August 14, 2025 • 39 mins
We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!
Investigators explore new lead in 1977 disappearance. Disappearance of Simone Ridinger and Judith Bleiler:
Guest: Emily Sweeney – Boston Globe Cold Case Files Reporter
Saturday, September 13, the Military Friends Foundation will host its 12th Annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen (5K) at Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham
Guest: Brigadier Gen. Tom Sellers
The one thing on their mind is putting weight on.’ Black bear seen roaming neighborhood in Townsend.
Guest: Mary Beth Parise – Townsend Resident
Braintree Little League Teams Heads to the World Series Playoffs & started opening game today against South Carolina!
Guest: Steve Pratt - Vice President - Braintree American Little League
Investigators explore new lead in 1977 disappearance. Disappearance of Simone Ridinger and Judith Bleiler:
Guest: Emily Sweeney – Boston Globe Cold Case Files Reporter
Saturday, September 13, the Military Friends Foundation will host its 12th Annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen (5K) at Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham
Guest: Brigadier Gen. Tom Sellers
The one thing on their mind is putting weight on.’ Black bear seen roaming neighborhood in Townsend.
Guest: Mary Beth Parise – Townsend Resident
Braintree Little League Teams Heads to the World Series Playoffs & started opening game today against South Carolina!
Guest: Steve Pratt - Vice President - Braintree American Little League
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes, Dan Ray, I'm going easy Boston's News Radio.
Good evening, everybody. Welcome on into a Thursday night edition
of Nightside. My name is Dan Ray, and we are
going to take you all the way right up to
the midnight hour. I've got a great show tonight. Interesting guests, interesting,
four interesting guests coming up this hour. We'll be talking
(00:21):
with Emily Sweeney, Boston Gold Cold Case Files reporter, and
justin moment, we'll be talking with someone associated with the
Braintree Little League team. They they kind of suffered. They
had a tough game today, but they're still alive. It's
a double elimination tournament, so we'll catch up to date
on that. And we'll also talk to a Townshend resident
(00:43):
and talks about the bear at least one big one
roaming their neighborhood. And we talk with Brigadier General Tom
Sellers about an event on Saturday, the twelfth Annual Massachusetts
Run for the Fallen at Barnes Memorial Park in Denham.
We will talk at nine o'clock with State Senator Nick
(01:03):
Collins about his bill and Act relative to transportation safety
ability curving the rising numbers of dangerous incidents. Involving mopeds,
e bikes, and motorized scooters, some of which are operated
without licenses, registration or insurance. So we get to all
of that, and we'll also talk with my favorite futurist. Tonight,
(01:26):
we will be visited with Kevin SURRILLI dealing with We're
going to set up a preview of the Trump putin
Alaska summit. Kevin Sirilli actually covered the last Trump putin summit.
This one was that one was in Helsinki, Finland. It's
a little closer to home, maybe not our home, but
(01:46):
they'll be in Alaska tomorrow. Maybe it'll even arrive there
late tonight. Hope both of them arrested and in a
good mood. Let's well, let's keep our fingers crossed. First
up tonight hit lead off is Emily Sweeney, as she
does most Thursday nights, Boston Globe Cold Case Files Reporter. Emily,
We've got a good one here. I mean, it's a
(02:06):
sad story, but it sounds to me like there's a
retired state police lieutenant detective who basically read one of
your stories. What about these these cold cases? And this
one might might be rekindling a little bit, which will
be good news. You know, if you can ever bring
(02:28):
closure to any family, that is obviously some good news.
But first of all, welcome back, Emily. How are you tonight?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Excellent? Dan, thank you so much for having me. I
appreciate it well.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I love you have it. I love having you here,
and I think it's great that you're looking at all
of these cold cases. This involves the disappearance of not one,
but two women that it might be related, Simone Rittinger
and Judith Biler. One of them was from in town.
I wasn't living there at the time, but I lived
(03:01):
in for twenty years in Sherborne. It's a really nice
Bucolic community and I had never heard of this case
before reading a uronicle on it. So tell us what
what's the common reality here between the disappearances of these
two women.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, so, Judith and Simone both disappeared in nineteen seventy seven,
and Simone was working at the time at a restaurant
in Natick called the Rainbow Restaurant, and it was just
before Labor Day nineteen seventy seven, where she got out
of work. She left and she told her coworkers she
was going to go hitchhike and grab a ride to
(03:42):
Cape Cod and then she's catch a trade at Mathasvina
to visit her family. They get to remember, there's the
nineteen seventies. A lot of people are like, whoa, she
was hit shiking, But it was a lot you know,
more common back then.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Sure, wow.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, And so she was never seen again, and it's
unclear whether you know she had she definitely never made
it to the vineyard. It's unclear whether she made it
to the cape. But after reading the story about Simone,
the retired homicide detective Rick Magel contacted mat and said
he had a possible lead into maybe somebody who was
(04:17):
responsible for her disappearance. And he told me about a
guy named Eric Anderson who strange.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Strange dude now dead.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, yeah, very dangerous, dangerous guy who attacked many women,
some of them survived.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Including his wife. I guess who was a former Roman
Catholic nun. The story only I read it go.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Ahead, Yeah, yeah, So he attacked many women, and he
had a an m where he would you know, taget
people who are on the side of the road, you know,
and one time he pretended like he needed car help,
you know, when somebody like pulled over a woman offering
to give him a ride, he attacked her. So Megal
(05:06):
told me that Anderson was out of jail right around
the time of Simone's disappearance, and also Judith Bwiler, who
was another teenager who disappeared from Brockton around the same time.
And this is a new lead that you know, is
going to be explored. And I'm really trying to spread
the word because you know, if people look up the
(05:27):
article on the Globe website of Boston dot com, you know,
look at the pictures of Eric. You know, if there's
any information that people might have out there, people might
have remembered seeing him, it would be great to get
that information into the hands of investigatives.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, I assume this is not a DNA type case
for a whole bunch of reasons.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, that's another thing is that Simone and Judith their
remains have never been found, so it's unclear. Yeah, and
that's another thing you know that you know, but they
asked somewhere out there, you know that the hope is
that maybe someday they will be found.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah. Again, this is really is a closure I kind
of imagine, and I'm going to ask you, as you know,
I always ask you and unscripted questions, Emily, do you
have any contact with surviving family members for either of
these young women. I mean we're talking about nineteen seventy seven.
(06:28):
That's close to fifty years ago. It's forty eight years
ago as a matter of fact.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, yeah, Well, you know Simone a lot. You know,
Simone's parents are gone. But I did talk to her
sister last year when I first did the story about Simone,
and I was in touch with her again after I
talked to Rick Nagel, you know, letting her know about this.
You know, again, it's a shot in the dock, but
it is a possibility that Anderson may have been you know,
(06:55):
responsible for you know, maybe picking up Simone and with
you if I was just actually in touch with one
of our friends, you know, just yesterday actually. So, I mean,
these are two cases I'm going to continue writing about,
you know, until they're solved.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Oh that's that's a tremendous commitment, personal commitment on your part.
And never having been in that situation, and God hoped
none that no one listening to this broadcast was ever
or will ever be in that situation. You know, when
so much time passes, I'm sure that families are reconciling
(07:32):
in cases like this, And this is a lot of
the stuff you cover. It's these this is tough sledding.
I assume that they arrive at some point of closure,
meaning they know that their loved one is never coming home.
