NightSide News Update

It's night Side with Dan Ray on WBZY, Boston's news radio.

All right, thanks very much, Nicole, as we start a Wednesday night edition of night Side. It is, of course the middle of the work week, the work week for all of us. I'm here every Monday through Friday night from eight until midnight, although it will be off Tomorrow night, and Morgan White will join us tomorrow evening, So please be good to Morgan. I'm sure he will put together a very interesting show, different type guests and just a little personal matter that I had to deal with. I'm

Thanks so much.

I'm excited to talk about a bunch of dogs, the best topic.

Yeah, well I love dogs too. You have a bark the vote coming up, and how how a buzz with excitement the residents of the Seaport district over this this very important election. Perhaps not as important as November fifth in the scheme of big things, but certainly from the from the seaports perspective, this is a very critical choice.

Yeah, certainly not as important, but it's definitely gotten people excited. We had one hundred and eighty one dogs entered in the first round and we're down to five.

Now for those of your primary.

How did you how did you You had one hundred and eighty five dogs, How did you whittle that down to five. Did you have a primary?

We had?

We have the public vote, So in the first round we had over forty thousand votes, and we've got until the thirtieth in this next pooch primary round, and we've already gotten forty thousand. So it's it's certainly been been really exciting to see this many people pay attention and really.

Well ask I got to ask this, where are those votes coming from? And is this Hey to put it this way, but forty thousand votes, it sounds like a lot of votes. How did you collect the votes? Did you have I guess you know, ballot boxes and a number of the businesses down in the seaport, And then I mean, gee, you should you should run I think the Comal Wealth of Massachusetts election. If you could do a pooch primary with that many votes, I'd put you in charge of elections in Massachusetts.

No one gets people out to vote more than a cute dog. So the first we've run everything through our website Boston Sport dot xyz. So if you're listening to make sure to vote, you have until the thirtieth. In the first round, we let people vote as much as they want and then we're tightening it up for this round, so you can go, okay, we've got great coverage.

Okay, so now there were no lawsuits here from the dogs who were eked out. There was no concern about multiple votes. I could vote us early and often as you want. Sound like a Chicago primer.

It's just a fun neighborhood event. So it's really been amazing scene.

Ever, I trust me, I'm not treating it like the presidential election. This is only a mayoral election.

Only only a yeah.

Yeah, No, there cases filed, no challenges to the outcome filed by any of the the unsuccessful dogs or their unsuccessful owners. So you have five dogs in the final uh, and we won't identify all of them by name, but you have a five year old adventure loving doodle love doodles. You an eight and a half month old Golden Retriever puppy. Let me tell you that that's gonna he's that? Is that he or she?

I'm not sure that's a het. Yeah, he's a classic American.

Golden to an eighteen month old Golden doodle that's going to be a good one to a year old Golden Retriever. So you may have the Golden retriever vote split. That's a factor that I hope people have taken into into account. A one year old you you also have a two year old Malta pool. This is great.

The only towld dog of a bunch, but.

The oldest dog a great. Yeah, the oldest dog of the bunch in human years, I guess is fourteen when you think about it. So how can anyone and so this is not there's no you don't have to be a resident of the seaport now, So we.

Have now knocked about.

To cast a vote because I have a lot of dog lovers in my audience don't love to cast a couple of vote or two.

Yeah, so they can go to Boston Seaport dot x y z and vote online. And the polls are open until the thirtieth. So we'd love to see your vote to let you pick the first inaugural dog mayor of the seaport.

It's super exciting.

So Boston Seaport dot x y Z slash dog right, Okay, that'll that'll get you there for sure. You also can find pictures of each of these wonderful looking dogs at that website. I assume not that not that people are going to vote just on the looks of the dog. I mean, I'm sure there's going to be some other considerations involved here.

Well, in election for dog mayor just voting on cuteness, it makes sense to us.

Yeah, maybe if we could get some cute presidential candidates that might that might make it make it a little easier. Well, this is fine, Yeah, how did you come up with this idea? And what's the genesis of the idea? I think Look, I would vote for a dog from mayor in most cities and Massachusetts if I had a chance, to be honest with you. I mean, the dogs would do less harm than a lot of the politicians. So

Yeah.

Well, if you've ever been to the seaport, you'll see dogs everywhere. They're a huge part of the community. There's

Dog every day.

So we just really wanted to embrace that and give the neighborhood a four leg and mascot.

