WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen and the reporting that went under the radar. It's a hyper local look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on online communities and alternative presses. For a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. Well top of the hour venturing from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with Greg time on tour of the tabloids and a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next on the callee Crossley Show from gumshoe reporting the gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Jim Howard. Anti-government demonstrators are testing the

truce in Syria with widespread protests where activists say at least five people have been killed by government security forces. As NPR's Grant Clark reports the protests are taking place across the country with a heavy military presence. The protest march in al Kadam a suburb of the capital Damascus. This amateur footage could not be independently authenticated. But opposition activists report protests involving thousands taking place in several flash points. They claim the military is moving to break up demonstrations in some areas. They say tear gas and gunfire was also used to disperse protesters in Hama. Security forces began massing outside mosques during Friday prayers just before the start of the protests. A spokesman for international envoy Kofi Annan meanwhile says United Nations observers are standing by to enter Syria once the U.N. Security Council gives them the go ahead ground clock NPR News Beirut. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses the National Rifle Association's annual

convention in St. Louis at this hour. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports it's part of his effort to shore up support with an important segment of the party's base. Romney often says that he supports the Second Amendment and that the U.S. has all the gun control laws it needs. As Massachusetts Governor Romney emphasized his differences with the NRA when he began preparing for a presidential run in 2007. He bought a lifetime NRA membership that year he told Meet the Press that he has not flip flopped. My position on guns is the same position I've had for a long long time. And that position is that I don't line up 100 percent with the NRA as Massachusetts governor Romney supported a five day waiting period to buy guns. He now opposes the wait because he says technology has changed and the Internet allows instantaneous background checks. Ari Shapiro NPR News Washington. Life threatening storms are likely tomorrow in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center says a dangerous tornado outbreak could occur as intense storms move into the southern plains. The severe storms are expected to develop in the afternoon

and evening. Forecasters say some areas could be pummeled by baseball sized hail with winds reaching 70 miles an hour. Rising food and gasoline prices continue to push the Consumer Price Index up the Labor Department says that March saw three tenths of a percent increase. That was down slightly from February is four tenths of a percent increase when food and gas prices are removed from the calculations. The so-called core prices increased by just two tenths of a percent in March. Inflation is down from last fall's peak of three point nine percent for a 12 month period. And consumer prices have risen 2.7 percent over the last year. On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 67 points at twelve thousand nine hundred eighteen. The Nasdaq composite index is also down 32 points at three thousand twenty one and the S&P 500 is down 10 points at one thousand three hundred seventy six. This is NPR News. Good afternoon from the WGBH radio newsroom in Boston I'm Christina Quinn with some local stories we're following. Democratic candidate Joseph Kennedy the third has raised more than 1.3 million

dollars during the first three months of the year in the race for the state's newly redrawn 4th Congressional District. His campaign announced today that donations came from more than fifteen hundred individuals. Nearly half of whom gave $100 or less. Republican candidate Sean be raised about one hundred seventy five thousand dollars during the same period. Former State Mental Health Commissioner Elizabeth Chiles is also seeking the Republican nomination the seat is currently held by Democratic U.S. Representative Barney Frank who is not seeking re-election. And Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren has submitted more than twenty eight thousand three hundred seventy eight signatures to secure a spot on the fall ballot in Massachusetts. Warren carried a large plastic box containing the nomination papers to the secretary of state's office in Boston this morning. She said she's excited to reach the milestone in her campaign. The sponsor of the so-called Buffett Rule legislation in the U.S. Senate has visited Providence to push for the bill ahead of next week's expected Capitol Hill vote. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse attended a rally this morning at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local Union Hall in Providence under the senator is paying a fair share act. Those earning at least

one million dollars annually in salary or investments would pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. The Repos was named after the billionaire investor Warren Buffett who has said that taxes on the rich are too low. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin says he was chased and nearly caught by four bears that were raiding his bird feeders. Sheldon says he was in bed in his rented Montpelier home Wednesday night when he heard what turned out to be four bears in the backyard. He says he tried to chase the bears away but they kept coming back Shumlin says one of the bears charged him on the porch. The weather forecast for the rest this afternoon sunny and breezy with highs in lower 60s mostly clear this evening them becoming partly cloudy with lows in the lower 40s. Right now it's 58 degrees in Boston 61 in wester and 60 in Providence. Support for NPR comes from the doors do charitable foundation supporting the Performing Arts the environment medical research and the private engine of child abuse. This is WGBH. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley. Today we're taking a look at the week's news with John Rouche editor of the Jamaica Plain Gazette and Mission Hill Gazette Peter Katz is

executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Seth Daniels senior reporter of the independent news group which includes the revered Journal. Welcome back everyone. Great thank you. So we call this segment under the radar with local news says Daniel and you know I read this piece about more I hit again and boy this is under the radar so a guy got indicted for murder accidentally let out of jail on the twenty five hundred dollar. That's right. Bail this is not good. No no this was something that happened just Monday. In fact there's been quite a bit of things going on the TV news here in Boston has done some reports on more whether or not she goes to work or not. There's an inquiry by the judiciary triggered by a whistleblower within the office so there's things been going on. But this was something new and everyone acknowledges the mistake the guy is as the D.A. says in the wind. You know he had he had hit this guy in East Boston with. I believe it was a

