NightSide With Dan Rea

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and State Senator Nick Collins continue to butt heads over Wu’s tax shift plan, which would shift the property tax burden from homeowners to commercial property owners. With residential property taxes expected to rise 13% next month, Wu is urging approval from Beacon Hill. Senator Collins outlines that Wu’s plan will burden the city’s economy by putting an increased strain on commercial developers who are already struggling to fill office spaces. Senator Collins checked in with Dan to discuss.

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We began the program with four interesting guests on topics we think you should know more about!

This year, the market is flooded with new A.I. toys, and some of them may not be appropriate for all ages! U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s 40th Trouble in Toyland report.
Guest:  Rory Erlich, New Economy Campaign Associate with the Public Interest Research

With the holidays in full swing, so are the light decorations, candles, and ovens!  The Red Cross responds to 20% more home fires during the holiday months.
Guest:   Jeff Hall, Regional Communications & Marketing Program Manager for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts

If you haven’t bought that Christmas Tree yet, Dave Morin has tips to pick out the best tree – If you’ve already got the tree up, learn about proper indoor care so it lasts throughout the new year!
Guest:   Dave Morin, Past President and Association Communications for the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association

‘Tis the season to make everything merry and BRIGHT!  We all love seeing those holiday lights, but how much will it cost you this season?
Guest:   Kate Peters, Director of Residential Energy Efficiency for Eversource

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For NightSide’s last hour of the week we like to keep it light and have fun! This week Dan asked everyone what their go-to comfort food is.

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The Archdiocese of Boston responds to Saint Susanna's Parish in Dedham and their nativity scene that is displaying an "ICE was here" sign, condemning the display. The archdiocese says St. Susanna's "neither requested nor received permission from the archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church. The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.” Dan discussed the latest.

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Record low cold temperatures hit many places across New England on Friday, making it the coldest Dec. 5th morning in nearly a century for some spots as the region woke up to frigid temperatures about 20 to 30 degrees below normal. We discussed cold weather trends and Friday's record lows as well as asking the listeners how they're faring and adjusting to the temperature.

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We kicked off the program with four stories and guests on topics we thought you might like to learn more about!

In this episode we chatted with:

Brian Early, author of "Of Christmases Long, Long Ago" and podcaster who specializes in the history of Christmas - his podcast has been the #1 Christmas podcast for 10 years running! Early chatted about surprising Christmas traditions from the past and how they differ from today’s traditions.

Gayle Petrillo, burn survivor and author of the book "Becoming Visible: Overcoming Trauma-Based Fears, Phobias and Self-Doubt." Discussion about holiday hazards and holiday safety. How festive celebrations can quickly turn into emergencies when you have crowded kitchens, hot liquids or kids running everywhere. Simple precautions that dramatically reduce accidents.

Business Strategist Suzanne Castle on how new data reveals small businesses are struggling. What's driving this increase in small business job losses and bankruptcies?

Allen Smith, General Manager of the South Shore Plaza. Simon malls has teamed up with Cradles to Crayons to help local kids this holiday season.

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Saint Susanna's Parish in Dedham has put out their Christmas nativity scene this year with a sign in the manger that says, "ICE was here". The display has received mixed reactions from the community. The congregation supports the display saying, "This is a parish that’s very supportive of immigration." While those that take aim with the sign say the church is politicizing the nativity scene. Where do you come down on this display? 

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Saint Susanna's Parish in Dedham has put out their Christmas nativity scene this year with a sign in the manger that says, "ICE was here". The display has received mixed reactions from the community. The congregation supports the display saying, "This is a parish that’s very supportive of immigration." While those that take aim with the sign say the church is politicizing the nativity scene. Where do you come down on this display? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, officials in Massachusetts have been working to secure federal funding to help replace the Cape Cod bridges. As part of the Sagamore Bridge replacement project, roughly a dozen homes would be taken by eminent domain. While local officials assure the public that the projects are moving forward, there is uncertainty about the funding for both bridge projects with the US Army Corps of Engineers recently pausing more than $11 billion in funding projects, which includes the Cape Cod bridge projects. We discussed the plans for these bridge replacement projects and spoke to some locals affected by the project.

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We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!

The case of Theresa Corley. ‘Someone knows just what happened to Theresa.’ Forty-five years later, her murder remains unsolved.
Guest: Emily Sweeney – Boston Globe Cold Case Files Reporter

Google’s Annual Year in Search 2025. Top search trends and topics that fascinated the world.
Guest: Christina Basilio, Google Trends Expert

This was the most vicious Patriots defense we’ve seen since they were winning Super Bowls. Latest Pats victory has people saying the Pats are “back”.
Guest: Chad Finn – Boston Globe sports reporter

Exclusive survey: "Allies" abandon Jews as antisemitism surges
Guest: Russell Contreras - Justice and Race reporter at Axios

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