But but still there must be a desire to know
(07:56):
what happened, how did how did this? How did you know?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Well?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
How did this take place? I have to believe that's
a human instinct, and I'd be interested if you agree
or and if you disagree, please please feel free to
tell me. I'm because you know more about this stuff
than I do.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh, I agree absolutely. You know, I think after time passes,
families do come to their you know that they know,
they realize that their loved one may never come walking
through the door again alive. But I think, you know,
it's human nature. We want to know what happened, especially
to a loved one, and I think you know, getting
answers to those will provide at least some sort of
(08:32):
closure to families and loved ones of these victims.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
You know, not to trivialize it, but every once in
a while you'll hear a story about, you know, some
family dog that was on a camping trip in Iowa
and they live in California, and the dog got scared
and ran away, and six years later, somehow that dog
finds his way back home to wherever they. Yeah, which
(09:01):
is wonderful because you have you know, dogs have these instincts.
But you don't hear many stories like this that after
fifty years or twenty years, someone walks through the door.
You just it's so sad. And again the hitchhiking thing.
All of us when we were younger at some point hitchhike.
(09:22):
I know I did, but it was really a stupid
thing to do. And I think I think these stories
should be a cautionary tale as well. So there's a
lot of purposes your work is serving, Emily, And I
just want to say thanks for what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, thank you Dan that you know, help with spread
the word about these cases. I know it's real, it
is very sad, but the more people that hear about it,
we can you know, get some answers to these families.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Absolutely. Again, Emily, tell us how people can get a
free subscription to the Cold Case file at the Globe.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so you can sign up for the free newsletter
if you go to Globe dot com slash Cold Case
Files and you can sign up and you can read
the stories that I'm writing and you know, and you
can also submit, you know, any tips you may have,
any ideas or suggestions of cases. I get so many
emails Dan about you know, cases that haven't gotten much
(10:15):
media coverage, and I've worked on some more of those.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Coming up sounds great. Emily Sweety, Boston Globe. I'm off
for a couple of weeks. I talk. I'll see, as
we used to sing, I'll see you in September.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Okay, all right, Dan, all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Have a great weekend. Okay. Coming up, we're going to
all have to going to talk with Brigadier General Tom
Sellers about a big event on Saturday, September thirteenth, the
Military Friends Foundation. Well hold, it's twelfth annual Massachusetts Run
for the Fall and it's a five k at Barnes
Memorial Park in Denham. We'll talk to the Brigadier general
right after this quick break on Nightside.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Welcome back. I don't know what you do it On Saturday,
September thirteenth. But we got a suggestion for you. My
name is Dan Ray, host of Nightside. Once was the
spec for, So I didn't get a chance to talk
to too many generals, but we got one tonight for us.
I'm Brigadier General Tom Sellers, Brigadier General. I'm saluting you.
I know you can't see that on the radio, but welcome, Welcome, sir,
(11:23):
welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Well, I appreciate that very much, Dan, and thank you
for having me. And let me just admit upfront that
I've been a long time listener and always appreciated your
kind of ideas and perspectives on a lot of issues,
and so I do appreciate your service not only as
a spec for, but you'll continue service to the citizens
of Boston in the greater Boston area. So you you
(11:47):
do great work.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I thank you very much for that. General. So on
September thirteenth, which is a few weeks from now, we're
on the fourteenth, so I guess of August, so we're
talking probably for actually four weeks from now, will be
this Saturday, September thirteenth. The foundation, which is called the
Military Friends Foundation. First of all, that's been around for
(12:11):
a while. Tell us how people can get involved directly
with the Military Friends Foundation, because that group is going
to be hosting the twelfth annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen.
Let's we'll talk about the event, but let's talk about
the group first. Tell us about the Military Friends right.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, I appreciate that very much, Dan. Yeah, the Military
Friends Foundation has been involved in supporting the military families
and families of the fallen, and to some degree, the
first respond to community in Massachusetts for a number of years.
It was established by statute and the Commonwealth early on
(12:46):
after the beginning of the war periods as we get
in two thousand and later.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, the war we call war the war on rightfully,
so the War on Terror.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
That is correct. Yeah. So the organization has been supportive
of all of the military families, both soldiers during deployment
and the families that remain here at home and have
supported them through direct grant programs and other outreach programs
to anything from education opportunities to direct support during a
(13:20):
time of tragedy or a time of need of the individuals.
And this event that we are running on September thirteenth
is the twelfth Annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen, which
will be held in Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham, is
another component of the activities we do to support the
(13:41):
military families and also generate continued interest in the Military
Friends Foundation and what it does for people. And you know,
the event, though it's marketed and discussed as a five K,
it's really not just a race. It's a powerful tribute
where we gathered to honor the lives of service members
(14:02):
who were were lost in combat or you know after
since nine to eleven. I'm very emotional about this because
many of those soldiers, as I was in the Massachusetts
National Guard for a stretch of time, were mine, so
I've got a direct relationship with them.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
But alsostand that.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
It's a chance for the military families, veterans and the
civilian community to come together and basically say in one voice,
we appreciate your service, we recognize your service, and we
will never forget you. So it's a it's a great event.
It is going to be run as I mentioned in
Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham. Nine thirty is the reading
(14:46):
of the Role of Honor, where we we read each
individual service member's name that has been lost since nine
to eleven. Then at eleven o'clock we kick off the
run Walk Rock event and it is followed by a
family friendly barbecue, a little bit of music, and it's
(15:07):
an opportunity to share some stories and reconnect with the
people that we have either served with or families that
we've been engaged with in the past.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I love, I love by the way the slogan of
the group. All gave some, some gave all realize that
the sacrifice that uh, that that people make, particularly those
who have who have given their lives. Now, this is
a run walk rock, so you can run it, you
(15:38):
can walk, and it's five k that'd be about I
guess three point one miles if my uh my memory
is correct from those sorts of events that I used
to like to do when I was a runner.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
But a rock means, I guess you can throw your
backpack on some equipment and uh and make it a
little bit more challenging.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Yes, they uh, And we have many as with people.
When they do the ruck will add names of service
members they either served with or had a connection to,
will have that on their rucksack as they do the event.
They as they do this three point one mile course,
as you mentioned, they see many of the signs that
(16:21):
are set out there of the with pictures of the
individual service members that they the ultimate sacrifice of service
to the nation, and in many instances the family members
of those service members are right there with the sign.
These people participate in the event, so there's a real
human connection that occurs that is meaningful not only to
(16:46):
the participant but to the family, and it reinforces the
fact that we do not forget.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Now the website is simply run sign up dot com.
As I'm looking at the website there and there's a
donate button there, there's a registration button. Is there an
easier way for people or is that the proper sign
up page?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Well, they can sign up through that, or they can
also go to military Friends dot org and they can
register for the event, or they can register to be
a volunteer. We're always looking for volunteers because that is
where that community engagement at the very basic level occurs.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That is.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Really adds the depth to the event that is meaningful
to the families because the families certainly appreciate people when
they come and participate, and also volunteer.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah, this is this looks like a great event. I
see that a lot of the individuals and you have
teams that are running, and you've raised a good amount
of money so far. But hey, the more the more
the Marriott both participating and donation donating. So military friends
dot org one website or run sign up dot com
(18:06):
and they can get all sorts of information how to volunteer,
how to register, how to how to all the race information. Again,
just remember Saturday, September thirteenth, General, thank you very much,
Thank you for your service of many, many years, forty
years at least, and it continues. I assume at this
(18:27):
point you retired.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yes I am. I'm retired and to some degree living
in the American dream. And but you know, I really
maintain that connection to the military families and certainly to
the soldiers that are up in Massachusetts, and because they
mean quite a bit to me, as I hope I
(18:50):
do to them. And you know, let me just kind
of close in saying that what makes this is this
the five kay, this run for the Fallen and a
meaningful event is that we read every name of every
service member that's been lost. The event is built around community,
(19:10):
remembrance and gratitude, whether you're walking, running, volunteering, and the
run gives gold Star families a place where their loved
ones are publicly remembered, honored, and celebrated, and it's just
meaningful to so many people in so many ways.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Sounds great. It looks to me. I did look at
your bio, but I think, are you a Massachusetts guy? Originally?
