On the docket for this one: Collusion between Thomas Duffy allegedly by others and Northwest District ADA Steven Gagne in the “apology” statement drafted as a plea deal condition in the Spring & Haxhiaj trials. Then: Former city councilor Sarai Rivera and her husband in hot water for lavish trips paid out, according to a state filing, from an investment operation under the vague umbrella of their church. Fully Gemstones coded if you ask me. Talk about misbehavin’.

This Week In Worcester: ADA: Worcester Police Union Leader Influenced Plea Offer in Haxhiaj Case

Telegram: State Filing Alleges Worcester Pastor Used Investor Money For Lavish Trips

Also as promised here’s the link for the event on Saturday afternoon…

“Journalism, Activism, Satire ... What’s the Difference?” Date: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7 Moderator: Edgar B. Herwick III (host, “The Curiosity Desk,” co-host, “The Culture Show,” GBH) Panel Members: Matt Shearer (Journalist, WBZ News) Brad Petrishan (reporter, Telegram & Gazette) Giselle Rivera-Flores (podcaster, journalist, publicist) Bill Shaner (editor, Worcester Sucks [and I Love It])

…and the PURIM SPECTACULAR on Sunday night: Sloppy and E-Wasted: An Anti-AI Purim Production!

Three great ways to support us! Please and thank you.

Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

Outro: Jamiroquai “Deeper Underground”

In case you missed our coverage of the Haxhiaj trial and its profound implications for this city’s already-rotten-enough political culture, read the latest here.

And you can watch pretty much the entire trial via a series of videos I put up on YouTube—Haxhiaj trial playlist—a painstaking and frustrating endeavor, but worth it, as the cops have rarely told on themselves so hard.

In today’s show we go over some choice clips from prosecutor Steven Gagne’s arguments and Shauna McGuirk’s ummmmm inconsistent testimony. Her whole testimony is worth a watch.

Here’s Etel outside the courthouse afterwards as well, in case you missed that.

Thomas Duffy statement (We’re not dignifying it with a link, you get no clicks from us ya dickhole dingus)“Last November city residents sent a strong message in our local election and today Etel Haxhiaj was convicted by a jury of her peers for assault and battery on a Worcester police officer.

We can never allow or tolerate violence of any kind to be directed at any member of law enforcement.. In recent days we have seen multiple officers shot in Spencer and Fall River, we continue to pray for their recovery. We ask that God always protect members of law enforcement as they perform this dangerous job. I want to thank the overwhelming majority of citizens of this city who show support for our officers as they perform a difficult and dangerous job daily.”

Please consider supporting our work, we need you to keep doing it. Reader support is this outlet’s only source of revenue. It gives us the time and freedom to, for instance, put two days worth of pool camera footage from a significantly important political trial onto YouTube with corrected audio so you can actually hear it, repurposing footage that the cable stations used for quick and cheap sound bites then threw into the dustbin of history because they all think they work for the cops. Anyway… three great ways to support us!

Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

RIP “Royster” and the eight other fishery workers MA lost in January. Fishing is an actually dangerous job. Part One in a maybe ongoing series of “Jobs That Are Statistically More Dangerous Than Being A Cop”. It’s been a very deadly start to the year for them, and they actually do a job that makes our lives better.

The TP USA Halftime Show was way worse than I could’ve even imagined. I apologize for maligning Florida-Georgia line last week. It’s so much darker and dumber. Here’s the song Lee Brice performed called “Country Nowadays”Lyrics:“I just want to catch my fish, drive my truck, drink my beer / And not wake up to all this stuff I don’t want to hear / Like the same kind of gun I hunt with / Just killed another man / Only thing mine ever shot was / Deer from my deer stand.

I just want to cut my grass, feed my dogs, wear my boots / Not turn the TV on, sit and watch the evening news / Be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain’t little girls / I’d be up the creek in hot water in this cancel-your ass-world.

Chorus:It ain’t easy being country / In this country nowadays / The direction the finger’s pointing / When everything goes up in flames / Saying I’m some right-wing devil / Because I was down South Jesus raised / It ain’t easy being country / In this country nowadays.

Intro by Bill Shaner 2.16.26

Outro: Pigs Theory” by Jayy Grams

We discuss how, in the ongoing act of the Greek play, daddy’s little boy will not be compelled to testify! In the play. We don’t want to be sued. This is a comedy podcast.Chris’ had a no good very bad couple of weeks in Tenant-Land, renting a “luxury apartment” from Investment Property To Make Money, LLCCongrats to Bad Bunny for winning Super Bowl 60!The Bad Bunny Super Bowl performanceMini-documentary about when Prince played Super Bowl XLI: “Can you make it rain harder”The short film Bad Bunny released with his album captures an amazing moment of having the opposite reaction to this, and why that’s the way to live that makes your life worth living. P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance, a rad new book that came out last week.

Three ways to support this outlet and the first one is best: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

Sound off in the comments or chat if you also look forward to this every week!

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 2.10.26

∿Outro: CAFé CON RON (Video has Spanish and English subtitles)

A few relevant links from the talk…

LUCE Immigrant Justice Network

Bill’s 2020 WoMag story on Chris’s COVID kits

Interview with The Nation about Mutual Aid – Dean Spade

Armed community defense episode of “It Could Happen Here.”

Mutual Aid: A Grassroots Model for Justice and Equity in Emergency Management

Various schools of Anarchism explained with tacos.

Not relevant to the talk but…Thoughts and prayers up for DJ Michael “5000” Watts, founder of Swishahouse and godfather of “chopped and screwed” music. Guys, gals, and non-binary pals: We’ve just clocked something like just past the first anniversary of Outdoor Cats. I have so much fun doing this podcast, there’s not much I like more than combining a guaranteed hang with one of the people I enjoy hanging out with most but also I get to do some mild research. I look forward to it every week, sincerely. (Bill ask for money here)

Ok Chris here goes. There’s no way we could put out all the stuff we put out—a lot of stuff for an outlet with only one (1) full time staffer!—without contributions from our readers and listeners. It is the only source of revenue and we like it that way because we have only our people to please and do not have to think for a second of how it’ll be received over at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. Three ways to do it and the first one is best: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

Sound off in the comments or chat if you also look forward to this every week!

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: “Walking In The Snow” Run The Jewels

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 1.31.26

In case you missed it, my reporting on the fact Worcester has $15 million invested in ICE’s forced removal operation: Tangled Up In Ice

We wrap with an extended discussion of the Dead, this being the first time we’ve been able to talk about the late, great Bob Weir with the mics running. RIP to the Other One, up there in Rosa’s Cantina in the sky.

If you appreciate what we’re doing here, it’s on you to keep us in business. This podcast and this outlet in general are 100 percent reader funded. There are three main ways to help: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

Well, four, because word of mouth is the only advertising we have, so that’s also on you I’m afraid to say. Help us get the word out!

And don’t forget what I mentioned at the beginning of the show: We’ll be at the Framingham Public Library next Thursday, Jan. 29, giving a free talk about mutual aid. It starts at 7 p.m. More details here.

Some other links from the show:

“Are You Afraid Now?” (You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof)That time the city council forced the Grateful Dead out of town

“In all, 102 Deadheads were arrested for a variety of mostly nonviolent infractions including vagrancy, loitering and possession of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs.

Worse, though, were the piles of trash and waste left in the wake of the city-hopping hippie hordes who camped in public parks and vacant lots downtown”

Playing In The Band, and Bobby WeirThe Pizza TapesChris’ favorite Grateful Dead song: “Crazy Fingers” (hilariously this version is from Foxboro in 1989, the year after reactionary leadership in Worcester caused them to stop playing here). Most people would not consider this a “Bobby song” but I think it’s a perfect example of Bobby setting the table for Jerry and the rest of the band. I also love Crazy Fingers because it’s not “about” anything. It’s really just a collection of poetic vignettes that work together. Also, if you want to hear the Dead played by some of your favorite contemporary artists, “Day Of The Dead” is kinda mind-blowing. (Spotify link because that was the easiest place to find it assembled). Everybody from The War On Drugs to Bruce Hornsby to Courtney Barnett to Kurt Vile to Bela Fleck to to Marijauana Death Squads to Lucinda Willims to The Flaming Lips is on it. Bob Weir does “St. Stephen” with Wilco, and “I Know You Rider” with The National. A real testament to your music is the people who will show up to cover it. Bill’s favorite Grateful Dead song: “Wharf Rat” or “Terrapin Station” depending on the day

Intro by Bill ShanerOutro: “Playing In The Band” Live in Jersey City, NJ, 9/28/72

If you enjoy this podcast as much as we enjoy putting it together please consider helping us continue to have the time to do so! Every couple bucks counts. Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

And help us get the word out!

Venice ambulance beat

Franklin clip

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: Knock Over City- “Birds 2: Crowfeeedin” / Knock Over City’s Bandcamp

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 1.12.26

This Westerling guy is all right.

We revisit our winners and losers of 2024 to see how the proverbial tables have turned, we again turn to Ray Mariano for three stooges style physical comedy: trotting around with pie on his face going ‘it’s not pie’ over and over and over.

Our winners and losers of 2024. Our predictions were a…mixed bag!83% of “assaults” at WPS were committed by elementary schoolers

Ray Mariano- WPS “manipulated the numbers” by uhhhh…reporting them.

Then we talk music!

Please buy an outdoor cat shirt if you enjoy this program!!

Oooo ahhhhh you’d look great in it! And just $20? In a post-Brandon world?

We did 50 episodes! Look at us. Would you just look at us. Couldn’t have done it without you fine folks out there listening. Think about someone else who might like the show and give it a share will ya? Word of mouth is really the only way this newsletter gets around and it’s done us perfectly well so far.

Also we couldn’t do this if I (Bill) was working another job because hooo boy it actually takes a lot of back-end work to get these episodes out, on top of all the other writing and editing that goes into this outlet in general. Subscriptions or tips would be appreciated!

For folks reading this in the pod description and not on Substack: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

Chris’ favorite albums of 2025: For each of these, I’m going to link to one of my favorite tracks from the album. You can find the entire album if you want because you are smart. Cannibal Ox, “Aireplane”Viagra Boys, “viagr aboys”Nate Smith, “LIVE-ACTION”

(Bonus Nate Smith, “Red Arrow” drum solo live at the Blue Note for the recording of Fearless Flyers IV. I have this and all of the Fearless Flyers catalog on vinyl and I will play it real loud for anyone who asks nicely)clipping. “Dead Channel Sky”Anna Buchegger, “Soiz”Ohhhh I forgot the new De La Soul album!

Bill’s: Gelli Haha, “Switcheroo.” S.G. Goodman, “Planting By The Signs.” Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, “New Threats From The Soul.”

Neither’s: Geese, “Getting Killed”

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music by yours truly (Bill)

∿Outro: “King Harvest” by The Band

I hope the joy of finding out that Al is so much more than Bill and I knew in terms of a story and also him being a Real Wistah Guy comes through. I also really loved that we discovered we have a whole bunch of mutual friends between the three of us. This is a record of one of the best hours I have ever spent completely unprepared to be on the phone with someone who it turns out is kind of one of my heroes. We’ll definitely be having Al back again for Wicked Wistah.O Pato videoWay Down/bird gang war videoWings Over Worcester fightWings Over Outtakes

Weed Ova Worcester

They really did light up in there by the way…

We can keep doing this podcast and everything else we do at Worcester Sucks because of the wonderfully generous readers and/or listeners who subscribe or drop some money in the tip jar or buy some merch!

