NightSide News Update 6/27/25

It's nice, Dan ray I'm going you easy Boston's News Radio.

Thank you, Madison Rogers, and I hope you have a great weekend and a couple of days off. I know I'm looking forward to the weekend. It is Friday night, June twenty seventh.

We are a mayor.

What's it four days now, less than four days, three plus days away from July. We're almost halfway through the year. My name is Dan raym the host of Night's One. I'm heard every Monday through Friday night right here on WBZ, Boston's news radio. And as I mentioned last night, and I said, we'll always mention, Rob Brooks is back in the control room. But we have a new iHeart, new and improved iHeart app, and I really would encourage you to take it down. Just go to your app store,

But the first one.

I think all of us understand, and that is as we travel this summer, or as we travel anywhere anytime during the year, we're going to learn. Now, what are the germiest places. I'm not talking about countries. I'm talking about the germiest locations on you travel itinerary that you can be exposed to with us as Derek OLIVERA he is a global consultant with ISA or ISASA. I have been trying to figure out what the ACRONYMSA stands for. So, Derek, you work for the company. I assume you know what

Hey getting me? Then thanks for having me. So I has to say stands for the International Sanitation Supply Association. So we are the world's largest association when it comes to janitorial and healthkeeping.

All right, well that's great. So you are an expert here and you folks, I guess have figured out the germiest places that people will encounter while they're traveling. And they're not the places that most of us might think of. The places that are the germyst give us a let's walk through them, because some of them have surprised me, really surprised me.

Go right ahead, so I can give you four of each. Well, if we're talking about the airport in transit would whether it be planes, trains or buses. And at the hotel, sure, so the first one would be the security events, right, So or we all put our personal belongings before we pass through those metal detectors. So those bens, thousands of tens, that's those bins daily and the studies have shown that they carry more viruses than airport toilets. And we have rarely going on.

Do you want to headset by the way or no?

No, I'm on my phone.

Okay, good, okay, because I want to make sure I'm not talking all of you. I didn't understand when you say security events, you're talking about the we call t SA and you put your bag on the uh.

Exactly, those those gray bins.

Yeah, oh, the gray bins. Oh the grape that you put your bag in and then it moves through. Oh why why are they so good?

Before going in? Of hands touched those daily and they never clean them.

They never cleaned them. Oh my, very rare.

That's that's that's one I would not have thought of. Good one, God, what can you do? We're gloves or or what's.

Wash your hands after manipulating them?

Good? Good point, good point. Okay, So that's one.

What else we got We got the touch screens so check in kiosks and gates, So again, rarely disinfected and yet heavily used by travelers.

Okay, good point.

Airports, seating armors, the cloth seats, the obviously limited cleaning and perfect spotf for terms to thrive. And then the fourth one at the airport would be the water fountain. So everyone touches them, but very few people clean them. And obviously they're obviously in damp environments, which is great for turns and bacteria to grow.

Where the troops are having a ball at the airport. What about on planes itself? What about they don't clean the seats on planes? The plane lands, people get off, everybody wants to get on and.

As quickly as possible. What about planes?

So that's a great point, right, So obviously we've been to the airport before and we see that you know, we're waiting for our plane. Our plane arrives at the gate. You know there there's fifteen minutes interval for those that you know that incoming flight to disembark, and then fifteen minutes for us to embark. And we know that they're not doing a great job cleaning their planes, and that

Yeah, you know all of these things, if you think about them, they're they're exactly what we should think about. But I got to be honest with you. All the flights have taken I've never brought with me. I think I want to bring hand sanitizers with me, or maybe some clean wipes.

I'm serious.

I don't want to sound crazy, But so you've got a few other places also, elevator buttons, elevator buttons so.

Yeah, so at the hotel, absolutely, elevator mountains, the TV remote control right, rarely sanitized, but every guest touches them. Yeah, light switches, high contact services that can harbor bacterial for days. Everyone's touching those bedspreads and decorative pillows. I don't know if you guys have seen, but Vegas right now is going through a pandemic with bed bugs. So bedspread fits right into their washed fairly frequently than sheets and pillowcases.