cinderblock in the head a couple of times and he was charged with aggravated assault. The man eventually died. There was a murder indictment in December. He was scheduled to be arraigned for murder. It was this past Monday. And they went to get him he wasn't there he'd been bailed out on twenty five hundred dollars bail and it all comes back to a typo. They typed his name wrong and no one knew that he was going to be arraigned for murder when they lied. Now well whether or not this particular piece of information was known by many and clearly it was not. This is one of many things swirling around in the office which her her former opponent Bobby Dello Russo says is just part and parcel of her incompetence. Yeah inability to control the office and I should say that John wrote she wrote about this as well. So he wrote about the office and the issues too so Seth continue and then John if you have something man absolutely not well probably Dello Russo is is her opponent was her opponent but he hasn't said anything he's he's sort of out of it but there are people in the

office who are very open about having backed him there's the whistleblower we talked about there's anonymous sources and more coming every day who have spoken to to us to me and told me about this this terrible working environment they are down about 16 people since more came in and now there are two sides to that. They say it's because they've been those people been forced out good employees for like 25 years moved out retired whatever. She says there's been a three year hiring freeze in the judiciary She says she can't hire anybody. These mistakes are happening because of that. Of course the other side says it's because of her the environment she's created the political favoritism the as they say one sign in sheet for her people and one for us. Well I want to like this. Yeah that's. She's alright she denies she says there are two she's but has nothing to do with political favoritism. I want to do politics is what this is all about and I mean for good and for ill you know this is this is going to be one of the great ugly races this year over an office

that virtually nobody even understands what it is you know it's the clerk of courts and it's the administrator for the criminal court system in the county which is just an administrative position that happens to be elected under our current system. Bobbie Dello Russo ran for this office before when Maura won it was ugly then. Then he went to work for her for the six years he's retired to run against her. I'm sure a lot of this you know is sort of internal you know political disputes coming out. We're going to see though I mean there are some pretty serious allegations here Morra is under investigation for allegedly having court employees stuffing campaign on global or a decision on that should be coming soon. The. You know the thing with the the murderer running for accused murderer going free. It's horrible. I don't know that that bothers me as much. I mean I it sounds like a sordid orrible bureaucratic mistake that could happen in any bureaucracy I don't know where exactly to have to affix blame here but I think I think this is

going to be amazing fireworks There's also a third person at least one more person running who I believe is also a former employee of Hannigan. So that's something pretty ugly inside that office and who knows maybe there will be talk in the future as to whether there should be an elected office in the first place. So obviously she's not well-liked by a number of people but was there ever a moment that she had where she was doing pretty well because we should note that some of the television reports that were done on her by WBEZ was about her not showing up for work not being at work. She says she was away for legitimate reasons and they you know blew this all out of you know the fortune she's denied it all to us in the story that ran with our you know as a companion piece you know she says I had a complete legitimate reasons every time there's as John often points out there's a TV show that's I guess part of the package when you become this clerk and it's a TV show that's on. Let's call your baby and then you know

yes Mohsen Neighborhood Network and I mean it's it's been on for a long time her predecessor did it. I don't know who watches it. I've never seen it. Maybe someone watches it I don't know but that's where she said she was sometimes there was another one where they caught her campaigning on during the workday She says That was election day every politician takes Election Day off. She says they didn't mention that so there's a I don't know the Debussy piece was what it was what started a lot of this yeah. All right well we'll see what happens with there obviously is a lot of people have something to say about this for a while. She was seemed to be always well liked when she was on the city council So that's kind of a change. Yeah. Daniel the Chelsea Housing Authority. Speaking of people. You are on the hot seat now these people are making a lot of money. Yeah I mean this is a story that started last fall with it was an outrageous story and almost I would almost say a nationwide story they made a rule that no one could make it in Washington D.C. after this happened that no one could make over a certain amount of money.

After Michael McCall often was resigned removed however you want to look at it. Three hundred sixty thousand dollars we should say he made a year. Yeah that somewhere around there. You know that that's kind of in the past and Chelsea would like to have it that way. They've they've tried to move on. You know it's a city that has always been known as down on its luck but it's come a long way it really has. And then this hit and nobody liked it nobody really wanted it. They tried to repair it. They put a new board in which is a very good board highly qualified board in fact and they had a new executive director who was actually from the old administration but people trusted him. And he is pretty good guy seems to know exactly what he's doing. But he had a contract and it was approved by the former board the receiver who tried to straighten all of this out since I guess last November. Said that it was a reasonable contract and then the new board came in had their first meeting and they said no no I don't think we think it's reasonable. And they opened it back up and they opened up a can of worms

along with it because the thing that everyone wanted to go away is now still there. The one problem which was how much the executive director makes is now still the issue and how much is that. We don't know yet how the contract hasn't been opened yet you know that's just part of the reason I can't tell you because I can tell you this much it's the top 1 percent he's in the top 1 percent of all hollowing authority directors which in the non-truth are in the state. I'm believing in the state. OK and how many units are we talking about here. Chelsea's like I'd say somewhere around like 300 maybe. I'm going off of memory there so I mean it's small I mean Chelsea is a very small city in itself you know. Yeah so I mean I know there's a lot of talk about perhaps merging smaller housing authorities with bigger ones like folding Chelsea in the Boston or something and you start to wonder if a big local control guy but you start to wonder will you also start to wonder because you know as you said said Chelsea and exorbitant pay don't seem to go in the same sentence.