Subscription page — Tip Jar — Merch Store (there’s a new shirt on there!)

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: N.A.S.A. - O Pato (feat. Kool Kojak & DJ Babão)

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 12.8.25

St. V already looking for a new new CEO again.

Ray Mariano’s dumb school safety column

Dianna Biancheria’s “vision for the future”

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Cliff vs. the Manson clan

“Train Dreams” trailer

WINGS OVER WORCESTER Commercial

Does someone have the Frankenstein’s commercial recorded? Also this is why we need an ephemera archive.

Thanks for supporting us! We’re thankful for everyone who listens. Those who listen and have a paid sub—double thankful!

Subscription page — Tip Jar — Merch Store (there’s a new shirt on there!)

Also: join us at the punk rock flea market this weekend! We’ll be there the whole time Sunday, part of the time Saturday.

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: “Black Ice/Sky High”

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 12.8.25

“The Reenchanted World”

Here’s that synth I built. The one I was talking about. Also featured in the outro! It’s the lead tone.

Thanks for supporting us! We’re thankful for everyone who listens. Those who listen and have a paid sub—double thankful!

Subscription page — Tip Jar — Merch Store

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro & outro music by Bill Shaner original composition 11.30.25

We talk about that process, the cultural importance of local heirloom foods and the cultural responsibility of reviving them appropriately, being “pro or anti-GMO” as a sort of reductive concept, other favorite beans, agricultural fairs and how cool they are, and a few other things, but really…it’s just about beans at the end of the day. Don’t overthink it. We didn’t.

THE BEAN HAS AN EMAIL: If you would like to get the bean and/or to know more about the bean, hit up worcesterbeanseed@gmail.com

Quick pause from the money man to ask you humbly that you help this little outlet grow into a mammoth outlet! Paid subscriptions are best, but dropping a few bucks in the tip jar or ordering something from the merch store is also great. Thank you! —Bill

We also talked about some historical events that happened at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, but we didn’t talk about the time Worcester people chased a massive Klan rally out of the city by…uh…any means necessary? No idea why things like this are kicking around in my head. Roll that beautiful bean coverage!

Some relevant links: Seed Savers ExchangeHappiness Pony

Jacob’s Cattle BeanThe Worcester Agricultural Fairground

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro music: “Celebrate” by Anderson .Paak

∿Intro music by Bill Shaner

We do some light analysis of the results, thinking about where Rivera’s 900 new votes came from. But more so, the interview was a public airing of observations about the sort of pervasive cultural problems that, over the past several years, Etel and I would often talk about privately. Ahead of recording, Etel told me she felt strongly that there wasn’t any use in keeping a lid on the stuff any longer. People should know what it’s like. Early in the conversation she said:

One of the hopes that I have for this conversation is to shed some light on how I’m experiencing it. And maybe that gives some language to, and some perspective to people who, you know, have been reaching out and saying, ‘we don’t understand what happened on Tuesday.’ And again, not just looking at me as a person, but mostly sort of the, what does this mean for Worcester and where do we go from here?

For what it’s worth there hasn’t been nor will there likely be another interview with Haxhiaj of this length and depth on the results of this election. One of many reasons I think it’s worth it to keep this little outfit in business. Subscribe here or drop a few bucks in the tip jar or even visit the merch store!

Did this one solo (Chris had work) but if all goes according to plan Chris will be coming in with his own solo episode for the next one!

Help us spread the word!

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro music: “Backlash Blues,” Nina Simone, live version 1970

∿Intro music by me

Thank you for all of the support the past week. Subscriptions are up (subscribe here just $5! One Dunkies), people are making great use of the tip jar, the Instagram is going freakin loco (shouts out Kelly Cashman, IG Editor extraordinaire).

As we talk about in the episode, we believe in what we’re doing here and we believe in the impact it’s already making but more than that we believe in its ability to grow into a real institution. That takes time and time is mostly a slog but if you’re with us, we’re in it for the long haul.

One last thing: I (Bill) will be at the Sinclair from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, reading some of my work, sharing a stage with some of the most talented writers I know. It’s the book launch party for Luke O’Neil’s new one, “We Had It Coming,” a book that is devastatingly good for anyone but especially for someone who grew up in Massachusetts amid the townies and the decay and the ‘do your job’ fascism.

I have never done a reading such as this before and I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be reading. If there is a piece of mine or a passage or even a riff from this podcast you think would make for a good live reading, chuck it in the chat please!

Or the comments or billshaner [at] substack.com

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro by me (Bill Shaner), written and recorded special for the episode. “Make It Look So Nice In Here,” 11.5.25.

∿Outro: “We Have Survived” by No Fixed Address

Share this post with a friend you think would like the show thank you!

Yesterday, over on This Week In Worcester, Tom Marino published a substantive, detailed report on the contents of this cache of never-before-seen records. Would highly suggest reading that before listening, as we spend most of the time discussing the 23-page packet—what’s in it and perhaps more importantly, what isn’t.

We talk about Heather’s fight for these records, what’s at stake, what gets to be “political” and what doesn’t. (Unfortunately Chris had work, but next episode will surely be almost entirely he and I reacting to this one).

Please share this episode far and wide and consider a paid subscription, it’s our only source of revenue here at Worcester Sucks and for a number of reasons, our subscribers are the only reason we can take on stories like this: Subscribe / Tip Jar.

A few weeks ago, Heather posted a video reminding people that the political class of this city continues to protect John Monfredo, the politically-connected school administrator who serially raped her when she was a child. Monfredo engaged in an escalating pattern of grooming and abuse over a three-year period. It started in 1991, when Heather was just nine years old, an elementary school student. In 2023, Heather and I collaborated to publish a full, detailed account of her experience with Monfredo, her unsuccessful attempts to appeal to authorities and the long campaign of character assassination carried out by the local power elite: “John Monfredo’s “teen-age accuser” takes her power back.”

After Heather released the video, Tom Marino at This Week In Worcester released an article that provides several of the most key advances in the story since Heather and I first released it back in 2023: “Worcester Woman to Voters: Reject Candidates that Protected Alleged Child Rapist”

Among several interesting threads is the establishment of a direct social relationship between Monfredo, then-Mayor Ray Mariano and then-District Attorney John Conte. Marino writes:

Conte, Mariano, and Monfredo not only share the same faith, but were also all active within the local Catholic community in Worcester. The three also shared long-time friendships.

When Mariano won election as mayor for the first time in 1993, Monfredo actively supported the campaign.

In January 1997, the Worcester Public Schools placed Monfredo on leave pending the criminal investigation and the school district’s own investigation in response to Prunier’s claims of abuse. Soon after the investigation began, the Telegram and Gazette reported on Monfredo’s suspension.

With the investigation ongoing, then-Mayor Ray Mariano provided comments to the Telegram supportive of Monfredo, including expressing a high level of trust in him, including with his own daughter.

The same article quotes Monfredo saying he was never alone with the girl who filed the complaint. He maintains the same position today, which Maureen Binienda has repeated many times to several people.

During Mariano’s tenure as mayor, his two-person support staff consisted of Rob Pezzella, a current candidate for city council, and Diana Biancheria, a current school committee member aligned with Binienda on most issues.

Then, on Oct. 24, the police department finally released a cache of investigatory records from Heather’s file. The release includes 10 investigative reports from 1996-1998, all summary documents of interviews WPD detectives conducted with Heather, her parents, multiple administrators, and a janitor at the Belmont Street School.

It took 18 months and the help of lawyers from the Harvard Cyber Law Clinic for Heather to receive these documents—to which she’s legally entitled. But the release is still partial. The extent of the records missing from the initial release remains unknown, but Heather said she’s committed to getting the rest. She says in our interview (about 46 minutes in):

... the fact that I have to do this is traumatizing. But also, they are my records. And I am entitled to them. And I get to have them. So don’t tell me I don’t. And what about the decades and decades of survivors who have been just dismissed? It is unacceptable that our public officials are not being held to task. These are our records.

We spend significant time going over the ins and outs of what continues to be a frustrating bureaucratic quagmire.

Though incomplete, the content of the documents provided offer an interesting glimpse into the time between Heather first coming forward to authorities, detectives mounting a case ,and then, the case against Monfredo somehow disappearing as the superintendent allowed him back at work, which in turn allowed Monfredo to claim exoneration despite never having been legally exonerated.

Of note: at least one investigative report in this cache was filed after his return. A document from 1998 is included. Monfredo returned to work in April of 1997. This means police were still investigating Monfredo after the superintendent allowed him to return to work.

One of the records provided seems to imply the WPD were preparing to press charges. An incident report from January 29, 1997 lists Monfredo as the suspect and includes formal language around a charge listed as “Ind A+B > 14.” The report reads that it was both “reported as” indecent assault and battery and, next to it, “found as..”

The “found as,” according to multiple people with knowledge of the lexicon of these reports, indicates detectives believed they had evidence enough to build a case. The process from there would have been to submit the findings to the DA’s office, who make the final say on whether to charge or not charge. It’s a new development, this “found as” language: detectives were preparing a case, got far enough that they interviewed at least half a dozen people, then something happened and the case went away.

The same document recounts, in detail, a conversation with the lead janitor at the Belmont Street school where Monfredo raped Heather several times. In the interview, the janitor confirms key details from earlier testimony provided by Heather and her parents. And the janitor explicitly says that Monfredo was known to be there “at any time,” had keys to the entire gym area, and that there were days when the school was completely empty save for Monfredo and his softball team. All of it, down to small details such as the rain buckets from a leaking roof, confirms the account Heather shared with me over a series of interviews in the lead up to the publication of the 2023 story.

There are a few lines about Monfredo having keys that are worth including here in full.

Mr. Caffone said he usually saw ten to fifteen girls and a couple of parents in the gym. Mr. Caffone said that the girls used the bathroom facilities on the same floor as the gym. There were lavatories in the locker area and also just outside the gym area. All bathrooms and rooms in the school were locked and Mr. Monfredo had the keys. These rooms were locked up when Mr. Caffone returned for check on Sundays.

At the time, the janitor’s testimony—which, remember, has never before been made public—was a key component in Monfredo’s public exoneration, used as the basis for his claim that he was never alone with Heather.

About 29 minutes into the interview, Heather says...

I was told at the time that the custodian, when they interviewed him, contradicted what I said. And that that there was no opportunity for him to be alone with me, is what I was told.

Several of the documents challenge the line from a different angle. Three reports—one from Heather, one from her mother and one from her father—reference several occasions Monfredo drove Heather to her house. Two reports referenced instances in which Monfredo invited Heather to his house to go swimming. These are identical to the account Heather shared with me ahead of the release of the 2023 story.

Under Massachusetts’ public records law, documents pertaining to investigations into sexual assault are to be made available to the victim upon request. The language reads:

…all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request, to: (i) the victim, the victim’s attorney, others specifically authorized by the victim to obtain such information, prosecutors and (ii) victim-witness advocates as defined in section 1 of chapter 258B, domestic violence victims’ counselors as defined in section 20K of chapter 233, sexual assault counselors as defined in section 20J of chapter 233, if such access is necessary in the performance of their duties

But Heather maintains that the police department has not handed over all of the documents in their possession. There has been a back-and-forth quibbling over legalese that has dragged the process out.