No I have been to the seaport. The seaport For those who haven't been is an amazing place in terms of it seems like every time I go down there, there's five or six more high rise buildings that have sprung up. I mean, it's it's it's a real credit to both Mayor Menino and Mayor Walsh. Mayor Menino, I think who really had the idea of turning those of us who are old enough and have been around long enough. The seaport used to be just a bunch of empty parking lots. I don't know if you're that old or

Yeah.

Absolutely, a lot of the construction and a lot of the community building too. So we're hoping the dog Mayor isn't afraid of crowds, because we love to have him at the tree lighting that we have the holiday market and all the other neighborhood events.

Well sure, I mean, look, there are going to be some duties. It's not just all fun and games. I mean, any mayor are going to have to get him around to some meet and greets and he has to know people in the neighborhood. And I think it's a great idea. Thanks so much for joining us tonight. Again, let me give people an opportunity. We're going to get some votes in here Boston Sport dot xyz slash bark the Vote

Thanks so much, Claire Kill Colin.

The associate director of Culture and Experience, And what is more cultural than a dog at WS Development. When you're down the seaport, you'll be able to say sometime later this month that there's a dog mayor. I think the community will be well served when we come back. We're going to talk about the loss of manufacturing jobs in of all places, Massachusetts. We got some work to do and We're going to talk with Steph Sallas and Axios Boston reporter right after this break. My name is Dan Ray.

Now back to Dan Ray Live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.

Want to welcome Axio's Boston reporter Steph Solice. Steph, welcome to night Time. How are you?

Thank you very much, I'm good. How are you? Dan?

Excellent? One of my producers noticed the story that you wrote. It's a tough story. Basically, it's saying that across the country in many areas, not uniformally, but in many areas, manufacturing jobs are back, except in states like Massachusetts. When you say states like Massachusetts, are you talking about states here in the northeast or what do you mean? Like, what other states do you group in the Massachusetts category that are falling behind and catching up on manufacturing jobs.

Merrily, higher cost states that are either in the Northeast or certain other pockets. You've got some geographical outliers, parts of the Roust Belt. You've got Washington State and Oregon, Virginia, but really like a lot of states where you have a higher cost of living or a hard time getting workers. It's it's where they're seeing the biggest hit.

Yeah. Now, I guess your report is based on analysis of government data from an organization called the Economic Innovation Group EIG. Is that correct? It's a centrist think tank. So this is not a group that has a political bias and is trying to take numbers and crunch him in such a way that makes one party or the other party look good. This is a this is a pretty objective analysis. It sounds to me like what your report is telling us.

Yeah.

Yeah, And there's a lot of good news in that report for manufacturing as a whole.

They did note that this is the.

First time in fifty years that the national manufacturing industry has recovered all the jobs lost during a recession. They've also noted nationally, at least overall, that manufacturing jobs have rebounded to pre pandemic levels, you know, going into that more detail. The problem is, as you mentioned earlier, it's not uniform, and so you have just a handful of states that account for the majority of the job growth. In Massachusetts is definitely not one of them.

Yeah, essentially, I think you identified five states that accounts for two thirds of the job growth at Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and Utah and those are some you know, classic sun belt states. I can't describe any better than that. Massachusetts, though, has lost between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty three seven thousand manufacturing jobs. This is a problem because when you

So the state is doing a couple of things, so are business organizations. Just starting with the Healing administration, they are issuing grants, they're really focusing on building talent pipelines and starting at the middle and high school level. And the reason that's important in because you if you wait until people are adult age, they're going to have much more time they need to spend either going to get certain apprenticeships or other training when they're doing it right

Interrupted for a second. I'm assuming when you say building pipelines for school children, but you're talking about building schools that are voke tech oriented schools for kids who may not be people who are looking forward to going to college and studying sociology but like to work with their hands, or you know, have an aptitude and mechanical aptitude that can actually provide people with a great career and a great lifetime income. Am I right or wrong? Yes?

But it's actually a mix. Yes, So yes, it could include mechanics, it could include people going into entry level jobs, but it also includes more mathematically and science and clined students who want to go into robotics, into engineering, into creating semiconductors, three D printing things of that sort, and building jobs that require sometimes a certificate, sometimes a college degree that you can already start getting in high school.

Yeah. Yeah, Well, you know the thing is that one of the things I have learned over my lifetime is that I wish I had I went to a more classical high school, Boston Latin School, which was a great school, went to college and to law school, and obviously have worked worked as a with my mind and my voice doing interviews for a long time in television and radio.

