The Hingham 'Cast

We sit down with three South Shore brewers to get the latest on the local craft beer scene. Joining Ally are Mike Dyer, co-owner of Untold Brewing in Scituate; Dino Funari, founder of Vitamin Sea Brewing in Weymouth; and Russ Heissner, founder of Barrel House Z also in Weymouth. Where do they get their inspiration? What beer makes them most proud? Is there an ingredient brewers are using that goes "too far" in the name of innovation? The men also weigh in on the sexual harassment allegations that tore through the craft brewing scene, first in Massachusetts and then quickly around the world, earlier this year. They share their candid responses and what changes they've made in their own breweries. It's a thoughtful conversation on the tight-knit South Shore brewing scene that continues to grow. Join us!

Thank you to episode sponsor Framebridge! Fantastic, affordable custom framing. Visit them online or at their Hingham Store at the Derby Street Shops. www.Framebridge.com. Use promo code HINGHAM for 15% off your first order.

Links:

www.TheHinghamCast.com

www.UntoldBrewing.com

www.VitaminSeaBrewing.com

www.BarrelHouseZ.net

We bring two of Hingham's biggest meat-eaters to Cambridge to check out Plant Pub. The concept restaurant is a new eatery from Hingham native Pat McAuley and celebrated chef Mary Dumont. Along with a thoughtful list of craft beers and seltzers, Plant Pub serves up traditional "bar food," but with a "vegan twist." The burgers, "chicken," pulled "pork," even the queso on the nachos is plant-based. Nothing is made with animal-sourced products of any kind: no meat, seafood, eggs or dairy. The concept is to try and bridge the gap, make plant-based food accessible and attractive to more traditional meat-eaters.

We ask Ben Cutler of XR BBQ and Morrell Presley of Morrell's BBQ in Hingham to test the theory. The two hungry carnivores hunker down for Impossible burgers, "chicken" wings, BBQ "chicken" pizza and much more. Their reviews are candid and their questions–and concerns–are genuine. McAuley and Chef Dumont talk through their objections, share their own journeys to a plant-based lifestyle. Dumont is an award-winning chef with an impressive resume. She headed the kitchen at Cultivar in Boston and Harvest in Cambridge for many years. She’s an Iron Chef and Top Chef alum and in 2014 was named Food & Wine’s hottest new Chef. She says her years of experience cooking meat, helped her hone the plant-based foods on the menu to appeal to a broader audience. McAuley also tells the back story behind Plant Pub and how a Covid pivot saved the business.

Hingham was bruised and battered after our first big storm of the season. The Nor'easter brought 80mph winds, knocking down trees and power lines. Thousands were in the dark and, as day broke, the damage was laid bare. Homeowners all over Hingham are assessing their losses and filing insurance claims. Some are finding nasty surprises in their coverage. Rory Earley and her husband Chris thought their Hingham home was covered for flooding, but learned they didn't buy what their agent called "sump pump failure" insurance, a $35 increase to their policy that would likely have saved them thousands of dollars.

We sit down with Frank Doyle, vice president of insurance for AAA Northeast and Barbara Targum, managing partner at Dwight Rudd Insurance in Boston. They walk us through when and how often to review your plan, special considerations for coastal communities, their thoughts on finished basements and the experts map out who is responsible when your tree falls on your neighbor's house.

We also talk with Jeanne Foy, director of the consumer action center for the public interest group MassPirg. As tree services, roofers and contractors are in hot demand, she shares the red flags to look for if working with someone new. Pro tip: always take a photo of their license!

Helpful consumer info:

MA Office of Consumer Affairs: www.mass.gov/oca

MassPirg Consumer Action Center: (781)335-0280

The Mass Attorney General's Hotline: (617)727-8400

Hingham's John Serafini is the CEO of a company called HawkEye 360. It's a radio frequency and data analytics firm that uses space-based satellites to detect, locate and analyze data from devices like walkie-talkies, satellite phones and radar. Clients include the US government, some of its allies and clients Serafini can't name publicly. HawkEye's technology has applications in national defense, homeland security, environmental protection and other areas.

Serafini is a former Airborne Ranger-qualified, US Army infantry officer with the 82nd Airborne. He graduated with highest honors from the US Military Academy at West Point and holds degrees from Harvard Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

He takes us through his career, the birth of HawkEye 360 and the fascinating technology launched 500 kilometers into space.

We sit down with Hingham Public Schools Interim Superintendent Gary Maestes. He is two months into his temporary post and says he spends much of his day just putting out fires. "There was a void, not having a superintendent in the seat, so my time has been occupied managing crisis issues on a daily basis. Every day, it's just, do what you can."

Our conversation ranges from the lawsuit lodged against HPS by parents against the mask mandate to Covid spending and the budget to classroom priorities for the months ahead and the latest on the search for a permanent superintendent. Join us!