I see that you have your college degrees from at
least two degrees from Anna Maria.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Yes, I'm originally a Massachusetts guy. I currently reside in Florida,
but I come up to Massachusetts at a minimum once
a quarter to do events such as the Run for
the Fallen and several other events we do throughout the
year to maintain my connect to those military families there
(20:03):
in Massachusetts, because it's an honor for me to continue
in my way to still serve them. As though I
enjoy the weather most particularly in January in Florida, I
do like to get out of there in July.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Yeah, well get pretty warm down there in August and
September two, So come on back home bringing their general,
Tom Sellers General. Thank you so much honor to speak
with you.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Thank you Dan, and thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You're more than welcome. Was nothing compared to what you did,
that's for sure. Thank you so much. Before we break
the news here, I just want to remind you that
we have that iHeart Radio app. The talkback feature is available.
It's a cool way to become part of our Nightside broadcast,
another way to become the broadcast. Obviously you can become
a big part of the broadcast by being a guest
(20:50):
or a caller, but you can utilize our talkback feature
on the Arheart Radio app. Make sure you download and
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or anytime during the day, tap of the red microphone
talkback button in the top right corner to send us
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(21:12):
It's that simple again, keep it clean. We are FCC regulated,
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(21:35):
thirty when we are taking phone calls. After nine o'clock tonight,
we'll be back on night Side right after this very
quick break. You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZY,
Boston's news radio. Well, I saw a story about a
week ago that really caught my attention. There's a neighborhood
in Townshend, Massachusetts, which is one of those communities out
(21:57):
Route too up up towards New Hampshire, and they have
a new resident in the neighborhood, a pretty good sized
black bear. It's not a graduate of the University of Maine.
Black Bear Athletic program with us is one of those residents.
Mary Beth Parice, Hi, Mary Beth, how are you tonight? O?
Speaker 6 (22:17):
Hey, how are you young?
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Good?
Speaker 6 (22:18):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Any you don't have any anyone coming in the back
door at this point, and announced I hope just want
to make sure we have a few minutes to talk
about a very interesting experience. What did you think when
you saw this little guy and he's not a little guy?
Speaker 6 (22:35):
Well, yeah, you know, And so we've since found out
that he is actually a she. She's pretty Yeah, she's
a pretty big girl. Okay, Yeah, she likes to come
by for a visit every now and then, usually if
the bird feeders are out, she wants to snack.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Yeah, no, has has this bear? And I'm not sure
if we can distinguish We're tough time distinguishing the gender.
But has this bear? Is this sort of part of
an annual event out there or is this drop by
that you've never seen before?
Speaker 6 (23:15):
So we've been out here for almost twenty years and
pretty much yearly we will end up, you know, being
visited by a bear. Maybe not this particular bear, but yes,
it is I don't want to say super common, but
it is something that you know, hey, it does definitely happen.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Now, I'm sure you sound like a very intelligent person.
I'm sure that you have probably asked some of the
questions I'm about to ask you. Is this, I mean,
is this dangerous? Or are they there just trying to
scavenge for some food for their long winters nap And
once they see you they scarry back into the woods.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
So typically if they hear a no always you know,
dog barking or somebody opening a door, or you know,
I've in the past have had you know, yelled out
the window, hey bear go away, you know, clapping my hands.
They do. They typically will take off fairly quickly. They
don't want to hang around. They don't want to see us.
You know, they're they're not interested in us. They they're
looking for an easy snack and easy meal. Maybe you know,
(24:20):
they were too lazy to go get some berries, so
they say, hey, you know, there's the birdsheater. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Now. I've watched a couple of the news stories, and
I'm always interested in the details here. Why is it
that is it generally this time of year, meaning mid
to late August, when the bears happened to swing by,
And if so, I assume that's because they're getting ready,
ready to call it a year and sleep through three
(24:49):
or four months.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
I mean, you know that's I'm not the bear expert,
but I mean I will say we've seen them anywhere
from early spring, you know, right on through the fall
before they go into hibernation, so you know, and I
think it's really you know, if a lot of us
in the area maybe have the bird feeders out, or
maybe somebody has some trash that's you know, not put
(25:11):
away well or anything. It attracts them. They're attracted to smell.
You know, if they smell something good, they're going to
come check it out if they can.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Okay, here's the million dollar question, and I hope you've
asked this of the authorities of the officials. How far
away from your neighborhood do the There must be some
police officials up there, some environmental officials who are interested.
Is how close do you think these bears actually live
(25:42):
to your neighbor you know, from in relation to your
neighborhood any have you ever even asked that question?
Speaker 6 (25:49):
Yep. So some of the things I've I've read and
i've heard are you know, like male bears will travel
within a fifty nine mile radius. You know, it can
be two miles to fifty nine miles. This is what
they consider their home territory. Females it's you know, yep,
it's two miles to maybe ten miles. They tend to
stay a little bit closer to you know, their main
(26:09):
living area. But you know, and again that's just kind
of what I've heard and what I've read.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
So okay, so move you moved into townshend you said
almost twenty years ago or twenty years ago. I assume
you were aware or you're not, that you're live in
out in a relatively rural part of New England, and
that New England has bears. So I mean this I
assume has not shocked you. Maybe surprises you periodically, but
(26:40):
it's not shocking.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
I assume not anymore. I will definitely. You know, there
is a story from when we first moved here, and
I think it was probably our first spring. My husband
left early for work and a bear walked in front
of his vehicle, and so of course it was like,
oh my, a bear. So he ended up calling Yeah,
you know, he didn't call the emergency number, but he
(27:02):
did call the non emergency number for the police station.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
And we were.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Pretty much told, you know, like the bears are here,
we're here. We all need to like just cohabitate together
and be safe. Be smart, you know, don't leave your
pets out by themselves or you know, just just thinking,
just be cautious, be aware.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Oh my lions, tigers and bears. Yes, oh wow, so
so you how many times? My last question is how
many times this month have you had a visitor either
this same bear or a member of his family or
(27:41):
his extend or her extended family.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
So this month, I mean, and we're only moving into
the middle of August. We've seen her once and that
was this past Friday.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Okay, well yeah, you know again. Congratulations. It must be
a lot of people spend a lot of money to
you know, go to the one in zoo or the
San Diego Zoo, some of the Great zoos, or the
Franklin Park Zoo here Stoneham Zoo, uh to to see
some of these beautiful creatures, but to see them in
the wild there's a whole different story, particularly when the
(28:12):
wild becomes your backyard. You're a good sport to talk
about it because you you seem very calm and very
very comfortable with the whole experience, which I think is great.
And your kids probably have now an understanding of really
nature that a lot of that a lot of other
kids don't. So use your head, stay safe and thanks
(28:35):
so much for joining us tonight. Mary Beth Perice a
Townshend resident. And you're not putting the house out for sale, assume.
Speaker 6 (28:41):
Right, No, not anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Just trying to appreciate great night.
Speaker 6 (28:49):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
When we come back, we're going to get a report
from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I think my next guest is with
the group that has traveled to Williamsport to root on
the Braintree Little League team. They had a loss today.
No way to put a shine on a sneaker. They
lost thirteen nothing to a pretty good team from South Carolina.