Thanks Dan, talk to you again.

I hope we came back on a talk with Norfolk Dounty Sheriff Patrick McDermott. He's got a couple of programs going on to help veterans. Okay again, some veterans sadly end up in the criminal justice system. There are veterans projects, particularly one in which that I'm someone involved within Minnesota, in the state of Minnesota, to try to make give bret veterans not necessarily a break, but allow them to

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

Well, I want to welcome Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott. Norfolk County Sheriff McDermott, how are you tonight.

I'm doing fantastic, Dan, Thanks for having me back again. Appreciate it well.

Love to have you back whenever. And I know that you have a soft spot in your heart for our veterans, our heroes who have come home, and you're trying to do whatever you can along with I guess Braintreem mayor Aaron Joyce amongst others. Tell us what's happening on Saturday November ninth, that's what four days after the election, so we're talking about a little over two weeks away. You have a program called House to House for Heroes. Tell us about it.

Yeah, Dan, this is something near and dear to my heart as the son of a World War two veteran and growing up in a household that really put veterans on a pedestal and making sure that Veterans Day was always celebrated in my household and then threw up my family. So this is a way for me and my staff, as well as hundreds of volunteers to do some veterans outreach. On Saturday, November ninth in Braintree, we rolled this program

Now, have you compiled the list? Do you know what houses you're hitting or are you hitting every house in the community to try to find veterans. Veterans traditionally have not been people. You know. They have done their time, you know, done their service. They come home and they tend most tend to melt into the community and live a good in productive life like our dad did as a World War Two veteran. My dad was also a

You've earned this, they've earned it, and we've and we've been able to partner with the local Veterans Service officers in every town, and brain Tree has been very cooperative. We've also got a lot of help from the town clerk through the voting roles. A lot of times people will identify as a veteran through the census documents, so we've been able to compile those lists through public records as well as through voluntary addresses that have been given

Now, do you need more people on November ninth? And do you have to live in Braintreet to be a volunteer? Would you need some more help? What can we do to help you?

We welcome all volunteers and we find that the volunteers get so much out of this. So we've reached out to the local community organizations and Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, you know, sports groups. But every citizen is invited to come to Braintree to participate in this and so we

That's great. I wish you the best of luck. Is this a rain or shine event? Obviously as we get into November, you know you might just have the bad luck of having a rainy weekend. Uh is this on? This like a football game? Is not a baseball game? But they get canceled or does it go?

No doubt about it. We take our lessons from our veterans. You get up and you do the job. Rain or shine, snow, sleep or hopefully we're praying for a little sunshine that day. But yes, this event goes on no matter what the weather circumstances are.

That's great. How's everything going down at your House of Correction? There? You got the big one right in the middle of one twenty eighth, the Norfolk House of.

Correction, the only prison in the country that is located in the middle of federal highway system. So but everything has gone pretty well. I've been sheriff now for four years since COVID, our numbers have dropped, which is generally a good thing. I think that, you know, with the Massachusetts has been kind of on the forefront of decarceration and focusing on you know, mental health, counseling, substance use disorder issues. So for those that are incarcerated right now,

I do some work with a couple of friends of mine out in Minnesota who are involved in their legal community. Minnesota and Nebraska have worked with a model veterans court program. It's called the Veterans Defense Project. It essentially basically sets up a court where if a veteran messes up, there's some consideration given to the circumstances. This model legislation which

You, Okay, and I I have the honor of service the president elect of the Massachusetts Sheriff's Association. Our executive director is the former director out in Minnesota. So it would be fitting that we move forward and.

Mentioned mentioned to you your pal, Hank Say he's assistant US. Wasn't assistant US attorney, He's a law profit out there in Minnesota. Hank Shehay. Pretty easy to remember and a great and a great Yay Norfolk.

County Sheriff to carry that in the legislative session.

Yeah, say hi to my pal and former colleague. You're a pr guy, Peter Wilson. You've got a good guy there. We'll talk soon.

You got it, absolutely, Thanks Dan, Thanks.

Thanks so much, Talk you soon. All Right, we've got one more interview coming up, and we're going to talk about hospice, home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and Medicare. Medicare enrollment is now open, so you really want to listen, and we may bring this next guest back at some point later on this month. Answer your Medicare questions, but stick with us. We'll get you. We'll get you some information that you very well might need, and then we're

Now back to Dan Way Live from the Window World, Nice Sight Studios, Many Besy New Twvidio.