In one document, filed by Detective Kevin Langhill on Sept. 2, 1998, there is a 14-name list of potential witnesses the police presumably interviewed or planned to. One was marked deceased and another five are represented in the 23 pages given to Heather. That leaves eight.

Another noted absence: there are no interviews with Monfredo himself, or then-superintendent James Garvey, who cleared Monfredo to return to work after telling the Telegram he “was informed” no charges would be filed against Monfredo. (Informed by whom remains unanswered.) There are no interviews with then-mayor Ray Mariano, who vouched for Monfredo publicly in the Telegram while the investigation was still technically active. In one article, Mariano is quoted saying:

“I personally have a great deal of confidence in John Monfredo,” Mariano said. “Nothing I’ve heard would make me

doubt his integrity. But any time a child makes an allegation, it indicates there’s a problem somewhere. My heart

goes out to her family because either way, there’s a problem that has to be dealt with.”

Now, Mariano is the Telegram’s lead columnist. Just last week, he had a column run pressing the three mayoral candidates about a range of topics, including school safety. Rob Pezzella and Dianna Biancheria, his personal staffers when he was mayor, are both running for office.

Other links:

StandWithHeather.com

Sue Mailman bringing it up at school committee

Midland parents have had enough of John Monfredo

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿All music by me (Bill Shaner), written and recorded special for the episode. “Time Takes,” 11.3.25.

Help us spread the word! Use this to convince someone in your life to vote.

Anyway… Please vote!! Our election guide went up last night. It starts with the very basics and walks you through it. You don’t need to know anything at all about city hall to follow the guide. It takes five minutes to vote. Low turnout in municipal elections is what keeps us… like this. As the federal government falls apart the city government desperately needs to get its act together. We are all we have, after all. And right now it’s just not good enough. Early voting today, tomorrow and Friday at the library if you can’t make it to the polls Tuesday. Anyway, some links from the episode...

That Joy Williams piece in Harpers on Gene Hackman

Petty’s interview with Manny Jae

Tim Murray resigns from WRRB

“Throughout my time in public-facing roles, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, under the leadership of Roberta Schaefer, Tim McGourthy, and Paul Matthews, has produced high-quality research and reports that have benefited both the public and policymakers when deliberating important issues. The request by City Manager Batista and the City Council for a report on police oversight protocols, including civilian review boards, is an important public policy matter that merits thoughtful deliberation and debate. To issue a report and recommendation three weeks before a competitive municipal election was, in my judgment, a mistake that does a disservice to the important discussion and debate this issue warrants.

Additionally, the Board of Directors of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau does not receive notice about when reports are being issued, nor are we solicited for input on potential research topics. Accordingly, I have suggested to Worcester Regional Research Bureau Executive Board members, both prior to and after my resignation, that a better description for the Worcester Regional Research Bureau Board of Directors in its current form would be ‘corporators’ or ‘supporters’ of the Research Bureau, as the Executive Board and officers are the primary decision-makers on Research Bureau policy and personnel matters”

The Common is still very much a graveyard

“At one time more than 400 people were buried there prior to 1824. Nearly three decades later, Worcester made the decision to lay the gravestones flat, bury the cemetery in several feet of dirt and ultimately built the ever-expanding railroad over the landIt wasn’t until the 1960s that the old gravestones were rediscovered, when the city attempted to build a reflecting pool. More than 100 graves were revealed and reburied at Hope Cemetery. It is believed another 300 remain untouched, undisturbed and unidentified”

WPL’s Library of ThingsEpitaphs from Worcester Common’s Cemetery

As always, please consider a paid subscription!

And we have a tip jar now! Thank you very much to everyone who’s used it.

And help us spread the word! Use this to convince someone in your life to vote.

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: original composition “????” by Bill Shaner 10.29.25

∿Outro music: “Great Worcester Song Ever” by Guy by The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns

Quick schedule note: I usually like to have the OG Worcester Sucks weekly text post out before the podcast, but this week it’s just not happening. Expect it tomorrow! This is better Sunday listening and the post I have drafted is better Monday reading. Also make sure you didn’t miss Aislinn’s great School Committee candidate rundown from a few days ago. We discuss it in the episode. It’s really great.

Lots going on as the election nears and we reach that beautiful late October fever pitch. Here’s the clip show of the D3 forum meltdown in full.

More links:

Article about how dogshit the LVT tower was

Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said the pilot program for Worcester was not a success.

“For our environment, I would say no,” Saucier said. “I don’t want to throw the company under the bus. But for the things we wanted to use it for, I am not inclined to getting a contract. We’re moving along.”

Although the system had three cameras, it had a problem hooking up with the city’s universal video feed and the quality of the video it recorded was “spotty,” Saucier said.

Rob Bilotta’s editorial on CSX

...according to a recent report from City Manager Eric Batista, the CSX neighborhood improvement funds have sat unused and untouched for the past seven years. The report, requested by City Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King, first appeared on the May 6 City Council agenda. It was then held under privilege by Councilor Mero-Carlson for two weeks in a row. After two weeks of budget hearings, the report was finally discussed at the June 17 City Council meeting, six weeks later

Rare birds, and “Listers”

KNEECAP’s US video showAs always, please consider a paid subscription!

Any support you can give us would be greatly appreciated. We have a tip jar now!

And help us spread the word!

This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

As far as I can tell this has gone unreported, though as we discussed at the top of the episode, officiating my sister’s wedding had me pretty checked out for a few days there. Could have missed it.

One of the commission members, can’t make out who, said:

This will include almost like every first responder in this city and kind of in central Mass because the goal is to give them the training of if something were to happen, how they’re communicating with each other and the response times and kind of what that would look like. And this being a large venue here in the city, they thought that it would be good to host it here, not only to get our staff training, but then to also have those live scenarios of the traffic and at least square and everything else that these first responders happen to go with. So I know, like you said, this is in June, but we’ve been in the planning process with them trying to get a date and work with the city to get this approved and have a pretty large meeting coming up. So they really wanted to see if this would be something that y’all would be interested in allowing here.

No discussion at all, nor even a voice vote—okay then!

Otherwise, we discuss how the LVT security robot aimed at the homeless downtown was supposed to leave on the 10th but is still there, surprise surprise. And a major Moneybags Mitra update.

LVT website, in particular the state and local government subpage, is a revealing browse!

Article on the Worcester Work Farm

“At the Poor Farm, also known as the Worcester Home Farm, life was difficult. Its residents, called “inmates,” were not permitted to be idle; or to talk without permission; nor leave. It was considered shameful to be considered a pauper, and the location of the Poor Farm enabled the city to provide for their needs while ostracizing them from the community”

As always, please consider a paid subscription!

Any support you can give us would be greatly appreciated. We have a tip jar now!

Next Election Squad is set for Thursday at Steel and Wire! See you there. Flyer with details here.

∿Intro music: original composition “Bleep Boop V” by Bill Shaner 10.14.25

∿Outro music: MC5 - “The American Ruse”

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

We are a 100 percent reader/listener supported outlet! We cannot do it without you. Please think about throwing us $5 a month. Or $5 in the tip jar.

There’s also like two Bad Brains shirts left on the merch store and a new song on the Bandcamp!

What can you say about the meeting this week I haven’t already said?

The same dipshits were dipshits. They filled six hours with mean, petty invective. They debased themselves with asinine legal arguments, the thought of explaining any of them is physically painful. A resolution a normal council would have passed in five minutes devolved in the petulant hands of these old guard councilors to a bonfire of vanities.

The people in control of this board are just not serious. They have built a culture that rewards unserious people. Kate Toomey is not the highest vote getter despite her pet-like fealty to the police, reactionary anti-progressive political stances cut from an otherwise incoherent tapestry of dislocated beliefs, her insistence on believing she’s the only one who can Google Articles and so feels the need to read them into the record. (She read the entire FAQ on immigration on the Worcester PD website then looked up from her phone with an expression that said “case closed.” But she made no case at all. The only thing she proved was that she didn’t understand the material. Nevertheless, she maintained a posture of indignance, holding the item then taking it back after slight pressure from an ally. Then voting for it. Embarrassing.) She is the highest vote getter because of those things. She reaps the rewards of a political culture that incentivizes low-rent cronyism. A social circle built around the institution that trims itself like a Bonsai tree around a narrow rhetoric crafted by cynical real estate and police power brokers. She swims effortlessly in the current of that feedback loop.

You and I do not. Khrystian and Etel do not. We are punished and worn down. The weapon Toomey et al wield best is the one they are the least conscious of: their own unseriousness. The narcissism to get up there every week and genuinely believe that no one sees through your s**t. The sheer force of will it takes to impose a willful misunderstanding as a legitimate argument. It’s not enough to not do your homework. You need to sniff out those who do and punish them for having dared. No no no, they say every week, we don’t do actual thinking here. That’s not the way things are done. Like any good ape they know a club by the weight of it in their hand. You don’t need to know what it’s made of to swing it. And all their handlers expect is that they swing it hard and feel no shame when it makes contact.

Councilor Moe Bergman accused Khrystian King of electioneering with the anti-ICE resolution. On the same agenda, he advocated for buying the police another drone for an expanded drone program. Just cuz! Certainly not because the police unions tend to decide elections in this city.

He voted against King’s resolution saying he won’t vote on “a hypothetical.” He then offered multiple hypothetical situations as justification for another police drone. On this drone proposal, coming a month before the election, apropos nothing, Bergman offered a hypothetical situation...

Can you imagine currently the way it exists now that there’s an emergency somewhere and a police officer has to get in a car at one end of the city and fight traffic all the way to the other end of the city to perhaps stop a child from being kidnapped or or a domestic situation for a woman getting stabbed and now you could have the opportunity to have a drone get right out there and relay information immediately?

You see what I’m getting at... There was a lot of it. What can you say? Hypocrisy is dead and yada yada yada. Tiresome.

Listen. If I haven’t already convinced you these people are fools I don’t think I can. No reason the rest of us should suffer through it.

Donna Colorio at least had the courage to vote against it without giving a reason. Moe Bergman could learn a thing or two. You only made it worse for yourself, bud. Unless what you’re really after is world-building yourself a victimhood narrative. If that’s the case, mission accomplished. Of course that would be a baseless accusation that I, personally, would never make. The accusation being, again, that councilor Moe Bergman uses his time on the council floor to construct a paranoid ongoing fiction in which he is the protagonist and defacto victim. And that in pursuit of a compelling fiction he makes bad faith interpretations and willfully misunderstands the policy proposals of his perceived enemies. To use a lawyerly word that would be causal inference if someone were to accuse Bergman of doing all that. Causal inference is an activity I would never engage in. I would simply never reason inductively after many years of watching the man speak at city council meetings that the first and perhaps sole objective of Bergman’s time in public life categorically must be—because of what that time has yielded, and what it hasn’t, in other words the “Effect”—racking up a list of perceived grievances used for self-victimization purposes.

It’s pathetic is what it is. I’m tired of letting these people embarrass me, embarrass you, embarrass the city. They need to be put in a position to answer these questions plainly: Why do you demand my respect but do nothing to win it? Why do you remain in politics when you do not have a political vision? Why are you so embarrassing? That’s where we need to start. We do not need to suffer these fools with our earnestness. They are not going to return the favor. They cannot be shamed because they lack shame. The only logic they understand is the logic of the cudgel.