(29:13):
But they will live to play another day and they
are next up on Saturday afternoon against the team from Texas. Well,
we'll catch up on how the Braintree Little leaguers are
doing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania at the Little League World Series.
Right after a couple of quick messages here on Nightside.
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
(29:37):
Welcome back everyone. Most people in New England have been
following very closely the sojourn of the Braintreet Little League team,
who are now in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the Little League
World Series, a must see end of summer event in
my household for years. We're joined now by Steve Pratt. Pratt.
(29:57):
Steve Pratt is the vice president of the brain Tree
American Little League. Steve was a disappointing day today. How's
everybody feeling First of all, I assume you're in Williamsport.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Correct, Yes, thank you, thank you very much for all
the sport and the covers. So yes, I am here
in Williams Sport. I'm also joined by Nickti Martine Printer,
American Little League President, and Sean Needle French, your American
twelve A assistant coach. So yeah, I mean again, we've had
(30:30):
a great time down on Williams Sport. Obviously, today's game
to not go how we wanted to, but the team
played great, and again we give all credit for till
the Southeast Region team and South Carolina. They played an
amazing game. But we're excited to get back at it
on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah. So the team you play on Saturday is a
double elimination tournament. It's a team from Texas Richmond, Texas.
I think I heard tonight. I'm sure you haven't looked
at a lot of game film on this team, but
all of these teams are good, and pitching is so dominant.
The kid that pitched I watched the game this afternoon,
(31:10):
the kid that pitched for this South Carolina team. He's
a big boy and he could throw the ball pretty hard,
and you know every once in a while you run
up against the pitcher and that and that can be tough.
You guys are in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A little trivia question
for you. Do you know that there's a pretty well
(31:31):
known former Major league pitcher who I think should be
in the Hall of Fame who grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
No idea, Mike, Mike.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
No, No, Mike Messina.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Okay, he was a Yankee oriol He should be in
the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
He's a good pitcher. He almost threw a perfect game
against the Red Sox back in September of two thousand
and one, like one weekend before nine to eleven. And
I was at that game, and he went nine and
he went eight and two thirds innings until Carl Everett
pinch hit and blew uped a single into left field.
(32:17):
So I'm always I always associate you seeing it with
Williams Boy. So, how the guys do after the game today?
I could see the looks in their faces. They were disappointed.
I hope maybe some pizza and whatever else changed the
mood in the locker room or in wherever they're staying.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Hey, Dan, this is Sean needle. I was with the
boys in the dugouts. So the boys were fine. I mean,
this is our first loss, so we won eighteen in
a row, and they took it really well. They bounced
right back. They know that they didn't have their best
stuff today, but they know that they can do much better.
I think they ran into a great pitcher today and
(32:57):
they just caught them up. I think a lot of
the Williams moment caught him up playing in front of
a big crowd like that. But they all had a
great attitude. Everyone kept there. They were they were fighting
to the end, and they know that the next game
they're going to do much better.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Well, you know, it's funny. Just you might mention this
to the Red Sox. Were playing the Astros this week,
as you guys know, and on Tuesday night, the Red
Sox bats exploded. They won the game eighteen to one,
and the Astros came back the next night and beat
the Red Sox. So baseball is a funny game, and
(33:32):
remind them about that that that they can turn around
pretty quickly. There is it? Twenty teams on ten from
the US and ten international teams.
Speaker 4 (33:44):
Yeah, Hey, Dan, Nickie Martino, President of Brasher Parker Little League.
That's that's kind of our points. There's no disappointment. Of course,
we would have preferred a better outcome today, but the
euphoria and the late euphoria around the town of Braintreet
and with the families down here in Williams Sport has
(34:06):
been off the charts and and you know cliche, they
can't lose at this point, and that's how I feel
as president. They've represented our league and our town, our district,
our section, our state and now all of New England
as well as any team I think, as any team could,
and they ran into a little bit of a buzz
saw today. But you know, if Saturday is another day
(34:28):
and this team will rebound well and they'll be prepared.
These coaches always have them prepared and the kids will
be ready to play and we'll look forward to it.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Yeah, I know that all in New England will be
watching on Saturday afternoon. This game was on ESPN up
here today. I hope that the game on Saturday afternoon
will be on ESPN as well, so that now it
will be people from Braintree. But you know, all in
New England oftentimes it's it's tough just to get to Williamsport.
(34:57):
I mean, I'm I mean those kids, you guys, have
you your team has accomplished an incredible achievement to be
able to say that they played in the Little League
World Series, whatever the outcome, and hopefully have they had
much of a chance to interact with the kids from
(35:19):
the other parts of the world. What an incredible experience,
not only on the field but off the field. Tell
us a little bit about the housing for the teams
and the interaction that they have with teams from other
countries for that matter.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
Yeah, so Dan, it's Sean Needle again. So when we
were in Bristol, Connecticut, like we bought all the boys
tins and they were kind.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
Of shy to trade.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
But here the international kids, like so Chinese, Taipei below us,
and then the Czech Republic is right next to us.
So actually, I happen to say the international kids got
our boys were when they started asking them to trade,
our boys opened up and I have to say the
international kids got a boys going right away, and they
made so many friends from you know, different Australian friends,
(36:06):
Chinese type. Hey, they're trading sleeves with Venezuela, Panama Puerto Rico.
It's it's like the international kids are unbelievable, and they're
treated on boys so well, and you know, I hope
we're doing a good job respecting them and they you know,
I talked to the translators and they say, you know,
they love our boys too. You know, we try to
(36:27):
get a better deal in the trade. But it's working
out well. So what do you it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
What do you guys have to trade something from from
the hometown of mass from Massachusetts.
Speaker 5 (36:39):
Yeah, so we have we have pins. We have like
branch of American pins were trading, so like they want that,
Like a lot of the Venezuelan kids didn't have pins.
So they're they're trading. They're trading for baseball cards and
they give them the sleeves, so we'll we'll give them something.
They'll give us the hats like the Venezuela hats and
(37:00):
Chinese type. Hey, let's give you an example. Like the
first day we got that Chinese type, Hey brought us
a ton of pastries and so I kids loved it.
So they brought him like they literally brought him over overseas.
They international unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
It's such a great you know, life experience. And look,
they're going to play in this tournament, and I'm telling
you that ten years from now, they're going to be
reading about some guy, maybe somebody from Braintree who's just
been drafted by the Red Sox or the Yankees, and
they'll be able to say, hey, I bat it against
(37:35):
that guy or I pitched against that guy. This will
be memories for a lifetime. I mean this. I think
baseball is the greatest sport ever invented in terms of
the skill level that is necessary, the fact that you
can be a big, strong, you know, six foot seven pitcher,
or you could be jose L Tuve with with with
(37:57):
the Astros and be five to four and hit the
ball four hundred feet. So it's a great experience. Everybody's
rooting for you. I appreciate you guys taking the time
to be a night side tonight and we'll all be
watching and we'll be pulling for you on Saturday against Texas.