So it seems weird to think of Chelsea as a place where one percenters resigned. You know what. Right well you can see it's milk the taxpayers. It's in this is where I mean the Tea Party isn't particularly vibrant right now but it's things like this that really get citizens up in the I mean the last go round was really shocking when you have found out this guy's getting $300000 I mean a similar thing as the woman who heads the Rose Kennedy Conservancy has big big fat salary and you just think that in this day and age public officials would just have more common sense and I don't think these people should work for nothing. I mean they deserve a good salary but that's awfully good reflecting what happens in the corporate world though too or there is insane inflation of salaries that stockholders are starting to get mad about you know.

Well speaking of the conversation about one percenters and the rest of us Elizabeth Warren tops US list of best of you doing the best issue and she's the Phoenix's best local politician right. Not so much the Phoenix's this is voted on by you all of our readers. So I mean almost every publication has their own best. We have a two tier process first people in Normandy then online and then we sort of sort through those and then there's big voting and you know we have thousands and thousands of people voting So Elizabeth Warren did come out as the you know the most popular politician for Phoenix readers and you know frankly shocked. Yeah. Thank you. It is a very shocking thought. But if she didn't and she was on the ballot it would be telling that you know one of those the leading progressive voices the readers thereof. I mean we had some other

interesting things there you know. Again no surprise. Occupy was the the big popular you know demonstration of the best book was a townie a memoir by Andre de puce the third which is a terrific And so here's the thing though he went back to Elizabeth Well I'm sorry Sure yes I think it's interesting that she's the best local politician because a lot of people are critical of her you know fund raising well outside of the state. I mean she's gotten good support inside the state but but also outside of the state there's a great amount of interest in this race. Well interesting you say that next year I think we're going to divide the political category up into like sort of state why then. City of Boston then outside Boston because you know the mayor of Somerville for example is a very popular guy.

He wouldn't stand a chance against let me fight sort of like with Scott Brown be a local politician and that same that's why I was in wonder. Yeah but we wouldn't put him on because he's going to win. No no when anyone listens to this show knows that even more than saw a calling live. I love to beat Scott Brown but for our readers that's just that's not a fair. That's not really a fair shot. But no I think we would like to find a way to get some of the granularity of lost and Somerville Cambridge politics into this. But Keli raises an interesting point but you know very few politicians. Running for office like that most of the money ends up coming from out of state. For example last Steve Rattner the investment banker that's on Morning Joe makes no bones about the fact that he's a squat brown fan even though he's generally a liberal Republican. I'm sorry liberal Democrat. He's a liberal Democrat. Unless someone

like Elizabeth Warren wants to reform Wall Street. I didn't get that connection. I thought was interesting in this little blurb about her in your best of piece is that the youtube video of her in which video of her and where she explains the debt owed to society by the successful went viral. John Russo had to know this. Her exhortation was that there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody has become a rallying cry. But that was interesting. I don't have a lot I mean it didn't go so viral as to get to me so I don't watch that yet but they are on viral and I suspect that nothing is truly viral with politicians but rather is inoculated I don't know how to extend the medical analogy but I suspect that that was done deliberately somewhere but you know it's it's I think that's certainly a fair and interesting point I mean I you know how progressive is progress I mean she also you know helped supervise the the bail out

program that I think could be questionable as a quote unquote reform but. You think of her as a local politician. In the broad sense. Yeah I guess if I think of Cambridge as a local. Yeah. How about you. That's why I never was local. No no no I don't and I'll tell you I mean the Phoenix readership and JP gives that readership would be vastly different than ours and she hasn't gone over well in our area even with staunch Democrats. She's there when she gets around in really visits the people in and people like her personally. But it's that quote that you just brought up that separates her I like the guy think of you know a guy who's I know like Trish in his own truck is small business does not like that doesn't like to hear that a lot in there's a lot of guys like that in a lot of women like that actually and revere Chelsea. Who have their own small businesses could be a Florestan and they've worked hard and they hear that and they say no but we really did work hard for for what we have in and that's what she turns people off and makes her seem very distant not local. But the part

about local where you have to go shake hands and talk to people one on one she's got that down definitely because she's been here a number of times Chelsea several times. That's impressive to me and I think it's important that's what Martha Coakley didn't do last time and vice versa Scott Brown who is not going to get more than 10 votes in JP came to JP. He worked a bar there for two hours. I mean the. And that means something to people. So I think whatever way this ends up going and it's I think it's really important that these candidates go out and do that. Well I've talked to real people everywhere. Absolutely because and I know that I heard from a lot of people who are very annoyed that Martha Coakley this is not coming from a people known to me may not show herself in African-American can communities. Many times they did not see her. I said would you do you must not want my vote. Do not take me for granted so it was very interesting. OK. Were look at local news with John Rouche Peter Katz and Seth Daniel all the news that went under the