Boy, I'll tell you this is something I had never thought of, and it's going to change my attitude towards traveling. As a matter fait, I'm probably not gonna want to travel anymore.

I mean, the.

Traveling has become very much less fun than it used to be. I mean, now the gates are always a half a mile away. It's not that I'm getting any younger, but the people, the crowds, everybody gets up, the travelers. Now, when the plane pulls into the gate, everybody jumps up. It's like nobody's gonna move for ten minutes. They won't even open the door, but everybody's standing there. They're trying to pull their over bags down. They're bopping their neighbors

That's my thought. Are you are you with me on that or no?

Yeah? So I obviously for my job, I travel a lot. And the thing that I hate the most is actually get into the airport and get on the plane. It's I think people have lost their common sense and it's it's become a jungle out there.

So what do you do, Derek? You must have some tricks?

Do you do? You bring wipes with you, handy wipes or something. What do you do?

So, so here's my travel tip, right, so Kerry, disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer, minimum sixty percent alcohol and wash you wash your hands frequently, especially before eating or touching your face.

Big go.

If we had the discipline to follow those rules, your suggestions, not rules, we would probably be more healthy at the end of our trips because we don't think about this. We really don't think about this. So Vegas now has bed bugs?

Yeah, yeah, so it's it's it's it's common knowledge. I've read a lot of articles in the last couple of days that a lot of major hotel chains are suffering now with a large bug infestation.

Well, the Chamber of Commerce must love that, huh. I mean it makes sense. It makes all the sense in the world. It makes all the sense in the world when you think about it. Wow, Derek, this this was great your organization. If folks would like to get in touch. You know folks who will come on the show generally they're plug in a book or they're plugging an organization. Who would be in my audience who could avail themselves of the services of ISSA.

I mean, anyone that has any commercial real estate, you know, residential cleaning, you know common spaces, real estate managers, anyone that's looking to improve, you know, the sanitation of their buildings. They can reach out to us ISSA dot com. You'd be more than happy to help.

And you're everywhere.

We're broadcasting probably right now in about thirty five states, just with terrestrial over the air radio. Is there a specific part of the country where you have a greater footprint or are you equally everywhere in all forty eight states? Be fifty states.

We are a global organization. We are worldwide. We have offices in Asia, we have offices in Europe, America, Canada.

Okay, yep, that's great.

No.

I just wanted to make sure, and we have people listening to our show, by the way, all over the world on the internet, so maybe we'll generate some business for you. You certainly know what you do, and I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.

Tonight, particularly in Friday Night.

Derek OLIVERA he's a global consultant for Isaissa dot Com. Appreciate it, Derek, Thank.

You much, my pleasure.

Thank you.

Okay, talk to you again. We get back on to talk about a bit of a dust up in Worcester. The Worcester Zoning Board has rejected the construction of a seventy five foot digital billboard that neighbors opposed. So they say you can't fight city hall. Well, this group of neighbors apparently did fight, or at least they they went to city Hall and they won. We're going to talk with Afton Pratt. She's the municipal government reporter for the

It's Night Side with Boston's news radio Porright.

Welcome back with us is Afton Pratt works as a municipal government reporter for Worcester City for Worcester Telegram and Gazette. After I assume that means you're a city hall reporter, right Dan.

I mostly cover city council and other city hall matters, So yeah, that's what I'm doing for the Telegram. Right now.

Okay, it sounds fancy when it's municipal government reporter, but I'm thinking of the old city hall reporter. That's the Beat. Okay, so we're gonna talk about a Worcester zone. How long you've been with these telegramm the TNG, as we say.

Uh, today marks three weeks actually, so pretty new to the Beat and the Telegram.

Welcome three weeks and you're already on night side in the capital city.

This is great. Where where did you work before Worster? Sure if I could ask?

Well, I actually just graduated from grad school. I just got my master's in journalism, so I've been living in Tennessee for the past five years, but I'm from Massachusetts. So it's great to be back in a great tee, back in an area I love so much.