So, what is our cudgel? If your answer includes winning any argument on practical merit or morality or justice, start over. You’re at the wrong tree trunk, they’re not up there. If it includes their entitlements or narcissism, now we’re getting warmer. If we can withhold their ability to feel special, they’ll finally come to the bargaining table or, even better, get bored and quit. The police unions, it’s dawning on me now, have known that for a long time. They know how to sniff out a mark, I’ll give them that.

Some links and such from the episode:

Hubie Dubie Picture Show at Hunchback Gallery Oct. 12!

Election Squad Oct. 16!

Toomey proposes drones to respond to 911 calls

Shaking house on Douglas St.

That’s when Randy Chavoor, a retired Worcester Fire Department district chief, shared his own family’s story regarding the rattling. His late grandmother, Victoria Chavoor, owned the home on Douglas Street in 1950. He said a plumber solved the mystery of the shaking years later.

“According to my cousin, someone put a washing-machine motor inside the wall,” Chavoor said in the 2018 article. “She’s 99% sure, though she doesn’t want to get anyone in trouble, that it was the first-floor person, who wanted to buy the house from our grandmother. There was some type of motor, he evidently put power to it, and it was enough to shake the whole house.”

A story about a haunted rattling would be just the thing to get the price down.

The story was confirmed by Chavoor’s cousin, who asked that her name not be printed.

∿Intro music: original composition “Bleep Boop V” by Bill Shaner 10.7.25

∿Outro music: Amyl and the Sniffers, “Shake Ya”

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

While I have you, a few announcements I’ve been meaning to share...

One, the pre-orders for the second run of the Bad Brains shirts are all in the mail. Thank you for your patience! There are about 12 leftovers up on the merch store. Get ‘em while you can!

Two, next Election Squad is set for Oct. 16 at Steel and Wire! See you there. Flyer with details here.

Reading list for Duffy’s appearance in court last week: my short write up and This Week In Worcester’s coverage. I’ve been away at a wedding since Thursday, when the court date happened, and so I haven’t been able to provide my full written analysis yet. It’s coming! It was an extremely revealing move, Duffy’s going to court. Both for the city’s power relations and for his personal involvement in the case against Etel Haxhiaj. Short version: the absolute dumbest way he could have spent his political capital.

On the Candy front, we focus on the mailer she recently sent out which uses on the Alta on the Row development for some reason as the basis to rattle off a list of weird lies. Here’s the mailer...

...and the truth on Alta on the Row

“The development of Alta on the Row will cost north of $100 million, Lambert said. The project received $1 million in Housing Development Incentive Program funding and was also granted a Tax Increment Exemption (TIE) by the city of Worcester. The tax abatement agreement will last 15 years, according to Lambert”

“The apartments available will include junior one-bedrooms, standard one-bedrooms, one-bedrooms with dens and size all the way up to three-bedroom apartments, Lambert said, so there will be a variety of price points for the rent.

The project will not have affordable housing”

Here’s my reporting on the little league field and Anthony Petrone etc etc

Consider a paid subscription, I mean why not right?

Any support you can give us would be greatly appreciated. We have a tip jar now!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿Intro music: original composition “Bleep Boop IV” by Bill Shaner 9.29.25

∿Outro music: “Rock A Bye Baby” by Jean Dawson

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

Kate Toomey and the fire chief hoooo boy Do Wachusett school staff get Charlie Kirk level free speech rights, or don’t they?

Andrew Quemere had a good take: No, Boston Globe, we don’t “need more Charlie Kirks”Roosevelt School and Batteries Unlimited townie s**t

Next council agenda for Tuesday night there’s only three or so reports on, and one is a report on future roadwork buckle up.

“Clair de Lune” played for 80 year old elephantWhile we have you, consider a paid subscription, I mean why not right?

Any support you can give us would be greatly appreciated. We have a tip jar now!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿Intro music: original composition “Bleep Boop III” by Bill Shaner 9.14.25

∿Outro music:

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

Catching up on a wild weekend and a not-wild preliminary election. We do our best to encapsulate the enigma that is City-Councilor-To-Be Gary Rosen. We ponder how to best implement the Shock Doctrine on Holden during the next Freak Weather Event. We say buh-bye to the haters and losers.

We’re on pace to hit 50 episodes in our first year of doing this thing which is great. It’s been a treat watching the listenership grow into its own whole thing, related but separate to the newsletter readership, like a younger brother who’s cooler but also more of a liability. Who mom worries about.

On that note WE need YOU to give us some funny ideas about where to stick a trail cam in this city... Really calling on you to get abstract about it.

We also need you to tell everyone you know how you, a dirty socialist on the Cultural Marxist Left, would be so mad I mean really really triggered if Moe Bergman decides to run for mayor. We, along with the entire Left and also Marxists, would hate to see it happen. We would be totally owned by Morris Bergman and yes, we would have negative feelings if he made it a three way race.

We would also be sooooo mad if we got a few more paid subscriptions today I mean really freakin pissed off.

Seriously any support you can give us would be greatly appreciated. We have a tip jar now! A nice easy way to drop us a few bucks. The site has an option to give us an extra $5 a month recurring if you want to show us extra love.

A few links of note from the episode...

Folder: /

Hidden election results document / the election results document at home

Josh Wingell’s cool shot

Redlining map by Clark prof

The Fire This Time (2002) Gulf War audio documentary

Goose is getting a livestream

The Fort Bragg Cartel

Josh Croke looking sick as all hell

And then some additional ways to support ya boys!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

I’ll have the written post referenced throughout the episode up tomorrow I promise. I swear.

∿Intro music: original composition “Bleep Boop II” by Bill Shaner 9.7.25

∿Outro music: “Blart, in ‘Looper Kimball III’” by thiiird person.

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

In no particular order we discuss The Ongoing Horrors, the upcoming preliminary, Joyner Lucas, the Hot Dog Safari, the Worcester Courthouse, hobbits and scams, Mitra and Luster’s pronouns, some proposals for a new Massachusetts state flag.

Relevant links...

Preliminary election guide

Even more journalist deaths at a hospital in Gaza

Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained again

Mitra candidate profile in the Worcester Guardian.

His campaign finance filings have raised eyebrows, with many large donations coming from out of state. Mitra said the support reflects trust built over decades. “Many of these donors, though not residents, have a vested interest in Worcester — through investment properties, business activities, or family ties,” he said.

Shireton, or lack thereof

WPS kids get ADHD backpacks from Joyner Lucas

MA Flag, seal, and motto submissions

Here’s the five specific flags we discussed.

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so. There’s also a new tip jar on on the tip jar website Buy Me A Coffee, where you’ll also find an option to give us an extra $5 a month or $50 annual recurring if you want to show us extra love.

Other ways…

* Venmo a tip

* Paypal a Tip

* Merch Store

* Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: original composition let’s call it “Beep Boop Boop” by Bill Shaner 8.28.25

∿Outro music: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “First World Problem”

Not before goofing around a bit about Cat Mayors, Joe Petty, and the ZBA of course, but we get there. Skip to 31:00 if you’re only interested in the St. V’s stuff.

Oh I made up a little digital tip jar if you want to send Chris and I some money to split in front-of-house back-of-house style.

St. V’s nurse Carla LeBlanc came on this show back in February to celebrate the firing of failed union buster Carolyn Jackson. Tenet, the Dallas-based equity hog that owns St Vincent, fired Carla for comments made—specifically about patients dying due to lack of staffing—they called “maliciously untrue.” Then the results of a long running DPH report were made public, and within it three documented patient deaths due to short staffed nurses—exactly what Carla told us and thensome. Now Tenet finds itself hoisted by its own maliciously untrue petard, to the point it almost lost Medicaid reimbursement.

Carla is now suing them under a whistleblower statute for wrongful termination. We’re named in the lawsuit, which you can read here.

Outdoor Cats was all over the news this weekend. Someone needs to teach the Globe and the Telegram how to hyperlink! Here’s the episode: “Episode 10: Sorry Miss Jackson” I’ll never feel bad for bypassing either of their paywalls again. Like so….

Boston Globe: “Patient deaths, government investigations, and a new lawsuit. What’s happening at Saint Vincent Hospital?”

“At this point, I’m not confident that things will be changing for the better,” she told the hosts of the podcast called “Outdoor Cats.” “You know, I’ve learned over the last few years that I can never be confident that this company is going to do the right thing.”

Three months later, the hospital fired LeBlanc, citing her comments on the podcast as “disloyal, reckless, and maliciously untrue.”

By the way the Telegram is owned by the Tenet of journalism, Gannett Media. Just as evil but luckily in charge of no one’s health and well being.

Other links:

Woody wins D2 Dog of the Week

The Last Will of Anas Al Sharif

Tenet’s Stock Ticker

Gabriel House fire exposes “gaps” in subsidized affordable housing business model

The lawsuit one more time

And here’s a glimpse of the insanely redacted inspectional report we were talking about…

On p 26.

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so.

Other ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: summer version of “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

∿Outro music: “Strange and Unproductive Thinking” by David Lynch

Nevertheless… they made it the thumbnail. Lmao.

Just one of the many things Chris and I discuss in a wide-ranging catch up session, recorded on the porch studio yesterday afternoon.

Loosely in order: Moe Bergman’s hilarious campaign radio spot. The dog park homeless encampment and the downtown BID “ambassadors,” the (very related) routine horrors of district court. The two girls of the Eureka Street mother now missing. Webster PD placing Goose “in custody.” Satya Mitra’s insane council war chest, the “for lease” sign above the empty lot Madison Properties abandoned at Polar Park, the sad collapsing prospect of the Michael’s Cigar Bar building ever being put to good use again. Eric Batista’s push to purify the city, and the transparent Joe Petty campaign ploy the announcement transparently serves. The historic bus shelter on Plantation Street they turned into a grim concrete mausoleum in order to spite homeless people.

The cops got Goose. FREE GOOSE.“As your City Manager, I take full responsibility”

1 Exchange Place, “Something New Coming Soon”Gotta seal off the unused bus shelter so people can’t sleep in it

A spokesman for Chicago-based AbbVie, told the Telegram & Gazette his company has been working closely with the City of Worcester, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Police Department and state’s Department of Health and Human Services to find a way to solve “a number of public health and safety issues” connected with the stone shelter while maintaining the historical preservation of the site.

As always we would greatly appreciate you considering a paid subscription if you haven’t already. Recording these episodes is fun but it’s also a good amount of work to get them out, schedule guests, stay on top of everything. Were I working another job there would simply be no way. So…

Other ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

∿Outro music: “Trash” by New York Dolls

Last time we talked to Keith it was back in March, when he was just getting started. “Episode 16: Time for an overhaul (ft. Keith Linhares)”

Now he’s got a sense of the terrain and we were stoked to hear he’s more optimistic now than he was then. We talk housing policy, extending a hand to winnable conservatives. We talk about the asymmetry of the typical citizens’s politics and the opportunity that lies in considering the funding of the DPW versus the WPD. Here’s a passage from Keith (around 35 mins in) I appreciated:

That's something that has been resonating with voters is, kind of back to that concept of investing in ourselves, that the DPW is so under understaffed. I think I heard a couple months ago, it’s like 90 people short.

And people like the idea when you say like, these should be good jobs for the people of Worcester, we should be able to help ourselves, we should be able to take care of ourselves that resonates with people.