radar radar locally. I'm Cali Crosley You're listening to the eighty nine point seven WGBH Boston Public Radio. This program is made possible thanks to you. And seventh generation celebrating Earth Day every day with eco friendly products ranging from dishwashing liquid to detergent to diapers more at Seventh Generation dot com. Caring today for seven generations of tomorrows. And direct Tire and Auto Service. The listeners expectations of an on the road. Are very high as far as a service to receive it. Barry Steinberg president they feel that we're discriminating about where we spend our money and they feel that they walk in the door they're not going to be disappointed and we always base our of service on some expectation to learn more visit.

WGBH dot org slash sponsorship Haiti's capital city is the size of Chicago but has no sewer system. Finally there are signs of hope. I think it's amazing these children have never had the experience of using the toilet. I don't think many listeners in North America understand what that represents that it's the first time they're using a proper toilet. Improving public health in Haiti today on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News this afternoon at 4:00 here on eighty nine point seven. Hi I'm Laura Carlo from WGBH a sister station classical New England. Join us on June 23rd at our Brighton studios for our annual classical festival. You'll attend an authentic 18th century Boston classical salon. Watch silent comedies at the library August and join the classical club with the gift of one hundred twenty dollars and will say thanks with two complimentary tickets online a classical New England. Great question. It's a great question and it's a great question. It's a great question.

Rick great question. You'll hear unexpected questions and unexpected answers this afternoon to 9.7 age. Welcome back to the Cali Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're looking at the week in local news. Joining me to talk between the headlines are John Rouche editor of the Jamaica Plain is that and the Mission Hill Gazette. Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Seth Daniels senior reporter of the independent news group which includes the revered Journal. So speaking of revere you know for as long as I've lived in Boston people have gotten cheap jokes for free beer be all Revere Beach if you know it you know live near there go there whatever people make a joke about it but now not so funny now it's turning into. It's like you're a prop. through and you know the jokes about the Camaro the Iraq Z and the big hair and then what you might find in the sand and then of course what you would not want to find in the water that's always said and still said people still use those jokes but

it's really it's really not a political anymore and people can say it's had a comeback for the last several years. People I think gas prices have something to do with that. People go there it's cheaper it's cleaner now they put some investment into the actual beach. And and they have a festival the sandcastle festival draws thousands but what's really happening now is that there's beginning to be some in some investment in terms of. The vote wasn't so we've got about 500 million dollar residential development that's squared away and ready to go. And the thing that they're working on right now is something that many people might not even know about. And it's this grand pedestrian bridge that's going to go right from the train station. You walk out of the train station it will go right to the sea and it's going to look exactly like this they can bridge same guy who designed as they can bridge just doing it. He also is doing the bridge at the Esplanade the new one there so it's going to be something that's going to be a new centerpiece of the beach and maybe when people come out of that station they're thinking of those old jokes they'll think of this isn't the same place

I remember. So so that's really changing things. The development is also I mean they have they have big visions they've got a hotel a spa they do they have to start the hotel in January of this coming year. So it's not just they already have the plans this is this isn't just talk it's going to happen. And they have. Like 700 units right now they're talking about rental cars that's What's Hot. Nobody's buying condos so they're talking about rental units that they're going to start. And what's even more interesting is that Suffolk Downs who's going for a casino license just this past week past papers on the old Wonderland greyhound racing Park which is a huge piece of property right behind the beach right across the road from the station. And what a lot of people wonder what they might do with it there's been many rumors many rumors. And one of them is that they want to put an entertainment complex there with some retail some of said Actually Wal-Mart that's been had. I don't know but others have actually also said that the revolution the soccer team might have a

stadium there. I've heard that the developer who's building the residential units on the beach wants to combine with Suffolk Downs and create something pretty magnificent. This being if this Suffolk Downs gets a casino license so when would the first of any of this proposed development actually be real. They've already built a garage it's there it's going to open in June and it's just a commuter garage but it's it's the beginning and the pedestrian bridge they're already building that now you could go there and watch them. It'll be done in the fall. They'll be working on it all summer. I mean that's going to be people are going to say OK we've arrived this is going to be something because you'll see this magnificent walking bridge that looks like there's a can bridge. You know towering right there to the beach in the rest of it's going to start in January. So Revere Beach could could escape the butt of so many jokes. Rather Yeah. So said Daniel are people excited about it. I mean we know the developers are but are the folks in the community.

Well yeah you know Revere Beach has long been separated from Revere itself and that's something that they would hope that this kind of changes. Already you've seen since they cleaned the beach up you seen some empty nesters who maybe lived on the far end of Revere who've moved to the beach bought a condo or rent an apartment there and sold their house so they're hoping that for more of that. But what they really want is they they want people from Boston who are interested in living in a nice apartment and getting on the train and going downtown or wherever and then coming back. That's what their schools that's what they were hoping to to attract for certain cancers would you go to the beach down there. Well they have to check it out again. I usually go in though I mean you know I was unaware of all of this activity until until I read the stories. It makes sense look at what happened in Quincy. You know. That waterfronts didn't have didn't have any reputation so were there nothing to overcome but the Quincy waterfront has had remarkable renewal so I think it's a possibility.

