Outdoor Cats Podcast

In which we go over the ballot from top to bottom.

Find your polling location and sample ballot by using this antagonistic form on the state website.

Official picks…

Senate: Markey

Governor: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Attorney General: Blank

Secretary of State: Very Blank

Treasurer: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Auditor: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Congressman: The Congressman

Governor’s Council: DePalo

State Senate: Kennedy, Teabo, or, if neither available where you live, blank.

Note, as we didn’t talk about this during the episode: a sliver of Worcester along the western border is in the state senate district currently held by Republican Peter Durant, who is awful, and thusly endorsed by Sheriff Lew Evangelidis and Howie Carr and other villains. Shannon Teabo is challenging. She has a good platform. Vote Teabo.

Question 1: Yes, but don’t get too excited.

Question 2: Yes, excitedly. (We had a whole episode on this one, with one of the public defenders organizing the campaign.)

Question 3: Hard no. Good rule of thumb: if Bane Capital wants something about our system changed, the change will not be good for regular people. Bane Capital is essentially financing this whole ordeal.

Question 4: Yes.

Question 5: No.

Question 6: Who Care

Question 7: Insulting.

Question 8: Say Yes To Drugs and Vote No.

Question 9: No.

And that about does it. Be sure to check the site tonight. We’ll have city result numbers up as they come in.

Other stuff related to the episode:

Billy Strings Plays He-Man-Themed Set Dressed As He-Man

WGBH story about Minogue’s James mailer initiative

My latest written post, which Chris read from: “Dreaming of the golden door”

Thank you for supporting the ongoing experiment that is this outlet. I feel we treated this election with the appropriate amount of levity—speaking of, a little bit of bonus footage from the recording session…

…levity we wouldn’t be allowed to introduce if we were anything but a reader-funded enterprise.

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 11.2.26

Outro music: “Human Behavior” by Bjork

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A follow up to last November’s “Episode 43: That’s My File!” featuring the same guests: Heather Prunier, Lynn Kee and Tom Marino. We discuss just how little the city has done, outside lip service paid by some select public officials, to satisfy Heather’s simple request: the full investigatory file documenting police investigation into the sexual violence she experienced as a child at the hands of former School Committee member and political insider John Monfredo.

Before we get any further, here’s the Givebutter page for Heather and Lynn’s new organization, Stand With Heather & AJ’s Way, if you can contribute, it would go a long way toward funding much needed legal work, ongoing and to come. More info at StandWithHeather.com.

Longtime listeners will remember that when we recorded the first go-around of this interview, the city had released some 21 pages of what we understand to be a roughly 90 page document.

We recorded this episode last Friday, and the Tuesday deadline discussed throughout, the one set by the state record supervisor as a demand for the city to comply with Heather’s request, has now come to pass. Two days overdue! You’ll be surprised to know that Heather has heard nothing at all from the city, despite the state’s mandate. Welcome to Massachusetts.

If you’re unfamiliar with Heather’s experience, here’s a reading list:

The original story, from October, 2023: “John Monfredo’s ‘teen-age accuser’ takes her power back”

A 2024 story about parents ousting Monfredo from volunteering at WPS.

Tom Marino’s 2025 story on the new records released in This Week In Worcester: “Records Show New Details of Monfredo Sex Crimes Investigation”My writeup from November, 2025 on School Committee member Dianna Biancheria trying to get Monfredo back into school buildings, calling the story we ran about Monfredo’s serial abuse of nine- to 12-year-old Heather: “’I’m Finding Humor in It Personally’”

Finally, here’s the video of Heather speaking at City Council a few weeks ago.

Chris and I will be back to regular programming soon! With three guests, I decided to take this one solo.

As always, the work we do here would not be possible without your support. There’s still some new bleach dye shirts up in the merch store and paid subscriptions remain the number one best way to support this outlet!

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 10.27.26

Outro music: “Sin City,” by Flying Burrito Brothers

Talking municipal power (amazing) versus utility companies (horrible), Ray Mariano’s Governor take (horrible) and both gubernatorial candidates (horrible, Lovecraftian). And how Chris won the Tuber Tourney (incredible).

Also incredible: these custom bleach-dye Outdoor Cat shirts Katie made. Head over to the merch store to get yours. Each a unique work of art and folks they are going FAST. Only 15 left as of my writing, and larges and XLs are sold out.