Speaker 7 (38:12):
Thank you very much, Thank you very much. We appreciate
all the coverage, and go brank your Americans.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Absolutely and the eyes of Massachusetts will be well beyond you,
not the eyes of Texas.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
Thanks guys, give everybody, and we appreciate.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
The time give everybody. All those kids, let them know
that everybody's pulling for them. That's for sure. I really
enjoyed it. I played Little League a long time ago,
but never got close to Pennsylvania and you trust me,
all right, Thanks guys. That's that's a wonderful experience the
brain treat Little leaguers who we had three of the
executives there and I'm sure the kids are having fun
(38:52):
inter interfacing and inter interacting with kids from around the
country and around the world. When we get back, we're
going to talk about a problem in Massachusetts, and that
is we need some legislation relative to transportation safety and
state Senator Nick Collins who joined us, and we're going
to talk about that. We talked about this last night,
(39:12):
but Nick Collins probably knows more about this issue than
anyone we could get on the show, and we will
have him with us. Any questions you have or comments
you want to make, you'll be able to join the
conversation too. Back on Night's side. Right after this on
a Thursday night,
It's nice eyes, Dan Ray, I'm going easy Boston's News Radio.
Good evening, everybody. Welcome on into a Thursday night edition
of Nightside. My name is Dan Ray, and we are
going to take you all the way right up to
the midnight hour. I've got a great show tonight. Interesting guests, interesting,
four interesting guests coming up this hour. We'll be talking
(00:21):
with Emily Sweeney, Boston Gold Cold Case Files reporter, and
justin moment, we'll be talking with someone associated with the
Braintree Little League team. They they kind of suffered. They
had a tough game today, but they're still alive. It's
a double elimination tournament, so we'll catch up to date
on that. And we'll also talk to a Townshend resident
(00:43):
and talks about the bear at least one big one
roaming their neighborhood. And we talk with Brigadier General Tom
Sellers about an event on Saturday, the twelfth Annual Massachusetts
Run for the Fallen at Barnes Memorial Park in Denham.
We will talk at nine o'clock with State Senator Nick
(01:03):
Collins about his bill and Act relative to transportation safety
ability curving the rising numbers of dangerous incidents. Involving mopeds,
e bikes, and motorized scooters, some of which are operated
without licenses, registration or insurance. So we get to all
of that, and we'll also talk with my favorite futurist. Tonight,
(01:26):
we will be visited with Kevin SURRILLI dealing with We're
going to set up a preview of the Trump putin
Alaska summit. Kevin Sirilli actually covered the last Trump putin summit.
This one was that one was in Helsinki, Finland. It's
a little closer to home, maybe not our home, but
(01:46):
they'll be in Alaska tomorrow. Maybe it'll even arrive there
late tonight. Hope both of them arrested and in a
good mood. Let's well, let's keep our fingers crossed. First
up tonight hit lead off is Emily Sweeney, as she
does most Thursday nights, Boston Globe Cold Case Files Reporter. Emily,
We've got a good one here. I mean, it's a
(02:06):
sad story, but it sounds to me like there's a
retired state police lieutenant detective who basically read one of
your stories. What about these these cold cases? And this
one might might be rekindling a little bit, which will
be good news. You know, if you can ever bring
(02:28):
closure to any family, that is obviously some good news.
But first of all, welcome back, Emily. How are you tonight?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Excellent? Dan, thank you so much for having me. I
appreciate it well.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I love you have it. I love having you here,
and I think it's great that you're looking at all
of these cold cases. This involves the disappearance of not one,
but two women that it might be related, Simone Rittinger
and Judith Biler. One of them was from in town.
I wasn't living there at the time, but I lived
(03:01):
in for twenty years in Sherborne. It's a really nice
Bucolic community and I had never heard of this case
before reading a uronicle on it. So tell us what
what's the common reality here between the disappearances of these
two women.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, so, Judith and Simone both disappeared in nineteen seventy seven,
and Simone was working at the time at a restaurant
in Natick called the Rainbow Restaurant, and it was just
before Labor Day nineteen seventy seven, where she got out
of work. She left and she told her coworkers she
was going to go hitchhike and grab a ride to
(03:42):
Cape Cod and then she's catch a trade at Mathasvina
to visit her family. They get to remember, there's the
nineteen seventies. A lot of people are like, whoa, she
was hit shiking, But it was a lot you know,
more common back then.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Sure, wow.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, And so she was never seen again, and it's
unclear whether you know she had she definitely never made
it to the vineyard. It's unclear whether she made it
to the cape. But after reading the story about Simone,
the retired homicide detective Rick Magel contacted mat and said
he had a possible lead into maybe somebody who was
(04:17):
responsible for her disappearance. And he told me about a
guy named Eric Anderson who strange.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Strange dude now dead.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, yeah, very dangerous, dangerous guy who attacked many women,
some of them survived.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Including his wife. I guess who was a former Roman
Catholic nun. The story only I read it go.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Ahead, Yeah, yeah, So he attacked many women, and he
had a an m where he would you know, taget
people who are on the side of the road, you know,
and one time he pretended like he needed car help,
you know, when somebody like pulled over a woman offering
to give him a ride, he attacked her. So Megal
(05:06):
told me that Anderson was out of jail right around
the time of Simone's disappearance, and also Judith Bwiler, who
was another teenager who disappeared from Brockton around the same time.
And this is a new lead that you know, is
going to be explored. And I'm really trying to spread
the word because you know, if people look up the
(05:27):
article on the Globe website of Boston dot com, you know,
look at the pictures of Eric. You know, if there's
any information that people might have out there, people might
have remembered seeing him, it would be great to get
that information into the hands of investigatives.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, I assume this is not a DNA type case
for a whole bunch of reasons.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, that's another thing is that Simone and Judith their
remains have never been found, so it's unclear. Yeah, and
that's another thing you know that you know, but they
asked somewhere out there, you know that the hope is
that maybe someday they will be found.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah. Again, this is really is a closure I kind
of imagine, and I'm going to ask you, as you know,
I always ask you and unscripted questions, Emily, do you
have any contact with surviving family members for either of
these young women. I mean we're talking about nineteen seventy seven.
(06:28):
That's close to fifty years ago. It's forty eight years
ago as a matter of fact.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, yeah, Well, you know Simone a lot. You know,
Simone's parents are gone. But I did talk to her
sister last year when I first did the story about Simone,
and I was in touch with her again after I
talked to Rick Nagel, you know, letting her know about this.
You know, again, it's a shot in the dock, but
it is a possibility that Anderson may have been you know,
(06:55):
responsible for you know, maybe picking up Simone and with
you if I was just actually in touch with one
of our friends, you know, just yesterday actually. So, I mean,
these are two cases I'm going to continue writing about,
you know, until they're solved.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Oh that's that's a tremendous commitment, personal commitment on your part.
And never having been in that situation, and God hoped
none that no one listening to this broadcast was ever
or will ever be in that situation. You know, when
so much time passes, I'm sure that families are reconciling
(07:32):
in cases like this, And this is a lot of
the stuff you cover. It's these this is tough sledding.
I assume that they arrive at some point of closure,
meaning they know that their loved one is never coming home.
But but still there must be a desire to know
(07:56):
what happened, how did how did this? How did you know?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Well?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
How did this take place? I have to believe that's
a human instinct, and I'd be interested if you agree
or and if you disagree, please please feel free to
tell me. I'm because you know more about this stuff
than I do.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh, I agree absolutely. You know, I think after time passes,
families do come to their you know that they know,
they realize that their loved one may never come walking
through the door again alive. But I think, you know,
it's human nature. We want to know what happened, especially
to a loved one, and I think you know, getting
answers to those will provide at least some sort of
(08:32):
closure to families and loved ones of these victims.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
You know, not to trivialize it, but every once in
a while you'll hear a story about, you know, some
family dog that was on a camping trip in Iowa
and they live in California, and the dog got scared
and ran away, and six years later, somehow that dog
finds his way back home to wherever they. Yeah, which
(09:01):
is wonderful because you have you know, dogs have these instincts.
But you don't hear many stories like this that after
fifty years or twenty years, someone walks through the door.