And I mean, you can label it as you know, whatever “ism” you want, but the idea that a municipality should have some level of authority over itself and some ability to satisfy its own needs is so, so crucial right now, when you look at what the federal federal government's doing, especially lately.

Keith, like all the good candidates, needs money and volunteers if he’s going to do the damn thing. Sign up for his mailing list, give him some cash (recurring ideally!) and get involved.

Website

Volunteer sign up form

Donation page

Instagram (very good videos)

If you don’t know where to start in terms of “getting involved” there’s a perfect event for you this Thursday: Worcester Sucks Election Squad #1 at Steel and Wire, 7 p.m. July 31.

“How To Blow Up A Pipeline:” Book, movie

A fun light read on the origins of “community policing”

Goose, the monitor lizard, spotted in CT

It’s embarrassing when we do this. Please stop.

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so.

Other ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: My summer rendition of “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm

∿Outro music: Winston Band, “Lâche La Patate”

Chris and I have a freewheeling conversation, starting with John Fresolo’s District 3 Race Theory, zooming out to the War on Terror and the great Mooninite Massacre of 2007, back in time to the sinking of the Frigate Hussar and the possibly still at-large Midgley’s Mortar, then back down to reality: the Crompton Pool fiasco and Alex Guardiola’s weird obsession with teacher sick days.

Fresolo’s comments in The Rambler

Mooninite Bomb Scare

Candy Mero Carlson’s 2022 cable access freakout and the video evidence

Alex Guardiola’s war on sick days in the Worcester Guardian

And don’t forget about those two events we plugged...

Comedy for Bilotta on the 17th

And on the 31st, Worcester Sucks Election Squad at Steel and Wire. 7 p.m.

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so.

Other ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

Share

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: My summer rendition of “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm

∿Outro music: “American Guilt” by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

We also go over a 1900s story recently posted to Reddit about a Worcester guy who came to possess a revolutionary war mortar?

Then to bring it all home, the news from Wednesday of a guy lighting off dynamite.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. Lots of laughs in this ep, very little serious or depressing talk. Chase the shaved and lubricated pig of your dreams. Oh here’s a look at the porch rig. It’s beautiful.

And some of you may notice I’m wearing an I Pick Up Worcester Litter Very Well shirt. An Instagram account you simply must be following if you aren’t already. They have a few cleanup events coming up!

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so.

Other ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

∿Outro music: Outdoor Cats summer theme. Will be up on the Bandcamp soon!

Cuomo’s ridiculous $25 million plus real estate PAC.

RealPage rent fixing expose in ProPublicaKneecap movie trailer

This podcast exists because of the people who support this outlet! Paid subscriptions are the best way to do so.

Other good ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

∿Outro music: CEARTA by Kneecap

If you have a ghost, alien, cryptid or guru theory or story leave it in the comments!

If you want to support this outlet, the best way is by upgrading from free to a paid subscription. Running a sweet sweet deal until the end of the month!

Only three more days to grab one of Bad Brains / Union Station rips!!

Other good ways…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store / Bandcamp

∿This podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

∿Outro: "Tornado Rider playing “Paranoidness and Pain.” Here’s a video of them playing it on a beach, next to a highway, powered by bikes

Also I’m not going to bother editing it out but the animated movie I was talking about is “Flow” not “Glow” lol.

In this episode, I go in cold, having refrained from reading a single Worcester story from the time I was gone. Chris catches me up on the tumult in real time. It’s fun… or as fun as the subject matter allows.

We recorded this episode last night (in a very echoey conference room) after I stopped by the stand out for Etel Haxhiaj that afternoon. Held at Newton Square, the event was extremely well attended, especially since it was word-of-mouth advertising only for the obvious security reason of this city being full of psychos (one of them, Mendel Fogelman, made a fool of himself, driving around the rotary eratically, engaged in a one-man counter protest, calling people communists while nearly causing multiple accidents).

My favorite moment, from my favorite interviewee, Andrew Marsh… the thumbs down. Instant classic.

More on the rally in my next written post / O.C. Dispatch, whichever comes first. For now, suffice it to say the event was well attended, the mood was great, and in all the people I interviewed, a running theme was bafflement at just why the police went ahead with these easily beatable criminal charges, weeks after the fact.

We spend the bulk of our time pondering that question, and getting into the rare mindset of one Thomas Duffy.

Links…

⧚ Rally for David Huerta, who is FREE

⧚ Initial write up on charges pressed on Haxhiaj

⧚ Tom Marino’s This Week In Worcester piece about why there were charges

⧚ WPD’s very professional response!

⧚ ‘No homicides, WPD takes credit’ copaganda in the Telegram

⧚ L.A. Taco’s stellar coverage of the situation unfolding there This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Merch Store

Reminder: pre-sale on a second run of the Bad Brains shirts running until the 19th! They’re so good.

And help us get the word out too!

∿ Outro music: “Economy” by Frankie and the Witch Fingers

∿ Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

∿ If podcasts aren’t your thing you can adjust which sections come to your inbox in your settings.

∿ This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts or with this RSS link.

A lot to talk about: we discussed their volunteer work with LUCE that brought them down to the scene at Eureka Street and what happened before the body cam footage seen round the world. We pointedly do not discuss the arrest or the “Dangerous Weapon” as there is an active court proceeding but for the record: lol lmao rofl etc. Also: the Election Commission disqualifying them for the November election and oh yeah GoFundMe canceling their campaign out of nowhere because they apparently love ICE. Pretty brutal couple of weeks. But as they explain, you just gotta dig in! Here’s a good moment, 21 mins in:

Bill: What motivated you to become invested in this issue in the first place?

Ashley: Why not? Why not? You know what I mean? Like if something's happening that, you know, you want to change in the community, you have to take an active role in changing it, you know, and this is scary stuff. I don't want, you know, armed, unidentified people on the streets, you know, terrorizing the community. And I think a lot of people don't want that. And a lot of people signed up for rapid response trainings because of that.

Quick note: Spring uses they/them pronouns, a fact which you’ll hear us forget for the first few minutes of the intro then correct ourselves and move on (you’ll notice it’s not a hard thing to do nor is it the end of the world). Our bad!

Rolling Stone: Trump’s ICE Used a Woman’s Kids and Grandchild as ‘Bait’ to Arrest Her

Our writeup of Spring’s meeting with the Election Commission last week

Steve Quist’s hilarious post about this newsletter

LUCE and Neighbor To Neighbor

Eric Prince/Blackwater’s private ICE prison plan

Candy Mero Carlson Campaign Slogan

Oh yeah and the baby bottle

After the interview, some fun stuff:

Internet Roadtrip, a real simple fun cool thing where people collectively “drive” via Google Maps. Stories in 404 Media Collective and the Boston Globe.

Fish Doorbell!This podcast is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having an outlet in this city that treats people the same regardless of what charges the cops have slapped on them…

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: Last Train by Allen Toussaint

— Bumper music: Backlash Blues “cover” by me (Bill)

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

The GoPro video of Moe Bergman’s campaign event

State of the city address

Thomas Duffy on WBUR and a Worcester Sucks rundown of his greatest hits (literally).

MassLive: “ICE agents injured Worcester mother during raid, won’t give her meds, attorney says”

Also: I (Bill) am still working on the proper weekly post. There’s a lot to get to. Either later tonight or Sunday. A Russian dude I worked with many many years ago, on the sandwich line at a deli in Harvard Square, once told an impatient customer ‘you cannot rush perfection.’ What he said about a sandwich I am now saying to you about a newsletter edition. And yes, before you ask, I am doing the accent.

Oh and you’ll notice the outro music… that’s a Bill Shaner original. I made a Bandcamp this week to serve as a clearinghouse for this silly little soundbite electronica I’ve been making to help me laugh off the trauma. Check it out.

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

If they are your thing though help us get the word out about it!

Also subscribe on your preferred player: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts or by good old fashion RSS link.

Today we bring on Ellen Shemitz, the dedicated police reformer that the city manager kicked off the closest thing we have to a civilian review board, the Human Rights Commission. (Does not bode well for his CRB proposal being at all serious, me thinks.) We talked to her last Friday—after she knew she was kicked off, and before she knew Eric Batista replaced her with the opposite of a police reformer: the police chaplain, one Jonathan Slavinskas, a close friend of the union presidents and council cranks. Shemitz was punished for doing the job well, and replaced by someone sure to not do it at all.

It isn’t until the ~50 minute mark we get to Ellen though. Before that me and Chris have to attempt to catch up on a few days of absolutely surreal b******t from the cops, city hall and the wider fascistic community. Such as: the police union heads and chief and ICE trying to turn the narrative around by blaming Councilor Etel Haxhiaj for “inciting a riot” and accusing her of “putting hands” on an officer. The full Globe story from today is worth a read, but here’s the upshot:

Police Chief Paul Saucier said in a statement Sunday Worcester officers don’t enforce federal immigration law or ask anyone their immigration status, and do not coordinate with federal immigration authorities. He also accused Haxhiaj of interfering with city officers.

“It is disappointing and unacceptable that a Worcester city councilor put her hands on our officers during the incident on Eureka St. Regardless of the charged political climate, physical violence is never an acceptable response to policy disagreements,” he said.

And here’s the ICE statement so you can read along courtesy Spectrum News:

“The target of this ICE operation was a violent criminal illegal alien, Ferreira de Oliveira. She was arrested by local police for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a pregnant victim. District Councilor for the City of Worcester Haxhiaj pulled a political stunt and incited chaos by trying to obstruct law enforcement. ICE officers and local police regained control of the situation and ICE arrest [sic] Ferreira de Oliveira.

"The previous administration's open border policies, allowed [sic] this criminal to illegally enter our country in August of 2022. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem this criminal is off our streets.

"Parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure. Through the CBP Home App- the Trump Administration is giving parents illegally in the country a chance to take full control of their departure and self-deport, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream."

After we wrapped recording, around 1 p.m., the hits kept on coming. Since then we’ve learned:

* that ICE misprinted the name of the woman they kidnapped, via MassLive and that she is being held in Rhode Island.

* that the “violent criminal” act was a small dispute with a relative, the weapon a “cell phone charging cord,” also via MassLive.

* that city hall is shutting down for the council meeting tomorrow and the public safety subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, going all virtual for both, citing “public safety concerns” per a widely mocked Instagram post on the city’s page.

Woof.

My take on that last item: it’s the surfacing of an underlying reality: that city hall is unable to control its police department, is deeply afraid of it, and made devil’s bargain after devil’s bargain to keep the extent of it hidden.

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Cold open: my arrangement of Roaming The Cosmic Winds with an audio collage of the Eureka scene from my tape recorder. Here’s a Drive file.

—Outro music: “the body the blood the machine” by The Thermals.

Hey everyone: Chris here posting the episode today, Bill is off to see AC/DC. One time I went to a Catholic funeral mass where “Dirty Deeds” was played in church, LOUD, so I think I’ve already had my best possible AC/DC experience.We talk about another dumb week at city council, where it seems Charles Luster is doubling down on his campaign to run on humans experiencing substance-use issues being a vector for litter. Moe Bergman for one is more than happy to follow him down that line of inquiry. Shocking, I know!Next up is what I guess we can most accurately call a postmortem on the DOJ report, and the death of any momentum whatsoever to hold the police department responsible for the many concerning patterns and practices described therein. The new police department will be the old police department, except we’re gonna spend more money on surveillance technology. Maybe we’ll get some VIP passes to Axon Fest?BREAKING NEWS, company towns are back baby! The vote to incorporate Starbase, TX, which we discuss to close out, was a huge success (for SpaceX). If you were excited to live at 69 Memes Street in a town where the aesthetic can only be described as “None of our fathers loved us”, you can start counting the days. By the way, according to a highly academically rigorous investigation (3 minutes on Wikipedia) not only was Hopedale a factory town, but so too were Southbridge (American Optical) and Whitinsville (Whitin Machine Works).