Well, I think most of you know that the Medicare open enrollment period has kicked off on October fifteenth, or about eight days into that. Into that process with me is Renee mckinnis. She's the chair of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts as well as the CEO of the nonprofit envy NA and Hospice. So let's first of all, Renee, let's start off with an explanation. Explanation of what is the Homecare Alliance of Massachusetts. And then I want to know what envy NA and Hospice does tell us about

Absolutely so, that's an association that serves the state of Massachusetts for all many home care and hospice organizations, but also private duty home care, so private care. Really they're really an advocacy group, an association that connects us.

So it's a business association.

I assume it's you know, it's yes, it is. It's a non yep, it is. And you know they work very closely with the state House and the legislators and present bills and help to advocate for home care and hospice organizations.

Yeah.

So, and what is NVNA that acronym. I'm not familiar with that acronym. It's ENVY DNA in hospice. What does that stand for?

Right?

Not many people are So it's nor Well Visiting Yourse Association in hospice. But we do cover twenty seven towns, so it's not just normal south of Boston.

Right, Okay, Now, medicare open enrollment. What do people need to know? We know first of all that it is already underway. If you are a medical if you're on one of these programs, do you have to sign up again every year? Or is it? Is it less complicated than that?

Oh?

You know what it really isn't I love?

Oh, I here you go ahead.

It's super complicated actually, And so people get very confused, and we'd like to I'm just trying to educate people truly to to have their options and to decide for themselves. I'm not telling people what to decide, but there are differences between Medicare and Medicare advantage or you know, many people call it many different things, right, so they'll talk about Medicare with a supplement plan or Medicare.

Advance of some words we can't use on the radio.

Right exactly exactly, So you know, it really important for us, really in my association Home Care Alliance, but also for all my colleagues out there across the nation, is that it's a real struggle working with Medicare advantage. So for patients that are signing up for these plans, they need to understand that they may have access to care concerns,

Well, you know what's frustrating. What is frustrating about this is Medicare is a program that people paid into during their life span.

That's right.

Medicaid is different, okay, But Medicare is a program that people paid into and the government sold it as a program as something that people can rely on. And it seems to me that there's that some of the circumstances have changed so that it makes it more difficult one for people to understand it and to access the program. And it sounds like you're trying to clarify that for people, which which my hat's off to you on that one.

Well, and I think that you know, when you're looking at these programs, really understand what you're signing up for. And it may look cheaper, the monthly premium may look better to you, and it probably is but when you really need care, you may want to have choice, right, so choice of your specialty position, choice of where you want to go for surgery, choice of where you want to go for rehab, and you may not have that

This is so frustrating. It's so frustrating to me that programs like this, which people paid for, paid for, they have to now almost big and negotiate to get the government said, hey, you sign up this program. I remember when Medicaid was sold. And conversely, don't want to put you in the middle of a political debate here. But conversely, we got people coming across the border who are taking care of with hotel rooms, meals, ebt cards, whatever you want.

The good news is that Medicare it started to recognize that because they're giving their Medicare dollars to a managed care plan, that actually it's not saving Medicare money, right, So it's not saving the government money and actually possibly people aren't getting the access to care they need. So some of these plans are backing down because their margins aren't what they were. Because Medicare is really recognizing an understanding it really has to be about the patient right

Be of course, it should be the patient. How can people get in touch with you to get a little bit of a better understanding. Is there a website we can send people to. What is it?

Yep, NVNA dot org and my they can email me directly at our MCI n ees at ENVNA dot org. So that's my email. Happy to answer any questions or walk them through anything. I'm not, as I said, Dan, I'm not telling people what to choose. I'm just hoping that eruptions.

That's that's a great service you're performing. And again, the easiest website, folks is n v NA simple as that stands for No Well Visiting Nurses Association so n b n A. But it serves five thousand people in twenty seven self, so commune. And if you're not in the South Shore, hopefully you can find a similar type group in your in your area. Renee, thank you very much for what you do.

It's it's well thank you.

Anytime we can give you some help, you let us know. Thank you so much.

Okay, I appreciate it. Thank you very welcome.

Thanks. Okay. So that takes her a nightside news update coming up on the other side, we're going to talk take another shot in Massachusetts ballot question three, and we will talk with Roxanna Rivera, she's coach here of the Yes and Three coalition. We spoke with someone last night who was no. One the question, and feel free you can ask whatever questions you want. Later, we're going to talk about what is going on in Israel from someone who was in the ground there earlier this month for