You just it's so sad. And again the hitchhiking thing.
All of us when we were younger at some point hitchhike.
(09:22):
I know I did, but it was really a stupid
thing to do. And I think I think these stories
should be a cautionary tale as well. So there's a
lot of purposes your work is serving, Emily, And I
just want to say thanks for what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, thank you Dan that you know, help with spread
the word about these cases. I know it's real, it
is very sad, but the more people that hear about it,
we can you know, get some answers to these families.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Absolutely. Again, Emily, tell us how people can get a
free subscription to the Cold Case file at the Globe.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so you can sign up for the free newsletter
if you go to Globe dot com slash Cold Case
Files and you can sign up and you can read
the stories that I'm writing and you know, and you
can also submit, you know, any tips you may have,
any ideas or suggestions of cases. I get so many
emails Dan about you know, cases that haven't gotten much
(10:15):
media coverage, and I've worked on some more of those.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Coming up sounds great. Emily Sweety, Boston Globe. I'm off
for a couple of weeks. I talk. I'll see, as
we used to sing, I'll see you in September.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Okay, all right, Dan, all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Have a great weekend. Okay. Coming up, we're going to
all have to going to talk with Brigadier General Tom
Sellers about a big event on Saturday, September thirteenth, the
Military Friends Foundation. Well hold, it's twelfth annual Massachusetts Run
for the Fall and it's a five k at Barnes
Memorial Park in Denham. We'll talk to the Brigadier general
right after this quick break on Nightside.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Welcome back. I don't know what you do it On Saturday,
September thirteenth. But we got a suggestion for you. My
name is Dan Ray, host of Nightside. Once was the
spec for, So I didn't get a chance to talk
to too many generals, but we got one tonight for us.
I'm Brigadier General Tom Sellers, Brigadier General. I'm saluting you.
I know you can't see that on the radio, but welcome, Welcome, sir,
(11:23):
welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Well, I appreciate that very much, Dan, and thank you
for having me. And let me just admit upfront that
I've been a long time listener and always appreciated your
kind of ideas and perspectives on a lot of issues,
and so I do appreciate your service not only as
a spec for, but you'll continue service to the citizens
of Boston in the greater Boston area. So you you
(11:47):
do great work.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I thank you very much for that. General. So on
September thirteenth, which is a few weeks from now, we're
on the fourteenth, so I guess of August, so we're
talking probably for actually four weeks from now, will be
this Saturday, September thirteenth. The foundation, which is called the
Military Friends Foundation. First of all, that's been around for
(12:11):
a while. Tell us how people can get involved directly
with the Military Friends Foundation, because that group is going
to be hosting the twelfth annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen.
Let's we'll talk about the event, but let's talk about
the group first. Tell us about the Military Friends right.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, I appreciate that very much, Dan. Yeah, the Military
Friends Foundation has been involved in supporting the military families
and families of the fallen, and to some degree, the
first respond to community in Massachusetts for a number of years.
It was established by statute and the Commonwealth early on
(12:46):
after the beginning of the war periods as we get
in two thousand and later.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, the war we call war the war on rightfully,
so the War on Terror.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
That is correct. Yeah. So the organization has been supportive
of all of the military families, both soldiers during deployment
and the families that remain here at home and have
supported them through direct grant programs and other outreach programs
to anything from education opportunities to direct support during a
(13:20):
time of tragedy or a time of need of the individuals.
And this event that we are running on September thirteenth
is the twelfth Annual Massachusetts Run for the Fallen, which
will be held in Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham, is
another component of the activities we do to support the
(13:41):
military families and also generate continued interest in the Military
Friends Foundation and what it does for people. And you know,
the event, though it's marketed and discussed as a five K,
it's really not just a race. It's a powerful tribute
where we gathered to honor the lives of service members
(14:02):
who were were lost in combat or you know after
since nine to eleven. I'm very emotional about this because
many of those soldiers, as I was in the Massachusetts
National Guard for a stretch of time, were mine, so
I've got a direct relationship with them.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
But alsostand that.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
It's a chance for the military families, veterans and the
civilian community to come together and basically say in one voice,
we appreciate your service, we recognize your service, and we
will never forget you. So it's a it's a great event.
It is going to be run as I mentioned in
Barnes Memorial Park in Dedham. Nine thirty is the reading
(14:46):
of the Role of Honor, where we we read each
individual service member's name that has been lost since nine
to eleven. Then at eleven o'clock we kick off the
run Walk Rock event and it is followed by a
family friendly barbecue, a little bit of music, and it's
(15:07):
an opportunity to share some stories and reconnect with the
people that we have either served with or families that
we've been engaged with in the past.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
I love, I love by the way the slogan of
the group. All gave some, some gave all realize that
the sacrifice that uh, that that people make, particularly those
who have who have given their lives. Now, this is
a run walk rock, so you can run it, you
(15:38):
can walk, and it's five k that'd be about I
guess three point one miles if my uh my memory
is correct from those sorts of events that I used
to like to do when I was a runner.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
But a rock means, I guess you can throw your
backpack on some equipment and uh and make it a
little bit more challenging.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Yes, they uh, And we have many as with people.
When they do the ruck will add names of service
members they either served with or had a connection to,
will have that on their rucksack as they do the event.
They as they do this three point one mile course,
as you mentioned, they see many of the signs that
(16:21):
are set out there of the with pictures of the
individual service members that they the ultimate sacrifice of service
to the nation, and in many instances the family members
of those service members are right there with the sign.
These people participate in the event, so there's a real
human connection that occurs that is meaningful not only to
(16:46):
the participant but to the family, and it reinforces the
fact that we do not forget.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Now the website is simply run sign up dot com.
As I'm looking at the website there and there's a
donate button there, there's a registration button. Is there an
easier way for people or is that the proper sign
up page?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Well, they can sign up through that, or they can
also go to military Friends dot org and they can
register for the event, or they can register to be
a volunteer. We're always looking for volunteers because that is
where that community engagement at the very basic level occurs.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
That is.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Really adds the depth to the event that is meaningful
to the families because the families certainly appreciate people when
they come and participate, and also volunteer.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah, this is this looks like a great event. I
see that a lot of the individuals and you have
teams that are running, and you've raised a good amount
of money so far. But hey, the more the more
the Marriott both participating and donation donating. So military friends
dot org one website or run sign up dot com
(18:06):
and they can get all sorts of information how to volunteer,
how to register, how to how to all the race information. Again,
just remember Saturday, September thirteenth, General, thank you very much,
Thank you for your service of many, many years, forty
years at least, and it continues. I assume at this
(18:27):
point you retired.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yes I am. I'm retired and to some degree living
in the American dream. And but you know, I really
maintain that connection to the military families and certainly to
the soldiers that are up in Massachusetts, and because they
mean quite a bit to me, as I hope I
(18:50):
do to them. And you know, let me just kind
of close in saying that what makes this is this
the five kay, this run for the Fallen and a
meaningful event is that we read every name of every
service member that's been lost. The event is built around community,
(19:10):
remembrance and gratitude, whether you're walking, running, volunteering, and the
run gives gold Star families a place where their loved
ones are publicly remembered, honored, and celebrated, and it's just
meaningful to so many people in so many ways.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Sounds great. It looks to me. I did look at
your bio, but I think, are you a Massachusetts guy? Originally?