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Some links from today’s conversation…

Bloomberg: “The Power Bill Divide”

Ray Mariano on the governor’s race

Mike Minogue autographing flavored ZYNs

Michael Minogue campaigned on understanding the housing crisis. He also owns a $31m home in an ultra-exclusive Montana club

Intro music by Bill Shaner 10.19.26

Outro music: “Trouble Trouble” by Aesop Rock x Blockhead

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Nine questions, folks. On Election Day you will be asked nine freakin’ questions, ranging from byzantine to slightly less so, and Question 2 is perhaps the most ‘in the weeds,’ as they say, but also nearest to our hearts. It asks whether the state’s public defenders have the right to form a union. That they don’t is due to a bizarre and longstanding clerical issue I couldn’t possibly explain to you. So we brought on Nathan Wong of the Yes on 2 campaign, himself a longtime public defender, to explain it to us, and talk about the overlooked and perhaps intentionally obscured role that public defenders play in keeping the democracy we have on paper a democracy in reality.

Listen to the end for Tuber Tourney updates and what I personally feel is the most pressing question before (certain select) voters in this midterm election.

Much like public defenders, local journalists are a ragtag and beleaguered bunch. We need your help to keep this little-outlet-that-could chug-chugging along. Paid subscriptions are best, but tips are also amazing :-)

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(Hey, Chris here making a late edit because we talk about Nathan and I’s beloved friend and colleague Adrian Angus. Here’s Adrian’s obituary, and an article in the Telegram about how his loss was felt in the Worcester legal community. We miss you and love you a lot, Adrian)Intro music by Bill Shaner 10.3.26

Outro music: “Count Em Up (feat Lil Fame)” by Masta Ace & Marco Polo

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We talk about the only thing people are talking about. What to make of it all? Putting the Toomey Wreck in the context of a wider crank meltdown of late. We give props to John Fresolo for his civilian review board mea culpable. Then we talk about big bears and salty fish. The episode’s namesake comes from this guy. If you know you know and if you don’t then you will.

In today’s episode we’re working heavily off the timeline piece I put up the other day: “Sticky, sticky, sticky” on the through line between the primary election to the Toomey Wreck to the CRB vote to the upcoming debate (tomorrow) on whether to fine people for not having a home.

Fresolo’s Petrone story

Lastly:

FAT BEAR WEEK 2026

Thank you for listening and friendly reminder we need new paid subscribers all the time in order to keep doing this show in perpetuity, which we will, so long as at least one of us has the time to do all the production, post production, reporting, editing, video editing, etc. etc. That is where you all come in!

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 9.21.26

Outro music: “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around” by The Police

Fair listeners of this podcast in zip codes 01606 and 01604 and maybe a little bit of the other ones, LISTEN UP. On Tuesday you will be charged with voting in one of the most on-its-face boring Democratic primaries of all time. But, lying under the surface, perhaps in some sewer or crypt, are THE GOONS and their hidden, slippery machinations. Just by showing up on Tuesday to vote for Jim O’Day (01606) or Mary Keefe (01604), you can cast these wretched beasts back into their dark resting corners. What am I talking about? You’ll have to listen.

Check if you’re in state rep district 14 (O’Day) or 15 (Keefe) at this almost handy but still pretty annoying tool from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

And also everyone gets to vote against ‘competitiveness of high school sports guy’ Seth Moulton. So be sure to do that, no matter what an unenrolled member of the Bush family tells you.

This podcast is supported by its listeners and the other readers of this overall newsletter. But only about a quarter of those listeners, all of them volunteers and also very cool. You can be both those things if you sign up for a paid subscription. It’s only one Dunkies a month... what a deal, folks. A whole alt weekly by other means, and just for one little Dunkies.

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(Notes from Chris: It is so cool and extremely professional that we ended the episode only saying the names of the candidates you should not vote for! Vote O’Day in the 14th, Keefe in the 15th, Markey for Senate)We wrap up talking about Dolly Parton. Bill got derailed from what he intended to write about by “Here I Am” in this road-dog piece from 2023. It’s legit one of her best songs off of absolutely one of her best albums. Genuinely hard for me to pick a favorite Dolly song, but my favorite Dolly performance is when she did “Mule Skinner Blues” on Porter Wagoner’s show in 1970. In three minutes, she has the entire room on fire. She never even picks up her guitar. RIP Dolly)This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

Outro music: “Yr Op Ed Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” by Lex Walton

Intro music by Bill Shaner 8.29.26

Listen there’s a lot of good information readily available and no concerted effort to manufacture consent around a narrative that’s out of step in significant ways with what information we do have about the reality on the ground. Everyone is on the same page and wants to be! That’s why we thought it was the perfect time to spend an hour digging into the specifics of the emerging situation, to catch our listeners up on an event which has the potential to change everything.