Oh that's great. So I'm always curious how people get into business. Will pardon me for asking, but would you get the graduate degree?

I got it from the University of Tennessee.

So you're a volunteer, right, well they called the vaults.

Yes, I am a huge Tennessee volunteer fan for sure.

Yeah.

Wow, Peyton Manning's neck of the woods right, Yes, saw I'm on campus a few times walking to.

Class, which is a pretty surreal experience.

Wow.

All right, so tell us about this. There was a company that wanted to put up a seventy five foot digital billboard which they were going to have I guess it was going to basically be seventy feet high so it could be seen by people with it on two ninety when the Master and.

Park it was on to ninety I believe it was. Yeah, it was being placed right along a neighborhood that ran alongside the highway, which is why there was such an outcry from residents about it. You know, didn't want to have to see the digital billboard from their windows when they're trying to sleep at night.

Yeah.

Yeah, so that's that is a big story for that neighborhood.

The neighborhood in question that doesn't have it.

You know sometimes there's like little sub sections of communities. It's part of Worcester. But was there a neighborhood name associated.

With it or no?

Yeah, what I went out. They also they're in the Indian Lake community and lived alongside the lake. A lot of them had property on the lake, which was another huge issue. Was you know, wanting to be out on the water and having this huge billboard from the lake that they could see, and you know, they didn't want that in their neighborhood. Didn't want to see it when they were trying to just enjoy a day out on Indian Lake.

Now, sometimes these things happen all of a sudden, quietly, and people wake up one day and realize, what's this. Someone must have figured out there was something coming into the neighborhood. What's the backstory if you can share that with us.

Yeah, I heard about it from a Facebook post actually made by a member of the community. So I went out there and talked to him and he put me in touch with some other people and who were featured in the article as well, But they said the same thing that they only had heard about it about a week prior to when the zoning Board of Appeals was having their meeting to decide whether to put it up.

And I've never heard of this outdoor advertising companies called Ken Joe K. Does that have a footprint in the central Massachusetts area. Is that a fairly big outdoor advertising company.

No, this would have been their first billboard in Massachusetts at all. I believe they were operating in other states. They're an established company, but they don't have any billboards or any property in Massachusetts. It would have been their first one.

Wow. Wow.

So these residents were able to take the fight to city hall. Does this look as if it's over or is Ken Joe threatening to try to go into court and overturn the ruling from the zoning board since the end of the story essentially is what I'm asking here.

From what I saw from Kenjo at the meeting, I'm not sure if they'll appeal it. The zoning board gave them the option to withdraw the permit before they took a formal vote, and they chose not to, and then the zoning board took the formal vote. Everybody voted, know, so it's possible that they could go back and try to have it overturned, but I'm not sure currently if that will be what they end up doing, or if this is a done deal for them.

Yeah, they could have withdrawn.

It without prejudice, which would have given an automatic chance to go back.

I assume that that was the incentive.

That might have been offered. Does the zoning board feel that this particular area is a residential area and a commercial enterprise like this is something that their vote will will withstand, you know again.

Review judicial review.

Yeah, the.

Outdoor advertising company, when they were talking to the zoning board, they said one of the reasons they wanted to put that billboard there was because Wooster has pretty strict zoning laws on where billboards can and cannot go, and this was essentially one of the only areas in the city

So did the zoning or rather, did the billboard company go to residence and offer any mitigation.

To them or anything.

Was there any hey, if you do this, we'll make sure that the streets are plowed properly. Or was it just simply let's give it our best shot and see if we can get it past the zoning board.

I didn't hear anything along those lines. I believe they said they talked to some residents. All the residents who showed up at the zoning board meeting said they hadn't been spoken to. It was new news to them. They hadn't been reached out to by the advertising company. So from what I gather, they hadn't really done anything in the neighborhood to try to get people on board with this.