I mean it's a you know this is amazing news again you know I wasn't aware of it the having that bridge it's a little bit of a challenge to get over there to the beach from the train station that's going to be an amazing invitation just for starters and then all the way up to what the casino may provide is is remarkable I mean you know Revere Beach is one of the first places I went when I moved out here about 12 years ago just because there it was on the map why not. I thought it was fine. Personally I've always enjoyed it. And by the way I don't think there's anything wrong with the code with cum arrows and all that and I hope they don't lose it and I hope they don't lose that flavor and that this remains a neighborhood public beach. You know alongside all the great economic development because it's just such a wonderful urban resource and it's so great to hear that that somebody is paying attention to it and putting some investment in. Well John somebody is going to have to be on top of that maintaining neighborhood urban

beach because I can envision a scenario where you have a huge casino complex so you can bring the whole family up the kids in the grandma down on the beach and somebody goes in the casino and somebody is over here in the restaurant and then that beach itself then becomes something that maybe is only accessible by somebody who's staying in the casino or whatever and it does lose that. I mean we've seen that happen in many communities. So folks have to be on top of that if they want to make sure that that still remains a part of you know what their community is all about. Seems to me. All right. Well you know I got to say John Rouche never heard of this. There are arts programs at Forest Hill Cemetery. I mean I've heard about them in other places in the country. I didn't realize it was going on here and now maybe some of them are in jeopardy. Explain please. Well about a year ago there I mean this Forest Hill Cemetery it's a great beautiful historic Garden cemetery in JP about 275 acres. It's sort of the the the Boston version of Mount Auburn. If you will and

they have a trust that those a bunch of arts and educational programming. Poetry readings walking tours art exhibits and then a couple prominent festivals including the lantern festival which is kind of a Buddhist themed festival of remembrance where you put paper lanterns on a pond in the in the cemetery hundreds if not thousands of people attend that every year. Basically it's one of the big art venues in Jamaica Plain. They do do a lot of stuff. Last year they just suddenly said we're putting all programming on hold while we review stuff for see what we think about it or something and the staff of the trust quit or resigned or something. Nobody knew what was going on. Huge controversy huge human cry. They lost their state arts subsidy funding because they weren't doing any programming. It was a very weird looking situation that nobody could really explain some of the programming did come back they did the lantern festival. They just recently brought back poetry but it remained

unclear what's going on so. We were finally able to get the CEO of the cemetery to to talk to us about what happened from his perspective and his perspective was really interesting I thought which is what's the mission of the cemetery and how does arts support that or conflict with it. And in some cases there clearly was conflict over the appropriateness of art which is included stuff like art installations on on or around some of the historic graves things of that nature. You know we also claim that some of it was just costing far more than it was bringing in and that the trust was kind of getting off of its mission of supporting and preserving cemetery history. So it's an interesting conflict for people to think about and it's it's clear they're still in the rethinking process. It's also not clear what role the public and particularly the membership of the trust it is a member organization is going to have in this. And I think we'll probably hear a lot more about that the the cemetery CEO's

position on that is sort of like this is a private business decision the public doesn't need to be involved but you know that's that's sort of dicey because the earthier. The trust does have the responsibility but but then those trustees are acting not only on behalf of the cemetery with on behalf of the general public I mean there are three museum three cemeteries like this in greater Boston this monologue and those you mention and also see the Grove in Chester in the Ponce it but forest while Mom Auburn's the most famous Forest Hills the program there is really quite remarkable it's very low key Actually modern sculpture conceptual pieces and other things very tastefully scattered. Scab of the round I mean. I live in JP and have spent a good amount of time there and I think the big

problem was mostly because they had to cut back at the time when the mock up had gone south and all cultural institutions were shy of money. And I think that's what you know and they didn't ask for money very often you go to these events and it would be like $5 if you can afford it it's not like hey please donate to the cemetery. I mean I really just asked a couple things for your piece and maybe if people don't know Forest Hill Cemetery it's worth mentioning is that it's a garden cemetery renowned for beautiful landscaping winding paths major sculptures as Peter just mentioned. And graves of world famous figures. But here's a piece that I probably know but I wasn't focusing on either. Many visitors don't realize that the not for profit cemetery is still an active burial ground. Oh yeah. So that that may you know in times of war you have to tighten up that may allow people who've been saying all along I don't really appreciate having this chance to sort of get heard now but maybe now that folks know that the programs are in jeopardy there