Millions of people got new pets in the pandemic and the surge of new patients is stressing an already stressed system. Veterinarians offices are struggling to keep up with the flood of cases, pushing pet owners to other offices and animal hospitals. Staff shortages, staff burnout and some pet owners taking out their frustrations on veterinary staff are taking a toll. "It's like being a workhorse, and you're just continuously being beaten down every day," said one public-facing staffer at a Boston-area animal hospital. The struggle is unfolding in an industry that is already buckling from a serious mental health crisis in its ranks. One Boston veterinarian said, "I think, realistically, we have to call it a crisis. As an emergency doctor, we don't like to use that term lightly. But the influx of patients is not going away."

Guests: Dr. Jeanne Ficociello, VCA South Shore Animal Hospital; Dr. Megan Whalen, MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center; Lenore Walker, former veterinary referral coordinator; Pet owner Laura Winters.

www.thehinghamcast.com

Dave Jodka was just 44 when he was diagnosed with sinus cancer. Doctors told he and his wife Kathleen that the prognosis was good, but things took a terrible turn in 2014 and the Scituate father of four did not live through the year. In his last months, Dave and Kathleen thought hard about what Dave wanted to leave behind and how he wanted to be remembered by their children. Cancer wasn't it. He wanted his life to be marked by joy and music. As a teenager, Dave was in a fledgling rock band and spent every day from that point forward listening to music–playing, writing, dancing, singing. It was a gift he wanted to pass on to his children and his community and he did. Listen to today's episode to hear about the earliest days of The Mad Love Music Festival and the Dave Jodka Scholarship for Future Rockers at South Shore Conservatory in Hingham. Ally is joined by Dave's wife Kathleen Jodka, one of the first recipients of the music scholarship Darcy Milligan with the teen band Toast and the band's coach Erik Calderone.

South Shore Habitat for Humanity plans to build two new homes in Hingham next year. Before Habitat breaks ground, they must raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and, of course, choose the families that will soon call the houses home. In this episode we talk with Andre and Danielle Lavoie. They purchased a Habitat home in 2007. Andre's family has been in Hingham for more than a century, but for the young couple, a home in the wealthy Boston suburb was far out of reach. Danielle Lavoie said, "It was like, 'Okay, do I go buy dinner? Or do I get sneakers for the kids?' That's how it was."

In this episode we talk about the housing crisis in Massachusetts and the challenge of building affordable housing in wealthy suburbs. We dig into the data and look at the societal and economic costs of not having diversity in available, decent and affordable housing.

www.thehinghamcast.com

www.sshabitat.org

This episode was absolutely selfish. I've been in a really funky space lately. I'm not depressed, but I'm not exactly happy. I'm meh. I feel like I'm in this weird in-between. It doesn't feel like the height of Covid, but it still feels lousy. I'm vaccinated, but my 9-year-old isn't. We're wearing masks again. I worry about the kids having to quarantine or getting Covid. Damn you, Delta (and whatever else is coming!). I was looking forward to a fall and winter of unfettered indoor dining, the movies, museums. I didn't want to worry if I'd get Covid and pass it on to my kids or vulnerable friends or anyone else. I didn't want to worry school could go remote again. I didn't want to worry about traveling to see my mom at Christmas. But I do. Hitting my 50s, Covid, losing my job–has helped me narrow my focus in so many ways. I want a job I love. I want friends I can depend on, who build me up, not tear me down. I want time with my husband and family and I want to spend more time outside. I've always known nature was a healer for me. Some of my best and most peaceful memories are hikes with my mom in the White Mountains or our trip to Alaska or an ill-advised/prepared "trek" on part of the Appalachian Trail. That meal of Wheat Thins and summer sausage, cross-legged on a crest was one of the best I've eaten. So this episode celebrates people who have focused their lives to be outdoors and explores the spots they reccommend to unplug, walk, climb, breathe and be. www.thehinghamcast.com

A severe work force shortage is forcing nonprofit human service organizations into turning away vulnerable clients with disabilities. The pandemic has exacerbated an already critical problem. In this episode we profile Beth and Cormac McDaid of Hingham. Cormac turned 22 during the pandemic, but his mom, Beth, has not been able to find a suitable day program that has room for Cormac. She worries she's not giving him opportunities to learn and grow while she is home with him. She also needs to be able to work to help support her family, but with no one to care for Cormac during the day, she is in an untenable position. We also talk with Chris White of Road to Responsibility. The Marshfield nonprofit serves adults with disabilities and is only able to take on about half the amount of their pre-pandemic client numbers because they simply don't have enough staff. Michael Weekes, of the Providers' Council also weighs in. His group advocates for the needs of providers who he says must be paid a higher wage to entice them to stay in the industry that cares for our most vulnerable.