I don't know the answer to this, but I assumed that they would have been obligated to have given notice to at least the abutters, to the to the area that they were going to erect this billboard. So I mean, you just kind of go in and not tell people what's going on. You have to give them some notice and have to hopefully publicize it a little bit ahead of time. But it sounds to me like the homeowners have won, and hey, I wouldn't want it in my backyard.

So thanks very much for this story. I enjoyed talking with him. We'll talk again, yeah.

Of course, and thank you so much for having me.

You're welcome. You're welcome.

When we get back, we're going to talk about restaurants, specifically noisy restaurants. We'll explain right after the news at the bottom of the air. I'm about a minute or so late, but we'll get We'll can't kill it up, I promise. We have two more guests, and then we go to our topics of the night coming back on Nightside.

It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.

Thank you, Madison.

We're going to talk about restaurants and the clamor that apparently now is in too many restaurants in America. With us is Chris Burdick. Chris has written a book called Clamor, How Noise took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back. He's a science journalist, former staff editor at The Atlantic and Mother Jones.

Chris, Welcome to Night Side.

How are you, sir, I'm great, Dan, Thanks for having me here.

You're very welcome. When did this book come out? Is this recent?

Yeah, it just came out in May.

Good. That's great. Well, it doesn't matter to me.

Some I don't care if a book is five years old or five weeks old. I think it's important, and particularly when it's new. And frankly, I sometimes a lot of the questions I ask during these interviews, As you know, there's no script of questions here. So let's start off with the book is How Noise took Over the World and How we Can Take it Back. But it looks to me like the piece we're doing here is an opinion piece on how restaurants got so noisy. Explain to

Sure, well, you know, the book is focusing on how noise took over the world, and there are two parts of that. One is just more and more people. It's just math, you know, more people were living closer together, using more and more noise, producing stuff, more roads, more airplanes. But we've compounded that by what I call sonic shortsightedness. And that's where things like restaurant noise come into play.

So well, you were you're absolutely right, But wasn't that just those were the trends of the day. I mean, I knew that. I knew a restaurant where all of a sudden, there was like an open pit in the middle of the restaurant and you looked at it, and when you went there the first time, you thought, wow, that's pretty cool. It's interesting. You watch the chefs, you

Unless if I'm totally wrong, please tell.

Me no, you're right. I mean, it was the trend, and you know, it was just a matter of when people were doing this, they didn't have the wherewithal or the thought to It's easy to understand kind of the drama of having the kitchen in the middle of the place. That's cool. To have the look of a you know, fifteen foot window with you know, the exposed ceiling. All of that is kind of intuitive. You can draw that

Me, well, everybody, Yeah, if you're at a Celtics basketball game or a Bruins hockey game. It's not a library, and you you're sitting next to somebody and talking about it and wats that play over there. Everybody's raising their voices, so, you know, But you go to a restaurant not because you want to be in a hockey game or a

And it's always loud. It's always loud.

So I got my earplugs and I'm trying to watch TV and listen to TV and all, you.

Know, all all of that.

But restaurants, do you think at some point.

Some restaurants. There's a restaurant outside of you. You you're not from our area, correct, Chris, where are you located?

No, I'm from Yeah, yeah, I'm I'm local.

I mean, okay, so let.

Me mention it Ken Steakhouse on Route nine in framing him.

Okay, that hasn't changed.

Yeah, it's a great restaurant. Uh, it hasn't changed. Uh in a long time. The men used the same I remember the great restaurants in Boston from the seventies, the eighties and the nineties, Anthony's and Jimmy's down in the waterfront. Now, obviously they change the seaport and and and the value of the land. The land became more valuable than the restaurant.

It's one of my pet peeves. Have you noticed that or or am I just cranky?

I don't know. Yeah, you know, it's a it's a tough business, and I think a lot of them. Uh, you know, it's hard for anybody to hold on in that in that in that business. So I don't know, I haven't noticed that particular trend.

Well, it seems to me that the restaurants that I like the best are the ones that go out of business. Uh And and generally, what I'm looking for is exactly what you're talking about. A place where you can go and there's enough space between the tables. You pay maybe a little extra, but there's enough space. They're not cramming you in so that every time you move your chair you're bumping into the person at the next table, who.