After that, we talk about the most unnecessarily disgusting mailer in quite some time around these parts, courtesy West Boylston Selectman Raj (who, like Prince and Zendaya, is a one-namer if ever there was). See below:

Front…

Yoikes.

(Link to the image for those of you reading in your podcast player)

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

Back…

(Link)

The primary election is on September 1 and there are two local races that are important, this being one. Full election guide in the next couple days. Check this site to see if you live in the 14th Worcester District (Burncoat-ish, southern West Boylston) or the 15th Worcester District (downtown / Grafton Hill-ish) where the same people propping up Raj are running Ron Waddell against Mary Keefe. And then mark your calendars for Sept. 1.

Vote O’Day, f**k Raj. Oink, oink.

Some other links:

MassLive: Can This Viral Food Hall Make It In Mass?

Eater.com: What’s the deal with Wonder?a

Video: AI Food Slop Is Here)

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Outro music: “Big Rock Candy Mountain” as sung by Harry McClintock

Intro music by Bill Shaner 8.22.26

Tackling the important questions, such as “why hasn’t Worcester seen a data center proposal yet?” “what’s this guy’s deal?” and “why do people on the Worcester subreddit have such bad taste in sandwiches?”

Far as news goes, it’s a light week. We spend considerable time working through a rough editorial by Massterlist’s Jon Keller about why Jim McGovern doesn’t get many challengers. It’s a trip. Some of the worst writing I’ve ever seen.

“The Untouchable Incumbent”

Maybe there’s a clue in that most rare phenomenon, a member of Congress facing absolutely no competition for reelection. No Democratic primary challengers. No Republican general election foe. Not even a stray independent or third-party wingnut who flits onto the ballot like a fly seeking purchase on a dog’s leavings, pending certain disposal by the voters.

(Hey it’s Chris, up top I talk about the Benn Jordan data center noise study thing. Here’s Benn’s full channel, he’s a foundational always-watch YouTube guy for me. I keep thinking about how we all kind of live in an oil field now? Most of Benn’s contemporary work is focused on surveillance-state/Big Tech-state resistance and avoidance, but I originally got into him through this mind-blowing video he made about how Aphex Twin sounds like Aphex Twin and why kind of no one else ever has or can.)

The Russell quote can be found in the last written Worcester Sucks post: “There will be no going off script.”

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And I was serious about needing a Watermelon research assistant: billshaner at substack dot com.

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 8.3.26

Outro music: “STAMPEDE” by Genesis Owusu

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Special episode today: Chris is sharing the first of what will hopefully be a series of field interviews he recorded at what sounds like a very special bluegrass festival he attends every years. While it’s not Worcester related per se I think listeners will find that the interview hits on many of the themes around community, atomization and belonging we love to hit over and over on this program. *Small edit from Chris:

In keeping with the heavy-then-light format of the show, this segment appears toward the end, at the 59 minute mark.

Before that, we talk about the only thing in Worcester politics really worth talking about at the moment: the manager’s decision to abandon his pursuit of a civilian review board. Catch up on that news here and here and on the Worcester Sucks Instagram you’ll find three compilation reels of public comment I worked pretty hard on.

I have a substantial “print” post in the works about where we stand on that front. It’s almost done. Stay tuned!

Watch an orca ram a sunfish so hard that the fish explodes

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 7.29.26

Outro music: “Nashville Cats” by the Del McCoury Band

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Everyone losing it over a couple roundabouts, we’re just happy to be here.

Catching up on the dog days of summer, breaking down yet another round of know-nothing reactionary townie opposition to a mundane road project aimed at our uniquely horrible track record when it comes to drivers hitting pedestrians with cars. In particular we focus on Moe Bergman’s insane Facebook comment, in which he tells on himself in both the ‘basic literacy’ and ‘raw contempt for his constituency’ departments.

It’s the same conversation I pulled out toward the bottom of my written post from yesterday.

From there we zoom out, talk about press freedom, bad faith lawsuits and the situation Channel 5 and Andrew Callaghan are dealing with—one that has no local analogs whatsoever of course.

Channel Five is being sued to the edge of existence.

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Outro music: REM - Star 69

Intro music by Bill Shaner 7.13.26

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Stay cool everyone.