This is where Bill will hopefully add a link to 8 Hours For What We Will, a great book about the industrial and workers’ history of Worcester in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: Original from Bill this week! He didn’t title it, so I’m calling it “20/20 Hindsight (Get Your Mind Right), Tony ‘Turntables’ Petrone Remix”. This is what happens when you give me the keys, Bill.

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

TIP LINE NUMBER - (508) 556-1017‬

Via “Charter cities,” “freedom cities,” “network states,” and the “abundance agenda” libertarian dorks on both sides of the proverbial aisle have found their Next Big Thing: a remade municipality, free from the evils of government oversight, tax obligations, or and anything else they don’t personally like. Woke, for instance, or ummm people who don’t have homes.

Instead of local democracy, what if we wrote a 4,000 page terms of service agreement for our citizens to definitely read and also certainly know when it changes? (Certainly all of the citizens of our new Libertarian Republic will have had their legal teams perform a forensic risk assessment before exercising their God-given right of consumer choice to make the obvious rational and objective decision to come over and consume our community via their hodlings in “remaining days” coin.) And what if that terms of service agreement were governed not by a Democratically arrived at set of laws but by the whims of uhhhh us? The tech overlords proividing the venture capital? HelloOoO? He who holdeth the bag maketh the rules.

The dream of Galt's Gulch coming to the most hollowed-out and desperate city near you!

This s**t is extremely real by the way. Talking about it is, however, a “wokeism.” So you may not have heard about it. If you thought Larry Lucchino pulled the rug on us… wait til Peter Thiel comes to town.

We go over the concept of these freedom cities, the state of play, then look at the historical roots, via Raymond Craib’s fantastic Adventure Capitalism, a 2022 book looking at the charter city concept in the long tradition of Colonial Buffoonery. Time was, only the Third World experienced these excesses firsthand, but remember that Empire Is A Boomerang. It is not, as some would have it, a baseball… hit by the big meaty hands of America—in the bat cracking a nostalgia so strong you can smell it ahhhh like apple pie as that big cornfed American Boy watches his line drive soar over the left field wall, land on an aircraft carrier, get in the cockpit, take off the aircraft carrier, fly directly over a wedding, drop the bomb.

No the cosmic horrors we’ve wrought on the far corners of this world for the last century are boomeranging back to us now. Charter cities are one of the more plausible ways in which it manifests: Every urban center in America finally converted into the neo-colonial fiefdom for raw exploitation of the natives we’ve been angling at since Reagan first said “tough on crime” and the Vic Mackeys of the world took that Classic Libertarian Lie to heart.

Anyway, happy listening. Let us know what you think! This episode was a bit off our beaten path but a lot more interesting for it, I think.

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: “Whitey On The Moon” Gil Scott Heron

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inboxin your settings.

.

Tough to coat this one with any sugar folks: Today we open with the news that our one competent city executive, Superintendent Rachel Monárrez, will be “going, going, back back to Cali” like Biggie Smalls come June. Read her statement here. You will be missed, Dr. Monárrez!

We then spend the rest of the episode digesting and discussing Tuesday’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Safety, and how it illustrated the true power dynamics of the city and the police department. (Folks, it’s not good!) In this meeting, Kate Toomey basically hands the police chief the floor to explain away the DOJ report, with conspiracies as wild as ‘radical students taking over the Department of Justice’ and ‘cop-impersonating rapists.’

Full transcript of the Tuesday public safety meeting

Chief’s initial response document from March 4, which he mostly reads off.

New police statement from Wednesday afternoon

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

—Outro music by yours truly (Bill) / intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

From a statement sent Wednesday night from WPI President Grace Wang:

WPI confirmed today that federal authorities have revoked the visas of four of our international students.

Similar actions in recent days have affected hundreds of international students across the country, including at multiple colleges and universities in Massachusetts. WPI learned of the revocations through its daily monitoring of a government database known as SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. We do not know the reasons for these decisions.

WPI is working directly with these students to help them locate legal representation and to determine the next steps regarding their programs of study. We understand that international students may feel anxious about their visa status. Please know that WPI checks SEVIS multiple times each day and will immediately seek to contact and similarly support any student whose visa status shows a change.

Full text

And here’s the full text of the statement from Clark. Notably, Clark announced it signed onto an amicus brief in a recent lawsuit filed against Marco Rubio by the American Association of University Professors.

“Rubio Says He Has Revoked 300 or More Visas in Trump’s Deportation Push”

Article in the Nation about the new McCarthyism

The Hand Basket article on Rubio’s directive

Catch and revoke article in Axios

Then we talk chickens, naturally. Then break down the city manager’s recent lousy comment on homelessness.

Telegram article on Planning Board letter

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: Atlantic City by The Boss

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inboxin your settings.

“I have faith and I have hope. I have faith and I have hope. I have faith and I have hope.”

Thousands chanted it in the rain, back at Etel Haxhiaj, who put the mantra in the cool air from the podium behind city hall. It took a life of its own, electric.

Riding the live wire Haxhiaj continued: “I have faith and I have hope that there are way more of those of us who act with love and courage than those whose starting point is hate, division, and bigotry. Thank you. Stay the fight.” She was screaming, more passion in her voice than I’d ever heard. The cheers were deafening.

Next to speak was State Sen. Robyn Kennedy. Same as Haxhiaj, I’d never heard her throw her voice like that, reach that register. She was hoarse by the time she said...

“Let me be crystal clear, Massachusetts is not backing down. We are going to continue to show up, continue to fight the fight.”

..and the cheers drowned out whatever she had to say next.

Then to Khrystian King, with the same energy: “Our movement cannot be contained. It cannot. It'll not, it cannot. It will not. We are being called to places we never thought we’d be.”

The Hands Off rally behind City Hall this afternoon was attended by thousands—one of the largest demonstrations I’ve seen in Worcester. It was one of hundreds of simultaneous Hands Off rallies across the country.

Marked by ponchos, umbrellas, soggy signs, the speakers who were ready to harness the energy in the crowd found the rain no inhibitor.

Chief among them was Rep. Jim McGovern, who spoke for a fiery 10 minutes.

“If Trump wants a fight, he's got one right here, right now. We'll give him a goddamn fight.”

Of course, not every speaker met the moment. A notable dud was Sean Rose, former and possibly future city councilor. His speech was... well... empty. Like so:

“This is not politics as usual. This is a battle for the soul of our nation. And here in Worcester, we were born to rise. We were built on grit and Grace, on hard work and heart. But we cannot rise divided. There is no progressive or moderate side today. There is only team democracy versus team chaos. And we know where we stand.

Let's not get lost in the weeds of what comes next. Let's continue to lock arms. Let's continue to draw lines, because while we're debating, they're dismantling, while we hesitate, they hijack.”

Thank god we’re locking arms and drawing lines because I’d just hate it if we got lost in the weeds of what comes next.

Reminds me of what Jonathan Cohn had to say about the statewide Democratic leadership recently. Read it in today’s Masster List.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, questioned why it took Senate Democrats until 10 weeks into Trump's term to announce they would consider unspecified action at an unspecified later date.

“Somehow, the Senate's announced response is more comical and more underwhelming than creating a new committee: they held a press conference to let the public know that an existing committee is going to do the work that it should have already been doing," he said.

McGovern, King, Kennedy, Haxhiaj—they showed us what a response would look like if progressives were in control of the party. Rose showed us what it is currently.

“Democrats need to do a hell of a lot better,” McGovern said in his speech. “I know this and you know this. We need to own our own mistakes and we need to do so much better for this country.”

Rose said there’s no progressive and no moderate side, but his speech made the opposite glaringly obvious. What use are you, as a politician in this moment, if you’re content to issue empty platitudes like that? Content to wine and dine with Mero-Carlson...

...no thanks, man. Hard pass. Stay home next time.

Anyway... the rally on the whole was a salve for a spiritual malaise of late that I know I’m not alone in feeling. Sometimes to see the people you most admire in this political backwater get up and scream their heads off—to be reminded that you do have faith and you do have hope...

You’re soaked through but no longer feel that certain chill in the air.

Consider supporting this outlet if you’re able! I think we do a pretty unique and good job covering the city.

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

If you liked this O.C. Dispatch please share it far and wide!

And add this podcast to a podcast player and leave a review there while you’re at it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts.

Outro music: A re-arrangement by yours truly of “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

We brought on school committee member Sue Mailman to discuss the new lawsuit against the Trump Administration. Worcester is a supporting character in the state-wide suit, led by Somerville and Easthampton. WPS, like districts across the state and country, stand to lose millions in funding as the Trump administration continues to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Statement from the school administration.

And we also touch on the police report Kathi Roy filed against her, for the crime of… asking a few good questions? Per the Telegram:

According to the police report, Roy alleges that Mailman approached her after the meeting and told her, "How do you feel about your party destroying my country?" and then, "How do you feel about the insurrection now?"

Hm. We the people of the Outdoor Cats Court hereby find Mailman guilty of being both right and cool. Additionally, we find Roy guilty of Snowflake Behavior. Given that Roy organized bus trips to Jan. 6 and remains an active member of the city’s Republican committee aaaaand voted against signing onto the lawsuit last Friday, these are good question!

You gotta watch the body camera footage. It’s a trip.

After Mailman, some quick updates on the senior tax work off story and the city’s new director of public health.

Bergman missing the recycle bin video

Telegram story on Tamara Lundi’s resumé

Homeless report (senior stuff on page 5)

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers and listeners!

And merch buyers too! Sick new design up in the merch store! Limited supply!

—Outro music: “Mugshot Freestyles Northern Boys Remix”

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Keough and Marino have both followed the DOJ report and city’s response closely over the past several months. Some good examples: “Worcester City Council Ready to Do Nothing on Police Reform” by Tom Marino; “Thoughts from Tuesday Night at Worcester City Hall” by John Keough.

Before the interview, we talk about the news on everyone’s minds: Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University PHD candidate who was abducted outside her Somerville apartment Tuesday by masked federal agents, then shipped to the same Louisiana detention center holding Mahmoud Khalil. (Watch the video here)

Chris prepared a statement to open the show, copied here in full:

We talked a few weeks ago about the illegal abduction of Mahmoud Khalil, a student at Columbia who was taken into custody from his home in the presence of his 8 months pregnant wife. A few days after, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national who was a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown, was also abducted by agents of the state. His wife is an American citizen of Palestinian descent. Tuesday, we learned that Rumeysa Ozturk, a doctoral student and Fulbright scholar at Tufts University, was abducted by federal agents right here in Massachusetts, in Somerville. They kidnapped her outside of her apartment as she left to go break her Ramadan fast with friends. She is a Turkish national. In each case I have seen footage of, these people were surrounded suddenly by plainclothes agents masking their faces, stuffed into an unmarked vehicle, and disappeared.