You have no idea who they are. That's another thing.

They crowd more people into the room, which has to contribute to the noise level as well.

Yeah, it sure does, because then you're getting the cross talk, and that's one of the hardest thing. It's not just the decibel level, it's also the number of voices that you're trying to contend with because your brain has to sit through that to kind of focus on the voice that you want to hear. So that is an extra challenge.

Yeah.

The corollary of that is you're on the airplane, and the plane has yet to take off. And the guy who's sitting next to you across the aisle, he has to have his he has to make his final phone call. He context or anything like that, but he has to make his final phone call, and he has to impress upon as many people as he can.

This is a big deal.

Now, you know, I want to get this thing done before six o'clock tonight.

So I want you, guys by tomline Land, where are we going? Oh yeah, in Toronto, that this thing better be on my jest. You understand what I'm saying.

And you realize that the guy's probably not talking to anybody, He's just making making himself themselves sounds important. And I look at those guys and like, really really anyway, But that that that comes down to the ignorance quot that I think more and more people are allowing to invade their their their their personal space. Chris, let's hope for better and more quiet uh and and just better restaurants, better dining experiences, and yeah.

From from your lips to God's ears.

Then all right, now, look, let's let's plug the book again. Clamor How Noise took over the World and how we can take it back. That's available. I assume Amazon, do you have a website people can go to Chris, let's sell some books here, go ahead.

Oh yeah, sure, it is available anywhere books are sold. But a one stop shop if you want to have your pick is at www dot Chris Burdick dot com.

And Burdick is b E R D I K.

And by the way, as I tell everyone that www thing, that's so nineties. We don't need that anymore. Just Chris Berdick dot com. Keep it simple, okay, Chris, I enjoyed the conversation. You're you're selling, you're selling. We'd get along. Thanks, Thanks, my friend. We'll talk soon.

Okay, thank Manright, good night, we get back.

We're going to have a special extended summer traffic report for all of you. I know many of you out right now are heading to the Cape. We're going to talk about next hour. There's an interesting piece in the Globe today written by a guy named Billy Baker who's on the Globe staff. The headline is Cape cod Worth the miserable traffic. You bet it is, Billy. We'll we'll talk about that and we'll get a traffic update from one of the most aptly named traffic reporters in the

If you're on night Side with Dan Ray, I'm w BZ, Boston's news radio.

All right, let's get right to I guess the aptly named Zach Transport, WBC traffic reporter. Zach, When did you change your last name to Transport?

Hey, Dan, how you doing? No, I'm good, I'm good. You know, my last name has always been Transport. Surprisingly, you know, with my family name, we've had it. I believe I was told by my family. We've had it since they came over on Ellis Islands, so we've had it forever. And it was that before we came over there too, so there was no changeover as well. So that is the original name. I am Zach Transport. I am a traffic reporter and that's what I do every single day, and I love it.

I heard that you changed your last name to Transport and your last name was Storo drive.

That I think that might be an ugly rumor. Dan, absolutely, Yeah.

All right, So let's let's take a quick look at how we're doing tonight. This is Friday night. Yeah, ten minutes of nine people are on the pike heading west to the Berkshires. Theeople are heading north to New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. They're heading south to New York Walk to uh and of course to the Cape. Yes, how's it look out there right now?

It's a nice night.

I mean, it is a pretty nice night out there. You know, it's really not too bad getting out to the Berkshires, which you know, I do love the berk Shares out there. It's really sweet out there, a very beautiful area. Especially you have tangle wood, all sorts of great stuff out there. You know, it's it's pretty good right now getting down to the Cape too. But you know, I do have a couple of things to talk about

Dan Uh, Okay, you know I go to the Cape. I go to the Cape pretty often. As a matter of fact, next hour I'm gonna talk about is it interesting piece in the Globe today, since you're a traffic guy. Yeah, it was written by a fellow I don't know him, and we invited him to join us as schedule would and permitted. Billy Baker, who's on the Globe staff is Cape cod Worth. The miserable traffic and the subheadline was even after four sublime days in Chatham and on Nantucket.

