early childhood exposures, we start to think a lot more about the microbiome. All of our microbiomes can change over time, but they're really impressionable those first few years

I also thought in the piece that I read, there was some reference to children who were born cesarean section particularly, I think it was girls who were born cesarean section.

Yeah, So you know, if I think diet is not the only thing, although it's an important thing that can really influence our microbiome, but probably, I mean the first thing that really plays a big role in the bacteria that colonizes us is how we're born. So there was a study that came out in twenty twenty three that

So let me ask you this. I'm a boomer. I'm a baby boomer. We ate chunk chunk in the sense that it was pepsi, whatever, Coca cola, candy, if there were fruit and vegetables, yeah, but not the emphasis so we've had this emphasis of the food pyramid has has changed. Should we go back to what we were eating? I realized it was probably a pretty small sample size. You know, some guy comes up for the Red Sox and it's two for five in September and he's a four hundred hitter. Well,

Well, you know, it's what you're what you're asking something, and I'm not, in.

My opinion, is not to be a wise guy. We did, doctor. I really respect, but I just as you were thinking, I was thinking to myself, what was the stuff I ate? Oh? Man, go ahead, I'm sorry.

I think you're making a really good point, which is that I think a lot of people are like you, and they say, you know, I I don't remember eating such profile like I wasn't eating kale salad every day. And then I don't think that that's even you know, what anyone can expect. But I will say, you know, if you look at the trend overall of the population, like you know, things have changed over the last few decades that I think everyone can sort of agree upon.

Like?

Who could answer that question accurately?

Right? Because they put you, they put you out of the house to go out and play.

Well, you could probably yeah, I mean you could probably remember one. That's good thing. It's good to get out and play. But you know, it's hard to remember all of these specifics of our early childhood factor unless you designed to study then, like back in the night, you know, nineteen fifty, ninety, sixty ninety seven, and you really tracked kids as they grew up every year, took these service and there's very few surveys to studies that do that.

So it's nothing about that.

You know, we played all of these politically incorrect games. We played Cowboys and Indians. We played more games the US against whatever country we wanted to pick a get we we've and we were out from from morning till till dusk. And well anyway, uh, I'm fascinated by this, and and it's you're you're doing great work here and and thanks for talking about this tonight. But Kale Salad nah never had that.

Small changes, you know, make one small change at a time. But you have to be kale salad every day. Think about just swapping out one.

I'm meaning more healthy today than I ever did in my life. To be really honest with you, Okay, I really am.

I'm glad to hear that I.

Lost thirty five pounds ten years ago. This very well, this very summertime in July. Haven't put upon wow ten I was weighing two of five. I'm now one seventy found awaken one to eighty weight loss. And it's one of my advertisers. But I so believe in what they taught me. Uh, it's it's incredible, Doctor Pastwucia. You are a great sport, you really are, and thanks for having me on.

It's an important topic to talk about, so I appreciate you.

Well. I'll bet you people remember the conversation because they'll say that wise guy talk show host was I have more respect than you can imagine for the medical community. Thank you so much, Thank you very much.

Always my pleasure, take care.

I'll have you too, all right. When we come back, we will be talking with Dan macgoon, the executive director of mass Fallen Heroes. Coming right back on Nightside.

You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.

Well with us finally is Dan mcgoon. He's the executive director of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes. This is a great organization, and let's first off, Dan, the history obviously starts with nine to eleven. Tell us about the group, and then we'll talk about what's coming up in the next few days. Yeah.

Thanks Dan, that's great to be on night Side. It's funny. Before I get on the call, I was just thinking it's been ten years for the organization since we dedicated the mass and Harrows Memorial in the Seaport. I was just thinking back to where it all started. Like you said, this is the memorial that honors the Massachusetts men and women who gave their lives and service to the country since nine to eleven. So obviously, as we go through the week, that is something that's important to us, not

Well, I remember as a TV reporter being Humphry down at Logan Airport in the days following nine to eleven. And that's over twenty years ago. It's almost twenty five years ago, and it seems like yesterday in many respects, it does. How many people a memorial at the at at mess fallen Heroes.

There's there's over three hundred. Yeah, there's over three hundred and seventeen. And and that number continues to grow because you know, we still do have service members who who are obviously not in combat, but are still in service to the nation.

Uh.

And the memorial represents not only service members killed in action, but it also represents service members that that have died in service or in training and that that's been you know, something that obviously we've we've grappled with, you know, post withdrawal from Afghanistan, which which again you know, we're we're looking at as an organization of you know, what's next.

Now, my understanding is that there would be a one veteran of a veteran of Abby Gate, yes badly injured, who's going to be specifically honored tell us about that.

Yeah. So, Tyler Vargus Andrews was one of the Marines who actually spotted the bomber that ultimately you know, blew him up and killed thirteen Americans during that horrible withdrawal that we went through in Afghanistan. And Tyler has been very outspoken, you know, he was he was the I would say, more of a whistleblower on on you know,

No is Tyler a Massachusetts native.

He is not.

No.

Tyler is born in northern California. He lives on the outskirts of DC now in Virginia, him and his fiance. But he's he's up here for like I said, he's been here for the week. He's participated in the Boston woned that run on sonback.

And was he a sniper who had my understanding that that the the bomber they couldn't give the order to shoot that was Tyler.

Tyler had him, and Tyler had him. Yeah, they didn't get he didn't get the order. He could have taken him out. And uh, you know, we've all followed what what should have happened or or what didn't happen with that withdrawal, But we.

Lost we lost a service member in that group that day of the.

Yeah. Johanni Zario from from not Sure.

Yeah, Oh my god. Yeah, I just just horrific when you think about it. So, Okay, so there are sponsorship opportunities. Let's let's get the website out first so people can go and look and get all of this information. Uh yeah, I appreciate that this week is really underway. I mean we're in the middle of the week right now.

Yeah, we started, you know, Patriot Week. Like I said, it's it's been ten years, ten years since we launched Patriot Week, and the goal was to you know, run from Armed Forces Day through Memorial Day with programming that we can you know, continue to tell the stories and say the names, and you know, that's really what it's all about, and you know, bringing the veteran and goal start community together and obviously raising awareness and you know,

As well spill intervets for me, so we get that mass Falling Heroes, I got dot org.

Yeah, yeah, invets is I N N O V E T S.

Okay, So innovation like the Force four letters of innovation. I know the E T S. Dot Org. I'll tell you it's it's a great project we we have. You know, over the over the years, there were a lot of men and women who went to war for this country, and we as a as a nation did not appreciate their sacrifice. I'm thinking of not only the Vietnam veterans, but I think of the Korean veterans, uh and uh.

Okay, Yeah, I would love to thank you.

Let's let's let's be proactive ahead of time. Okay, I'll talk to my premis about that. Yeah, thank you, Dan, appreciate it so much. We will talk again. Dan mcgoon, the executive director, the executive director of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes massfallenheres dot org. Thank you, Dan Magoon, Thank you so much. Talk to you all right, we get back. We're going to talk with one of the Republicans running for governor. Brian Shortsleeve. Should be no stranger to most