may be some other efforts to step in. There's an interesting ethnic note that many of the new burials in Forest Hills are people from the Asian community. I mean I'm not sure you know what added dimension that brings to it but there's actually talk of tailoring some programs more to that. That ethnicity and that culture and JP is very arty and you know yeah. So this has to fit in I think there's pent up demand to support this cemetery in some way if people just knew that they should be supporting it and well known that now they know I know that right now under the radar. Speaking of out from under the radar. Back to your best. Peter I love this guy. Louis the mass as you know I mean this is really a busting character I just don't think you'd see this guy any place else. Well we have an adult tri circle and he rides around mass savin the Back Bay and some of the little

tip of the south end and he rides and he rides in the rides and every now and then he saw the says something like calling if you can do an impression because you know you know this well yeah it's like is he saying long saying you know there's a book on your site which is very interesting to look at. And he's again one of the great things about our version of the best is when we call from the nominations this guy you know many readers just said oh the guy in the tri sick over this that's all we have to go find out there was Louis. He won Best Street personality. Yes just for clarity sake. But you know I think people should go look at the video because I wasn't aware of him but he's very Boston. Back to you John Russo parents don't like the architectural designs for the Mission Hill K school. Well they were worried about where it was moving to I mean this is part of Boston Public

Schools bewildering shuffling of schools where the Mission Hill Kate eight is going to be forced to relocate to Jamaica Plain to the shuttered Agassi school building which has been a problem building for a long time it was supposedly infested with mold. There was a lot of controversy about that and it's just been in general disrepair was also built during a very brief fad apparently in the 1970s of having open classrooms with all sorts of Gray Well not all together. They need their walls. Big time. But so these these parents who are really upset with that move and protested it a couple of them happened to be architects and one was an interior designer. And they're like. You know we're going to help you understand what the new facility should look like so they came up with their own floor plans their own designs for the entrance the interior etc. did a very professional job both to help out and I think just to make sure that their wishes were set in stone

and submitted and be p.s. was like. I think they're pretty much embracing it because why not. They can use all the help they can get. So it's a really it's turned into a really interesting partnership. And you know I know not every school is going to have a couple architects willing to do pro bono stuff. I live in my neighborhood so maybe it's a. Yeah you can say well that's a heck of a you know it's a heck of a thing to do. And it's and it's good to see the schools embracing it as well I think I think it's it helps give a little bit of a happy ending to this. All right and that will be our last word happy ending on for this segment. Under the Radar local news we've been talking local news with John Roos editor of the Jamaica Plain is that Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Seth Daniels senior reporter of the independent news group which includes the revered Journal. Thanks so much for having me thank you. Farm local news we're going to talk through the latest pop culture headlines with our analyst Thomas Connelly and Rachel Reuben. You're listening to

WGBH Boston Public Radio. This program is on WGBH thanks to you and orchard cove where updates are now complete. You can see how the new face of this independent senior community in Canton is transforming residents lives. You can schedule a tour online at Orchard Cove live dot org. And masterpiece The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens unfinished last novel gets an ending worthy of the great author's two hundredth birthday celebrated this year. Tune in Sunday night at 9 on WGBH too. And the growing number of WGBH sustainers who manage their contributions to public radio with the help of monthly installments and

automatic renewals learn more about the ease of sustaining membership at WGBH dot org. On the next FRESH AIR in recognition of Poetry Month we hear from poet Marie Howe. She's not very well known the first poem of hers that caught our attention. What the Living Do is about her new comprehension of life after her brother's death. Joining us. This afternoon I had to appear on the 9.7 WGBH. What did Romeo and Juliet really sound like. More than four centuries ago become a WGBH sustainer and everything you hear on the fuse thingy will sound a little bit different. Be still my haven goddess. That's because sustainers break their support down into monthly installments that automatically renew you. You set the amount and every month your support helps eighty nine point seven stay connected and reduce on air

fundraising become a sustainer online at WGBH dot org. Morning essential. Good morning for late WGBH radio news from in Boston I'm Bobbsey with some of the local stories will start your day. Well-informed Bobsy and MORNING EDITION here on WGBH radio. It's rag time. A view of the week's pop culture happenings. It's an examination of the salacious the ridiculous and everything in between. But this being public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts. Our pointy head Poobah of pop culture Rachel Ruben is the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston. Thomas Connelly is a professor of English at Suffolk University. Welcome back you two. Well I want to know if you've been filled with the light because picture of like

Thomas Kincade died in California and that was his trademark kind of literally he had a trademark he didn't have a day yes he did you know he trademarked light in the way that he painted his landscapes painting you. Very loosely I was got about to say that some people thought they were a little cheesy but just so folks know they sold extremely well and they were reproduced in all kinds of stuff including canvas. That's right. And what's really it is what's really interesting to me is people are have used Thomas Kinkade before but are using the occasion of his death as a chance to talk about taste. And so and particularly we locate taste in this country on a vertical scale. And so Thomas Kincaid's paintings are being put onto the bottom of that scale and things that you know make people do that have to do with accessibility or you know cost or have mass production and so