I see that you have your college degrees from at
least two degrees from Anna Maria.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Yes, I'm originally a Massachusetts guy. I currently reside in Florida,
but I come up to Massachusetts at a minimum once
a quarter to do events such as the Run for
the Fallen and several other events we do throughout the
year to maintain my connect to those military families there
(20:03):
in Massachusetts, because it's an honor for me to continue
in my way to still serve them. As though I
enjoy the weather most particularly in January in Florida, I
do like to get out of there in July.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Yeah, well get pretty warm down there in August and
September two, So come on back home bringing their general,
Tom Sellers General. Thank you so much honor to speak
with you.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Thank you Dan, and thank you for your service.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You're more than welcome. Was nothing compared to what you did,
that's for sure. Thank you so much. Before we break
the news here, I just want to remind you that
we have that iHeart Radio app. The talkback feature is available.
It's a cool way to become part of our Nightside broadcast,
another way to become the broadcast. Obviously you can become
a big part of the broadcast by being a guest
(20:50):
or a caller, but you can utilize our talkback feature
on the Arheart Radio app. Make sure you download and
have the free iHeartRadio app available. When you're listening to
night Side during the program Monday through Friday eight to midnight,
or anytime during the day, tap of the red microphone
talkback button in the top right corner to send us
your personalized audio message. We'll play it back on Nightside.
(21:12):
It's that simple again, keep it clean. We are FCC regulated,
but it can be critical, it can be complimentary, doesn't matter.
All you got to do is hit that red microphone button.
You get about thirty seconds, say what's on your mind?
Get it recorded. Just hit that button in the top
right corner of the app and we'll have you on
the radio with us, and of course we would also
love you to learn how to hit six, one, seven
(21:35):
thirty when we are taking phone calls. After nine o'clock tonight,
we'll be back on night Side right after this very
quick break. You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZY,
Boston's news radio. Well, I saw a story about a
week ago that really caught my attention. There's a neighborhood
in Townshend, Massachusetts, which is one of those communities out
(21:57):
Route too up up towards New Hampshire, and they have
a new resident in the neighborhood, a pretty good sized
black bear. It's not a graduate of the University of Maine.
Black Bear Athletic program with us is one of those residents.
Mary Beth Parice, Hi, Mary Beth, how are you tonight? O?
Speaker 6 (22:17):
Hey, how are you young?
Speaker 4 (22:18):
Good?
Speaker 6 (22:18):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Any you don't have any anyone coming in the back
door at this point, and announced I hope just want
to make sure we have a few minutes to talk
about a very interesting experience. What did you think when
you saw this little guy and he's not a little guy?
Speaker 6 (22:35):
Well, yeah, you know, And so we've since found out
that he is actually a she. She's pretty Yeah, she's
a pretty big girl. Okay, Yeah, she likes to come
by for a visit every now and then, usually if
the bird feeders are out, she wants to snack.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Yeah, no, has has this bear? And I'm not sure
if we can distinguish We're tough time distinguishing the gender.
But has this bear? Is this sort of part of
an annual event out there or is this drop by
that you've never seen before?
Speaker 6 (23:15):
So we've been out here for almost twenty years and
pretty much yearly we will end up, you know, being
visited by a bear. Maybe not this particular bear, but yes,
it is I don't want to say super common, but
it is something that you know, hey, it does definitely happen.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Now, I'm sure you sound like a very intelligent person.
I'm sure that you have probably asked some of the
questions I'm about to ask you. Is this, I mean,
is this dangerous? Or are they there just trying to
scavenge for some food for their long winters nap And
once they see you they scarry back into the woods.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
So typically if they hear a no always you know,
dog barking or somebody opening a door, or you know,
I've in the past have had you know, yelled out
the window, hey bear go away, you know, clapping my hands.
They do. They typically will take off fairly quickly. They
don't want to hang around. They don't want to see us.
You know, they're they're not interested in us. They they're
looking for an easy snack and easy meal. Maybe you know,
(24:20):
they were too lazy to go get some berries, so
they say, hey, you know, there's the birdsheater. Let's go.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Now. I've watched a couple of the news stories, and
I'm always interested in the details here. Why is it
that is it generally this time of year, meaning mid
to late August, when the bears happened to swing by,
And if so, I assume that's because they're getting ready,
ready to call it a year and sleep through three
(24:49):
or four months.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
I mean, you know that's I'm not the bear expert,
but I mean I will say we've seen them anywhere
from early spring, you know, right on through the fall
before they go into hibernation, so you know, and I
think it's really you know, if a lot of us
in the area maybe have the bird feeders out, or
maybe somebody has some trash that's you know, not put
(25:11):
away well or anything. It attracts them. They're attracted to smell.
You know, if they smell something good, they're going to
come check it out if they can.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Okay, here's the million dollar question, and I hope you've
asked this of the authorities of the officials. How far
away from your neighborhood do the There must be some
police officials up there, some environmental officials who are interested.
Is how close do you think these bears actually live
(25:42):
to your neighbor you know, from in relation to your
neighborhood any have you ever even asked that question?
Speaker 6 (25:49):
Yep. So some of the things I've I've read and
i've heard are you know, like male bears will travel
within a fifty nine mile radius. You know, it can
be two miles to fifty nine miles. This is what
they consider their home territory. Females it's you know, yep,
it's two miles to maybe ten miles. They tend to
stay a little bit closer to you know, their main
(26:09):
living area. But you know, and again that's just kind
of what I've heard and what I've read.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
So okay, so move you moved into townshend you said
almost twenty years ago or twenty years ago. I assume
you were aware or you're not, that you're live in
out in a relatively rural part of New England, and
that New England has bears. So I mean this I
assume has not shocked you. Maybe surprises you periodically, but
(26:40):
it's not shocking.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
I assume not anymore. I will definitely. You know, there
is a story from when we first moved here, and
I think it was probably our first spring. My husband
left early for work and a bear walked in front
of his vehicle, and so of course it was like,
oh my, a bear. So he ended up calling Yeah,
you know, he didn't call the emergency number, but he
(27:02):
did call the non emergency number for the police station.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
And we were.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Pretty much told, you know, like the bears are here,
we're here. We all need to like just cohabitate together
and be safe. Be smart, you know, don't leave your
pets out by themselves or you know, just just thinking,
just be cautious, be aware.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Oh my lions, tigers and bears. Yes, oh wow, so
so you how many times? My last question is how
many times this month have you had a visitor either
this same bear or a member of his family or
(27:41):
his extend or her extended family.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
So this month, I mean, and we're only moving into
the middle of August. We've seen her once and that
was this past Friday.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Okay, well yeah, you know again. Congratulations. It must be
a lot of people spend a lot of money to
you know, go to the one in zoo or the
San Diego Zoo, some of the Great zoos, or the
Franklin Park Zoo here Stoneham Zoo, uh to to see
some of these beautiful creatures, but to see them in
the wild there's a whole different story, particularly when the
(28:12):
wild becomes your backyard. You're a good sport to talk
about it because you you seem very calm and very
very comfortable with the whole experience, which I think is great.
And your kids probably have now an understanding of really
nature that a lot of that a lot of other
kids don't. So use your head, stay safe and thanks
(28:35):
so much for joining us tonight. Mary Beth Perice a
Townshend resident. And you're not putting the house out for sale, assume.
Speaker 6 (28:41):
Right, No, not anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Just trying to appreciate great night.
Speaker 6 (28:49):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
When we come back, we're going to get a report
from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I think my next guest is with
the group that has traveled to Williamsport to root on
the Braintree Little League team. They had a loss today.
No way to put a shine on a sneaker. They
lost thirteen nothing to a pretty good team from South Carolina.
(29:13):
But they will live to play another day and they
are next up on Saturday afternoon against the team from Texas. Well,
we'll catch up on how the Braintree Little leaguers are
doing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania at the Little League World Series.