All three of these people have been taken over a thousand miles away to a federal detention center in Louisiana. Khalil was taken from New York to New Jersey and then to Louisiana. Ozturk has apparently been transported to Louisiana in defiance of federal judges order that she not be removed from Massachusetts.

From Masslive “Ozturk was sent to Louisiana even after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ordered Ozturk to remain in the state and that the government give 48 hours’ notice before moving her”

“Over twenty-four hours after her arrest, Rumeysa has yet to be processed to her final detention facility and during this entire time, I have been unable to speak with my client,” Ozturk’s attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, said in a statement Wednesday evening. “It was only a few hours ago that I learned that she was sent to Louisiana, despite a federal court judge’s order that she not be removed from the state,” Khanbabai said.I think we have a friendly audience, but I don’t entirely know. I do know that I have people I’ve called friends, and people in my own family, who might never speak to me again because of where I stand on this. I do not f*****g care, because the right place to stand is the right place to stand: The state of Israel is in the process of a genocidal campaign against the people of Palestine, and it has openly been doing so for going on a year and a half now. We are now not only supporting that genocide with money and weapons, just as we did under the Biden regime, we are now actively hunting down any vulnerable activist on a student visa that the grossest scumbags on Earth can identify, and those people are being ripped from their homes and families and being thrown in jail to face deportation. To be clear, that is what is happening here: The government isn’t plucking these names out of the air, it is being fed these names by Zionist organizations like Betar US and Canary MissionNone of these people have been accused of committing a crime. The government has had ample opportunity to articulate any crimes they have committed, and they are not doing that. That’s the point, I think, actually. These people have been arrested and put into deportation proceedings for speaking out against a genocide being perpetrated by Israel. That’s it.I don’t want to argue with anyone about the finer points of a visa, or what was the speech. It’s really f*****g simple: People who are in our country from various nations to learn and to educate and to research are being black-bagged and shipped out for rendition because they have voiced opposition to a genocide that is ongoing right now, today.If you have been hesitant to speak up on this issue, I would encourage you to consider that it’s now-or-never time, because it’s not going to stop with Rumeysa Ozturk and it’s not going to stop with student visa holders either: These cretins have already said they intend to target naturalized citizens, imminently. The time is right f*****g now to tell your friends and your neighbors and definitely your representatives in Congress that this cannot stand, and that you do not intend to let it stand, and that Congress needs to pull all support from this or any other state committing a genocide. Get in the streets. Make noise. Do whatever you can.

Further reading on the Ozturk case…

WBUR story about protests demanding her release

Marco Rubio confirms Ozturk’s student visa has been revoked

The op-ed that led to her kidnapping

The court order this rendition disregards

For updates on demonstrations, Somerville for Palestine Instagram

Other links...

DOJ ReportNga Truong/Anatomy of a Bad Confession

Natale Cosenza Settlement

Original documentary on the Barkley Marathons, and a feature story in The Guardian This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: “F**k The Police” by J Dilla

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Help support the striking workers: The SYC Mutual Aid Fund For Strikers and other resources. The union’s Twitter and Instagram.

We also recap our time on the strike line earlier this week, from a bench in University Park. New mobile pod rig worked well and it was nice!

A good Clark Scarlet article on the university’s $500 million endowment

Most recent statement from the university administration

Highest paid city employees report (83 percent cops)

Make sure you check out the first Outdoor Cats Dispatch we put up a few days ago. It’s a straight NPR-style radio story on the strike, with audio and interviews from the scene.

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music / Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

Chris and I went down to the strike line at Clark University yesterday (we’ll be putting up a full episode soon). I brought a portable audio interface and a mic with me—a poor man’s approximation of the rig NPR reporters use—then I got back and spent the whole day assembling this news spot. I had a lot of fun doing it. It’s interesting to write in a DAW (digital audio workstation) as opposed to a document. And the audio B-roll element adds something to a story like this that text simply couldn’t. Let me know what you think!

And if you enjoyed it please share it with someone you think will also enjoy it!

I’d love to do more of these. Below is a condensed written version. But first…

This story is a good example of the constant experimentation in the form of local journalism we’re allowed to do here at Worcester Sucks, because—and only because!—of all the paid subscribers that support this outlet. Each paid subscription translates to more time and energy we can dedicate to this work. It’s $5 to you, but means the world to us. Please consider upgrading to paid!

Undergraduate strike at Clark approaches one week mark

On the sixth day, they made noise. Lots of noise. The line was lively Wednesday afternoon as the undergraduate student worker strike approached the first-week milestone.

Student workers at Clark University set out on strike last Friday, backed by a local chapter of the Teamsters.

Video by cohost Chris Robarge / The SYC Mutual Aid Fund For Strikers

Hour cuts and stagnating wages triggered a months-long unionization drive among the university’s 700-odd union workers. Clark graduate students formed a union a few years ago, and now the undergraduates are following suit. They want their own chapter, allowing them to collectively bargain with the university administration.

I arrived at the strike line on Wednesday afternoon to find dozens of students lining the sidewalks, all facing the windows of a university building as they chanted, banged five gallon drums, blew horned instruments—there were even a few drum kits.

I’d later learn that inside that building, the administration was holding an all-faculty meeting. Inside, the president was apparently discussing his seven figure salary—so much so that some professors walked out, according to a few people in the room.

While grad student workers unions are more common feature of campus life in recent years, an undergraduate unions are decidedly rare. But that’s changing. From 2022 to 2024, the number of such unions across the country jumped from two to more than a dozen. Most are at small, private universities like Clark, but some are massive: 20,000 student workers across the California state college system, for instance, and 4,000 at the University of Oregon.

At Clark, undergrads have everything they need except the university's recognition—hence the strike. The main demand is for what’s called a card check neutrality agreement. That means if the majority of Clark’s 700 undergraduate workers sign union cards, the university recognizes the union, and the union then has power to collectively bargain.

The university has thus far refused, maintaining that students are not by definition workers and therefore cannot unionize. Students, for their part, say the university’s stance is at odds with a 2016 National Labor Review Board decision that says undergraduate student workers are workers. Among the strikers, the shorthand for this was “Columbia 2016.”

The university administration seems to disagree. Several weeks ago, per the Clark Scarlet, Clark’s lawyer, Damien DiGiovanni, released a statement contending that students are not employees. He cited a 1976 NLRB decision to the effect, saying it was quote “wrongly overturned in 2016.”

“It is Clark University’s position that students, and most undoubtedly undergraduate students, are primarily students. As such, some or all of the students in the Petitioned-for unit are not statutory employees under Section 2(3) of the Act.

Even if some or all of the students listed in the Petition are Section 2(3) employees, they do not constitute an appropriate unit for collective bargaining, pursuant to the Board’s holding in San Francisco Art Institute, 226 NLRB 1251 (1976), and similar Board precedent, which was wrongly overturned in 2016.”

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, the university doubled down, saying Clark “does not support unionization among undergraduates.”

Regarding unionization, we understand and respect that some of our undergraduate students feel strongly about union representation, and we support your right to express those views. At the same time, the University has a differing view, and it is our responsibility to convey it. As we have shared, the University regards undergraduate students first and foremost as students – you are here at Clark above all to study and learn and pursue your academic interests and passions. Consistent with that, the University does not support unionization among undergraduates, including through a card check process which the Teamsters formally requested on March 17.

What the University supports and what we are determined to pursue is wider and more regular interaction around these issues. Our ability to respond to concerns depends upon open, candid conversation. To that end, today, I am sharing with you five concrete steps the University is taking to strengthen communication, engagement, and action with our undergraduate students.

In other words: they’re not budging.

Instead, they’ve proposed five “concrete steps”: listening sessions, “facilitated dialogue,” a “student employment advisory committee,” an employment survey and a “clear action plan” for “addressing concerns and enhancing the experience for undergraduate students in paid positions at Clark.”

Okay! They still want their union recognized though… How’s that for a concrete step?

Help support the striking workers: The SYC Mutual Aid Fund For Strikers and other resources. The union’s Twitter and Instagram.

If you liked this first O.C. Dispatch please share it far and wide!

And add this podcast to a podcast player and leave a review there while you’re at it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts.

Aaaaaand consider supporting this outlet if you’re able!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

—Outro music: A re-arrangement by yours truly of “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald.

Today’s guest is Keith Linhares, who joined us to talk about his bid for the District 1 city council seat!

His first run for office, he’ll be taking on former District 1 councilor Tony Economou, an avatar of the sort of entrenched townie politics that keeps the city stuck in the ‘80s. Keith wants to change that! A bunch of great moments on this episode, but I especially appreciate Keith’s take on the core difference in leadership style between progressives and what we might call the “old guard,” and how that relates to the political calculus around property value.

“(…) I don't want to make decisions based on economic indicators. I actually studied economics as an undergrad student. So I do have sort of a healthy respect, or maybe disrespect, that's been gained for some of those types of concepts that come from the perfect market situation. So it's all these hypotheticals that exist in these perfectly sterile environments, that all these models are developed in.

And from what I've observed in my own life, what I know from talking to my friends, from my family, is that just because property values are getting higher, it doesn't mean our lives are getting better. Just because we have 30,000 more units in the city doesn't mean we can afford them or that regular people who are already here can live in them. So I guess I want to make a pledge to everybody out there that if I'm elected as your city councilor, I'm not going to be looking purely at the numbers. I'm not going to be purely looking at these economic indicators that are supposed to be telling us how hot of a market our city is and all that other stuff.

I'm going to be looking at quality of life for the people who live here now. I don't want to see my friends, my family continue to be pushed out of the city because it's getting too expensive.

I want to see families have the ability to afford a home here and live a life that's comfortable for them.”

Check out Linhare’s Act Blue to donate to his campaign, as well as his volunteer sign up sheet, Instagram and other links.

After the interview we briefly discuss the Clark student worker strike (more on that soon!) and other odds and ends.

CU Undergrad Worker’s Union IG

Realpage Rent Fixing article

Livestream of the Roast of Worcester at the White Room

Last four grafs of The Atlantic’s Aidan Kearney feature

The Palestine / Puerto Rico solidarity sign at the Mother’s Day event

We enjoy doing this podcast a lot! So much so we put the work in to get two episodes out this week. It takes a lot of time, effort and and care. Please consider signing up for a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too! Sharing these episodes with your friends or on social media helps us a lot!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: “Building Up and Tearing England Down” by the Mary Wallopers

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

— You can adjust which sections of Worcester Sucks come to your inbox in your settings, if, say, podcasts aren’t your thing.

We talk about Khalil’s horrible situation briefly, then get to the show we had planned: an interview with author Joanne McNeil!

I think we can all agree that the internet is worse than it ever has been—a statement true of both the World Wide Web and the Weird Worcester Web we all hold dear.

McNeil is an author, journalist, internet historian and native daughter of Mean Worcester (Brockton). She joins us to break down how a community such as ours can steel ourselves against enshittifications future while correcting the enshittifications past.

McNeil is the author of two books: the internet history Lurking and the near future sci-fi novel Wrong Way. You won’t regret reading either, trust me. You can buy them through this outlet’s new Bookshop.org online store (a feature of that site Joanne tipped me off to when I asked her what links to use for her books.) Turns out, we get a small percentage from Bookshop for every book sold through our page. So I made a page! Go to our new store and buy baby buy and put some hard-earned Internet Cash into the pockets of both Joanne and the Worcester Sucks team.