Chatham and Nantucket. I mean, that's not bad.

A Globe writer isn't all that sure, So we'll have some we'll have.

Some fun with that, absolutely, that's sure.

And of course there will be some repairs done on both the Born and the Sagamore.

That's exactly right. There's a couple of projects coming up to do some major repairs on the Bourn Bridge and the Sagamore Bridge, and they're going to do replacements pretty much, I think, building right next to those bridges so that folks will be able to get over the bridges and onto the cape, so that they can still experience the beautiful beaches while not being disrupted there. I mean, you will get that disruption of course with the traffic, you know,

And notice, by the way, folks how Zach slipped that promo in there. I mean, that was very professionally done, Zeal. Thank you very professionally. I think call one thing you said, I just want to make sure I understand that.

Sure. So when they do the replacements for.

The Sagamore and the Bourne, Yes, they're going to actually build new bridges and then eventually take down the old bridges.

Is that the plan.

It's not like they're going to turn uh, you know, the the current bridges, just repair the current bridges and maybe for a while have only one lane of traffic going in each direction, and there's two lanes of traffic in each direction. Now they're actually going to build separate bridges over a period of time.

I think they were doing something similar to what was done in New York with the with the Cuomo Bridge when they redid that where they built it old tap and z Yes, were they built right next to the bridge exactly?

Wow, Okay, well that'll be good because the only problem there will be all the people who will will slow down. It's like the problem when when there's an automobile accident. I love it that, you know, the people slow down.

Oh my goodness, the car look at that. Mabel, look at the car. There's a boys car there. Slow down. I know it's on the other side, but they got the blue lights on. Whoa look at Oh that was horrible.

And people are behind them honked and get going you know, yeah, you know they'll be going over the bridges.

Let me see. Let me slow down here and see how.

Much Yeah, let me see how much progress it has been done. Let me see what they've been doing about.

And Mabel, can you take a couple of pictures out the window.

I know you don't know how to work the cell phone, but just give it a shot.

Oh no, you drop the cell phone up? We got.

Oh yeah, exactly exactly. You know, it's just it's just amazing. So so the commute, uh tomorrow morning, yes, Saturday morning, is that gonna be the tough commute?

Yeah, Saturday morning is always bad because that's when, like I said, those rental health companies do the changeover for checking and check out. But you also have people who, you know, they wait till the last min They're like, I don't know, do I want to pack the car? Do I put the chairs?

And we do?

We have enough time for one more beach Session's right, yeah. And then also people coming you know, down if they're if they're going for a long trip, you know, and they're coming let's say they're coming in from from Natick or something I don't know, coming in, you know, they want to go in. There's always trouble at the brain Tree split. Right, there's traffic down there by that lane drop in in Weymouth there because people at Derby Stream.

So the key, the key to are you from New England?

Originally I am not from New England.

Okay, here's the key, Zach.

I'm going to tell you right now as you go into the rotary. The worst thing you can do is slow down. The second worst thing you can do is look to your left, because once they lock eyes on you, just go full speed ahead. Doesn't matter. They'll get out of you. It works every time. I'm only joking. I'm only joking. You have to be very careful, absolutely very.

Very careful, very very careful, and always follow the signs.

Hey, Zach, I appreciate it very very much. Thank you so much for joining us, and we'll talk again.

You're luck absolutely, thanks so much.

Dan.

All Right, when we get back, we're going to carry the whole topic of the Cape traffic. Bill Baker Billy Baker in the Boston Globe Today wrote a piece, is Cape card worth the miserable traffic? I'll explain the piece. I disagree, mister Baker. I really do wish we could have had you on tonight, but I want to hear from you, particularly if you're in the car and if you're heading to the Cape.

Of course, the Cape is worth it.

And I will make the argument and win the argument because no one else is going to argue against me on this one. We're coming back right after the nine o'clock news