forth. So it's very interesting to see for me to see how that how that lines up with most people I think because we have that vertical scale feel extremely uncomfortable in museums. And you know I know we all you know a lot of people feel a certain surge of joy when Jack Nicholson's Joker character in the first Batman movie goes into a museum and he starts vandalizing all the paintings that you know you know you're supposed to like but that seems somehow you know sort of removed if you don't have the right kind of education are you not from the right class background. So Thomas can Cade's death is sort of bringing all of that out. And I'm interested in it it's a little bit upsetting but I'm interested to see people talk about what it means to have class. Well Thomas is very very. And you also not go there on everything you can buy though you might but you can read it. I went to galleries. You cute you could virtually have a thing custom lip and pay extra for the sig for the number of signatures whether on the back on the front. I mean the people who went to the galleries and you know could would really you know let

them have their noses in the air I mean that he's not a People's Artist that this is someone who cashed in big time on the idea that I'm buying a real painting and it's really signed Plus I made the suggestions on how I wanted it to look. Not to mention having your own business painting you know over your fireplace is scaled to the size of your couch if you wanted. I mean did a lot of these things that he clued into. You know customizing art in a brilliant way I mean it you know mentioning art but this man's name is ridiculous I mean it's pure commerce. Well it just it is. Well he was a devout Christian so let me just leave us with this quote he says I'm a warrior for light and whatever talent and resources I have I'm trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many feel. I should note also that he was just 54 so pretty young. And they're saying he died of natural causes but there's no further explanation so I'm not quite sure what that means. But anyway he did pass and I'll be interested to

see what happens now to the bulk of his estate because a lot of paintings and stuff still there. All right moving on. So I'm not a watcher of The Simpsons. I appreciate the series place in pop culture both history and current times. So I didn't realize that when this when I met grown it did this interview he revealed to Hugh what some thought was a huge secret by saying where people thought he said where Springfield is that's that's the fictional home of The Simpsons. And they apparently felt that he confirmed that it was in Springfield Oregon. Before you all talk about it let's let's listen to the Simpson's tribute to their hometown. Wherever it may be. It's been in the schoolyard. Just shut the branches. And we should.

Explain. The bar atomics it's pretty catchy it's amazing how people are desperate that their Springfield be the Simpsons Springfield. How many people really would like to have a leaky nuclear power plant with three eyed fish in the river. I mean under me in the corrupt political administration I mean people may have these things but the idea of claiming with pride you know that's my Springfield in every It's the most common I believe it's the most common name for a town in the United States but greening never staed you know it is Springfield Oregon. He said it was the town in Father Knows Best. So it's doubly removed from reality. But as you said Kelly this. The Simpsons is so important in our culture right now that people are proud to be that town to be that place. Extraordinary. All right here is the exact quote he said when I was a kid the TV show Father Knows Best took place in the town of Springfield and I was thrilled because I imagine that it was the town next to Portland

my hometown. When I grew up I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. in anticipation of the success of the show I thought this will be cool. Everyone will think it's their Spring Hill and they do but people thought since these it was Portland so therefore must be an Oregon blah blah blah. And what you had to come out and say hey I know I think I mean I think I think it's kind of normative actually he said something that he said that he meant and then somebody said Hey Matt you just lost a little market share there and then have to come out say opes wait didn't mean it but I. I'm actually much more interested in the Father Knows Best connection because you know that was one of these like nuclear family suburban you know white sort of setting of norms. And he's coming in and he's you know subverting that a little bit which is what I think. What did does make the show that important. I think people like to make these imaginative connection to matches to what what Thomas said you know people want to imagine themselves in the world of the mad men even though right there that's not supposed to be like presented in a complimentary way. So

having it be there Springfield is meaningful in that way. But I do think that the show is up to whatever wherever the Springfield is up to something else because you know that that is like the that the suburbs of that era of TV shows and it wasn't just Father Knows Best It was you know Leave It to Beaver. You know there were tons of them be which. And he is sort of putting a twist on it. They certainly couldn't have said a hell of a turn even the MGM version of On The Town. I have to say I didn't say a hell of a time. And The Simpsons also. The only situation comedy animated alive where they go to church every Sunday and it's bizarre. The Catholic Church has suddenly claimed that the symptoms are Catholic. Everybody wants to be different. Now I don't know about that yeah. Well that is a twist. All right well speaking of subversion perhaps some might consider the lyrics of Guns and Roses to be a little bit subdued. Yeah Axl Rose stirring up some controversy by rejecting the honor to be presented to he and the Guns N

Roses group to be named to the Hall of Fame and he's very clear that he does not want to be a part of it. Let's play a little bit of Axl Rose and then we'll get to talk about why he's rejecting this here's a taste of Axl Rose's rock. Now we can all play air guitar with him but he is apparently very unhappy and said there should be no even hint that he thinks it's OK and you cannot honor him in absence. What's this all about. Well rock'n'roll I mean pretty much from day one has simultaneously existed within the commercial structure within

corporatism and in some way as over resistance to that. So you know even if you just think about the importance of the noise but certainly of the vocals the sort of punk influence vocals of Axl Rose that it's you know it's saying it's says no at some degree some level to corporate bloat and exists within that. So I think that this is a perfect example of it he sees the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame as being sort of caught of filing something corny you know being co-opting this sort of impulse of rock and he wants to say no to it. He's not the first one you know to get. I mean maybe he's not the first one to sort of insult the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in this way. So I wrote a very nice letter Tom rejecting them and made it clear in that letter by the way those rumors of people of us getting together so it sounds like there's some personal stuff going on but that's what I think is yeah he doesn't want to be anywhere near his former bandmates. But letter also doesn't say anything against the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame he just says he doesn't want to have any part