Also: Joanne’s Bluesky piece in Filmmaker and the Nieman Lab piece on journalism predictions for 2025 and her author page with links to many more of her writings.

Other stuff:

Cory Doctorow explains “enshittification”

Woo Havurah Purim Spectacular! 3/15 7PM Hotel Vernon

Sample post of Vermont’s Front Porch Forum

Canadian Bacon Trailer

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—Outro music: “The Govt Knows” by Knower

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

Follow Cayden’s campaign: On Instagram, on Twitter, on Facebook and most importantly, on Act Blue, where you can send him a few crucially needed bucks (I sent $20 myself, can I get a match?). Volunteer sign-up form as well.

Before we get to Davis (interview starts at the 24:45), we go over the state of the race so far, working off this list of paper pullers I got from the clerk yesterday.

Far from a complete list, of course. Potential candidates have a few months to pull papers. They have until May 6 to return their papers with the requisite signatures.

After the interview (around the 1:20 mark), we talk about an emerging news item: City Manager Eric Batista’s decision to hire Tamara Lundi, a woman who left her role as president of Community Health Link in 2023 under um… interesting circumstances.

Apropos of nothing here’s the the tip line: 508-556-1017.

Other links:

“How embarassing to be the Worcester city council,” my 2022 story about Candy Mero-Carlson and Phil Palmieri’s weird East Side feud.

And some late breaking news: Jermoh Kamara, former school committee member, has pulled papers for at-large council! Good stuff.

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too! Leave a review on the app your listening on why not.

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: “Happy House” by Siouxsie and the Banshees

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

TIP LINE: (508) 556-1017‬

Woo Havurah Purim Spectacular! 3/15 7PM Hotel Vernon 

Worcester Railers playing as the Monkey Wrenches

Worcester Power Building Summit

Enri Marini’s Council livestream

Council Rule 43: Disruption of meetings

Senior tax workoff application and FAQ

Camping with Steve

Cruising the Cut

Garbage Time

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch StoreAnd help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

This is a really fun interview about a great book. There is a lot to learn about Worcester in what San Fran wrought onto the world in the moment that Dead Kennedys were writing the songs that became Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Foley’s a relatively new resident of the Worcester area, so of course we ask him the requisit question: whaddaya think?

Foley’s book on Dead Kennedys and author page his Farm Aid “Against The Grain” podcast

Other links:

RE/Search Publications

Survival Research Laboratories

TrueAnon Zizian Cult Ep

The NYT GitMo protest pic

508: A Show About Worcester YouTube archive

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—Reminder you can add this podcast to your preferred player now: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—Outro music: “Police Truck” by Dead Kennedys

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Like every meeting, the council is mostly useless and it is the people who show up to speak that matter. Thank you to everyone who spoke. There were many many fantastic comments we couldn’t get to.

Find your own clips here

Shrewsbury native Jim Polito on Fox News

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Carla LeBlanc has been both a nurse at St Vincent and a member of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) for going on eight years now. She has seen firsthand everything wrong about the hospital that’s currently in the news.

MNA is a good follow on Instagram look at this gem

The internal email announcing Jackson’s resignation

Here’s the story I wrote for The Intercept in 2022 about the sketchy plant Tenet hired to initiate the decertification campaign referred to within the episode as “See Dick Run.” And then the follow-up on here about how it didn’t work. Like at all. And then one about when they won and the strike ended.

The GBH story on Chris and his wife getting fucked over by Point32.

This podcast is part of Worcester Sucks, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this in your city!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too! Share, leave a review, etc

—Outro music: “Union Town” by Tom Morello

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

That’s the first hour. After that, Chris and I talk about the Human Rights Commission, civilian review boards, and the One Weird Trick some of our city councilors have.

Josh’s op-ed in the WBJ

Love Your Labels

Queer for Cities

Brad Petrishen’s story on the Human Rights Commission meeting this week

The 2015 Telegram story featuring Bergman and Petty’s One Weird Trick

Celtics players trying to pronounce Worcester

Here’s a sick picture of Josh at the rally Tuesday taken by Giselle Rivera Flores

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is funded by its readers and only its readers (and listeners now). Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

And let us know what you think!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link. Leave a review on whichever app you’re using!

—Outro music: “Wut” by Kalifa (fka Le1f). It freakin’ bangs by the way. The video is basically the coolest thing ever made.

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Some links to things discussed within:

Greg Opperman’s story for Worcester Sucks on Etel’s journey to America. My piece on the situation: The Unbearable Bigotry of Townies.

Candy sneaky texting while Maydeé Morales speaks about her failures as an elected leader

Donation links: Rob Bilotta’s campaign, Etel’s campaign, Khrystian’s campaign

And of course there’s supporting this outlet, which we’d greatly appreciate.

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

Also check out the dumb March of the Ents meme I put on the Worcester Sucks Instag

—Outro music: “Abstract City” by Hammered Hulls.

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

The episode ends up being more or less a mutual talk therapy session on how to process the profoundly dehumanizing, deceptive and malicious attack that Candy Mero-Carlson and Joe Petty have launched against Thu Nguyen this week. We pick apart their statements, dismantle their thin arguments about attendance, and talk about what to do with who they showed themselves to be. Then a visit from Dr. Fingers.

(This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.)

Thu’s statement

Candy Mero-Carlson’s response

Joe Petty’s response

Etel’s statement on Candy calling her a liar

Worcester Havurah’s statement in support of Thu

The Dr. Fingers image from St. V’s

Usually I’d have a written post up by now but this week we’re trying podcast first then a written piece on the same subject matter. It’s going to be a nice experiment seeing how I can play off an already-released podcast in my writing. Anyway. Listeners rejoice, readers hang tight! —Bill

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers. Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—Outro music: “Let the Trumpetz Blow” by Shabazz the Disciple

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Worcester Havurah’s Instagram and website

The Multi-Faith Coalition’s statement: Mayor Petty breaks a tie to grant City Council authority to refuse to vote on Ceasefire Resolution

Good BDS resources: Anti-Palestinian at the Core: The Origins and Growing Dangers of U.S. Antiterrorism Law

McGovern on Democracy Now

This podcast is part of the Worcester Sucks media empire, which is 100 percent funded by its readers and now listeners also! Please take out a paid subscription or throw us a tip or order some merch if you appreciate having a real independent outlet like this here! Thank you!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

And help us get the word out too!

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

—Outro music: “Make ‘Em Pay” by Gang Starr

—Intro music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Since the city said they’d do it then apparently didn’t, Chris put together playlists for each of them:

—Joe Petty’s picks

—Eric Batista’s picks

Oh and here’s Joe Petty (official) singing We Are The Champions (full song)

As always, we appreciate your support and ask for more of it if you’re able! Paid subscriptions keep the ship running, and allow said ship to be a little silly sometimes as a treat.

So do tips and merch orders!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch Store

Thank you for supporting our weird little independent journalism project in this weird little city!

—Music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

Outro music is “Nation” by Home Front.

And the Clairo video shot at White Eagle featuring Beyond Wrestling

Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman

Some other useful links: D2 candidate Rob Bilotta’s campaign site (he needs cash and volunteers!!), Brad Petrishen’s personal page on the Telegram website (a better bookmark than the site itself IMO)

A reminder you can now add this podcast in all the major podcast players (Spotify /Apple Podcasts / YouTube / Overcast / Pocket Casts). Subcribing on any of these and leaving a review helps us out.

But the best way to help us get the word out is to just by sending it to someone you think would like it! Second best: sharing it on your social media (any Redditors out there… feel free to drop it in the Worcester subreddit!!)

Thank you for listening and have a happy new year! This episode will be accompanied by a written Worcester Sucks year-in-review post when I’m (Bill) done with it. As always please consider a paid subscription to this newsletter so we can keep building out our roster of programming.

Venmo a tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch store

—Music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

—If podcasts aren’t your thing (totally get it, you did sign up for a newsletter after all) you can adjust which sections (Outdoor Cats, Bad Advice, WPS In Brief, etc) come to your inbox in your settings.

This podcast can now be found on

* Spotify

* Apple Podcasts

* YouTube

* Overcast

* Pocket Casts (idk what that is)

And you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

At the beginning: Andrew Marsh speaking at the city council meeting Tuesday

My piece for Hell World on Maura Healey’s shelter cuts

The lawsuit against Duffy & Co.

As always please consider a paid subscription to this newsletter or a tip so we can keep the local journalism train rolling.

Venmo a tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi / Merch store

—Music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

Then, with that established, we focus on a statement made by Project Priceless, a self-advocacy group of unhoused women, that stands above the rest. We talk about why it matters so much, and why we need to follow their lead. Here’s Project Priceless’ statement, on a newly made Instagram. Give em a follow.

Here’s the report if you want to follow along with us, and my initial write-up from Tuesday, breaking down the contents.

As an example of the rotten party line, here’s Councilor Kate Toomey’s statement. She’s chairwoman of the public safety subcommittee—what should be a forum for meaningful oversight of the police but under her leadership is the opposite. Mayor Joe Petty appoints her to that position because he knows that. Feature not bug.

—Music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Forsaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

—Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

Quick plug: the Worcester Sucks team and a cool new local bookseller, Implacable Books, are teaming up to peddle our wares at the Worcester Punk Rock Flea Market tomorrow (Saturday, Dec 14) 1-7 p.m. at the Hotel Vernon. The Flea Market is a neat recurring event and I’m glad the organizers take the time to put it on. Come hang!

Also please consider supporting Worcester Sucks we need all the help we can get!

Venmo a tip / Paypal a Tip / Send a tip on Ko-Fi

Today, we talk about mutual aid and community resilience. Are you tired of going to a rally and voting and not feeling like it got you anywhere? There are better ways to make change in your community, and plenty local examples of people doing it right now! We also talk about the real estate speculators and vulture capitalists ruining our city (and many others!). Relatedly, we cover why cities across the U.S. are overflowing with unhoused people who are alternately ignored and oppressed.

Links to some of the stuff discussed:

— More Than A Fridge by Alex O’Neil— "It Could Happen Here"

Music: “Roaming The Cosmic Winds” by Mystic Realm, Worcester-based dungeon synth project by Kevin Fitzgerald. Check out the full album, Foresaken Kingdom, on the Mystic Realm Bandcamp.

Logo by Travis Duda (@hunchbacktravis)

If you like what you hear, drop us a line or give it a share to help us get the word out!

Future episodes will come to your inboxes one way or another, but you can also add the feed to your preferred player by copying this link into whatever the “add RSS” feed function is on your podcast player. It takes a little while but the show will be up on all the usual places: Apple podcasts, Spotify, etc etc. Updates on that as the listings come in.

These will be weekly episodes. Both of us believe that’s sorta the most important part of this kind of podcast. All of the episodes will be rooted in a basic theme: looking at Worcester as an urban knife’s edge of gentrification and vulture capital. We’ll discuss local current events, analyzing the ways in which these stories ripple outward from the city we call home. We’ll even talk some about what you can do to fight back!

If you like what you hear, please consider signing up for a paid subscription to this newsletter :-)

The direct reader support is, in its own way, a form of mutual aid. About 740 community members chip in a small amount of money that gives us the time and freedom to produce journalism for said community—with complete editorial freedom. Just one directive guides our work: “does this benefit the community?” From that basic concern ripple all sorts of related ones: “does this clarify power?” “ does this make people want to get involved?” “does this inspire the belief that things don’t have to be so awful? That things can change?”