of it. What I think was most interesting was his track screaming. I don't want to accept this any way shape or form but they're going to and apparently they're ignoring him anyway I mean Paul McCartney wouldn't do it either. But I think this has to do with something that's been going on for quite a long time between the members of Guns N Roses and it's only incidentally about a war he just doesn't want to be anywhere near them even doesn't want to be written about in the same paragraph apparently. Well let me put it to take a page from Rachel's commercialised and say this doesn't hurt the Hall of Fame the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame they get a little hit out of it. The controversy right. It's very hard for all of you to be relevant. OK so earlier this week or actually last week a friend of mine sent me this and this link was going around the internet AND I JUST FELL ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING IT'S CALLED text from Hillary the Hillary in question being Hillary Clinton the secretary of state. And these were totally fake made up

ticks with Hillary Clinton interacting with various world leaders and even our world leader. So here's a example here's President Obama asking Clinton. This is all in fake Texas. Hey Bill what you doing. She writes back she Texas back right in the worl. I just love that. And then she rejects a friend request from Mark Zuckerberg you know he's the Facebook guy and she does not have time for him. So it turns out that this was put together by a publicist Stacy Lambe and Adam Smith. I'm always wondering if these things get to the people who about whom they focus. And these got to her. So her staff and Hillary greeted them at the White House and took pictures and a lot of fun with it she got a great sense of humor. Yes he really did this very well. It was on this site called Tumblr which had a really great picture of the Secretary of State with you know some glasses and texting and it the beauty of the expression on her face was it could either look as though she were being ironic or

being serious and it was Photoshopped or what it would have. Whatever the Tumblr equivalent is beautifully so that it really made Hillary seem like yes she. Is running the world. And she also has a fantastically wry sense of humor which she then demonstrated by taking us all as a lot of good fun and just have you know blown her out of the water in terms of you know being cool. There are massive coup for her. Where do you think RUDD Yeah part of the joke I think is that you know about old people texting which you know I hear enough of so from from my own kids that I'm like comfortable thinking about it for Hillary Clinton and Thomas you said this. This website called Tumbler So you put yourself firmly in that camp too. I'm sorry but it is sort of that this is the era of the meme and there's this like this collective internet parody that can be very very funny as more people add on. Huge ones last year right the pepper spraying cop who was put into famous paintings you know from the last supper too. You know I don't know Degas ballerinas. And

the Sad Keanu are people took a picture of him looking you know morose on a park bench and made a whole all different kinds of pictures out of it you know. Hell yeah Ryan Gosling which is not called Hell yeah Ryan you know so. So I want to kill it so this is sort of in that category of the internet meme where people sort of make parody together and it really is delightful to me and I'm glad she was able to join in the fun. She wrote back and her staff did or whenever they were taking these photo ops you brought it. And that's one of the guys that made it up. Thanks for the many fellow L.Z. laughs laughing out loud. The secretary of state and she wrote and then she signed it Hillary h i l l z so I think it's funny some of the funniest ones are profane I urge you to go see those. All right moving on. ABC News ABC News that shows my bias orientation is not ABC News In fact it's so far from news. ABC The Bachelor is going to introduce the first black bachelor

lo these many years people all the bachelors who have the women vying for them have been all white men according to the creators that was you know not meant to be just happened couldn't get anybody. But now they have this guy Lamar Hurd oddly enough from Portland Oregon sports broadcaster. Too bad he's not from Springfield. Well there you go. What do you think about this Tom. Well I've been amazed by the vituperation that's come up in the blogosphere blogosphere from women saying well they finally put out. Black man on a family a better color but they're probably going to surround him with NO NO ONE but white women and it's just a chance to see how desperate they are to show that they're this. This isn't working it's just special pleading reaching out to a demographic they haven't reached to before and we're not buying it I mean people are rich. Nobody seems pleased with this at least the people who would bother to type in on their screen. OK 30 seconds Rachel what's your response. Well I again I think that the conversations people are already having about it matter more

than what happens on the show itself. There's a great deal of discussion. You know I've seen more from black women saying he there will even if there are black women he'll pick a white woman and this is what we deal with and so forth. It shows that we're not post-racial but it shows that even the trashiest piece of TBD nonsense can host very important cultural conversations and it should be noted that they have the cast of women has always been you know a little bit mixed not greatly. So this will be that's why this is getting a lot of attention because it's never happened in the in the lead character. All right well that's it for another edition of rag time. A review of this week's pop culture news with Professor Rachel Reuben and Professor Thomas Connelly thanks you too. Well you can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash cow across really follow us on Twitter. I've become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today's program was engineered by Alan Mathis produced by Chelsea murderers will Rosalynn and Abbie Ruzicka we're a production of

WGBH Boston Public Radio.