Right after a couple of quick messages here on Nightside.
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
(29:37):
Welcome back everyone. Most people in New England have been
following very closely the sojourn of the Braintreet Little League team,
who are now in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the Little League
World Series, a must see end of summer event in
my household for years. We're joined now by Steve Pratt. Pratt.
(29:57):
Steve Pratt is the vice president of the brain Tree
American Little League. Steve was a disappointing day today. How's
everybody feeling First of all, I assume you're in Williamsport.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Correct, Yes, thank you, thank you very much for all
the sport and the covers. So yes, I am here
in Williams Sport. I'm also joined by Nickti Martine Printer,
American Little League President, and Sean Needle French, your American
twelve A assistant coach. So yeah, I mean again, we've had
(30:30):
a great time down on Williams Sport. Obviously, today's game
to not go how we wanted to, but the team
played great, and again we give all credit for till
the Southeast Region team and South Carolina. They played an
amazing game. But we're excited to get back at it
on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah. So the team you play on Saturday is a
double elimination tournament. It's a team from Texas Richmond, Texas.
I think I heard tonight. I'm sure you haven't looked
at a lot of game film on this team, but
all of these teams are good, and pitching is so dominant.
The kid that pitched I watched the game this afternoon,
(31:10):
the kid that pitched for this South Carolina team. He's
a big boy and he could throw the ball pretty hard,
and you know every once in a while you run
up against the pitcher and that and that can be tough.
You guys are in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A little trivia question
for you. Do you know that there's a pretty well
(31:31):
known former Major league pitcher who I think should be
in the Hall of Fame who grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
No idea, Mike, Mike.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
No, No, Mike Messina.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Okay, he was a Yankee oriol He should be in
the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
He's a good pitcher. He almost threw a perfect game
against the Red Sox back in September of two thousand
and one, like one weekend before nine to eleven. And
I was at that game, and he went nine and
he went eight and two thirds innings until Carl Everett
pinch hit and blew uped a single into left field.
(32:17):
So I'm always I always associate you seeing it with
Williams Boy. So, how the guys do after the game today?
I could see the looks in their faces. They were disappointed.
I hope maybe some pizza and whatever else changed the
mood in the locker room or in wherever they're staying.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Hey, Dan, this is Sean needle. I was with the
boys in the dugouts. So the boys were fine. I mean,
this is our first loss, so we won eighteen in
a row, and they took it really well. They bounced
right back. They know that they didn't have their best
stuff today, but they know that they can do much better.
I think they ran into a great pitcher today and
(32:57):
they just caught them up. I think a lot of
the Williams moment caught him up playing in front of
a big crowd like that. But they all had a
great attitude. Everyone kept there. They were they were fighting
to the end, and they know that the next game
they're going to do much better.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Well, you know, it's funny. Just you might mention this
to the Red Sox. Were playing the Astros this week,
as you guys know, and on Tuesday night, the Red
Sox bats exploded. They won the game eighteen to one,
and the Astros came back the next night and beat
the Red Sox. So baseball is a funny game, and
(33:32):
remind them about that that that they can turn around
pretty quickly. There is it? Twenty teams on ten from
the US and ten international teams.
Speaker 4 (33:44):
Yeah, Hey, Dan, Nickie Martino, President of Brasher Parker Little League.
That's that's kind of our points. There's no disappointment. Of course,
we would have preferred a better outcome today, but the
euphoria and the late euphoria around the town of Braintreet
and with the families down here in Williams Sport has
(34:06):
been off the charts and and you know cliche, they
can't lose at this point, and that's how I feel
as president. They've represented our league and our town, our district,
our section, our state and now all of New England
as well as any team I think, as any team could,
and they ran into a little bit of a buzz
saw today. But you know, if Saturday is another day
(34:28):
and this team will rebound well and they'll be prepared.
These coaches always have them prepared and the kids will
be ready to play and we'll look forward to it.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
Yeah, I know that all in New England will be
watching on Saturday afternoon. This game was on ESPN up
here today. I hope that the game on Saturday afternoon
will be on ESPN as well, so that now it
will be people from Braintree. But you know, all in
New England oftentimes it's it's tough just to get to Williamsport.
(34:57):
I mean, I'm I mean those kids, you guys, have
you your team has accomplished an incredible achievement to be
able to say that they played in the Little League
World Series, whatever the outcome, and hopefully have they had
much of a chance to interact with the kids from
(35:19):
the other parts of the world. What an incredible experience,
not only on the field but off the field. Tell
us a little bit about the housing for the teams
and the interaction that they have with teams from other
countries for that matter.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
Yeah, so Dan, it's Sean Needle again. So when we
were in Bristol, Connecticut, like we bought all the boys
tins and they were kind.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
Of shy to trade.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
But here the international kids, like so Chinese, Taipei below us,
and then the Czech Republic is right next to us.
So actually, I happen to say the international kids got
our boys were when they started asking them to trade,
our boys opened up and I have to say the
international kids got a boys going right away, and they
made so many friends from you know, different Australian friends,
(36:06):
Chinese type. Hey, they're trading sleeves with Venezuela, Panama Puerto Rico.
It's it's like the international kids are unbelievable, and they're
treated on boys so well, and you know, I hope
we're doing a good job respecting them and they you know,
I talked to the translators and they say, you know,
they love our boys too. You know, we try to
(36:27):
get a better deal in the trade. But it's working
out well. So what do you it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
What do you guys have to trade something from from
the hometown of mass from Massachusetts.
Speaker 5 (36:39):
Yeah, so we have we have pins. We have like
branch of American pins were trading, so like they want that,
Like a lot of the Venezuelan kids didn't have pins.
So they're they're trading. They're trading for baseball cards and
they give them the sleeves, so we'll we'll give them something.
They'll give us the hats like the Venezuela hats and
(37:00):
Chinese type. Hey, let's give you an example. Like the
first day we got that Chinese type, Hey brought us
a ton of pastries and so I kids loved it.
So they brought him like they literally brought him over overseas.
They international unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
It's such a great you know, life experience. And look,
they're going to play in this tournament, and I'm telling
you that ten years from now, they're going to be
reading about some guy, maybe somebody from Braintree who's just
been drafted by the Red Sox or the Yankees, and
they'll be able to say, hey, I bat it against
(37:35):
that guy or I pitched against that guy. This will
be memories for a lifetime. I mean this. I think
baseball is the greatest sport ever invented in terms of
the skill level that is necessary, the fact that you
can be a big, strong, you know, six foot seven pitcher,
or you could be jose L Tuve with with with
(37:57):
the Astros and be five to four and hit the
ball four hundred feet. So it's a great experience. Everybody's
rooting for you. I appreciate you guys taking the time
to be a night side tonight and we'll all be
watching and we'll be pulling for you on Saturday against Texas.
Speaker 7 (38:12):
Thank you very much, Thank you very much. We appreciate
all the coverage, and go brank your Americans.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Absolutely and the eyes of Massachusetts will be well beyond you,
not the eyes of Texas.
Speaker 7 (38:24):
Thanks guys, give everybody, and we appreciate.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
The time give everybody. All those kids, let them know
that everybody's pulling for them. That's for sure. I really
enjoyed it. I played Little League a long time ago,
but never got close to Pennsylvania and you trust me,
all right, Thanks guys. That's that's a wonderful experience the
brain treat Little leaguers who we had three of the
executives there and I'm sure the kids are having fun
(38:52):
inter interfacing and inter interacting with kids from around the
country and around the world. When we get back, we're
going to talk about a problem in Massachusetts, and that
is we need some legislation relative to transportation safety and
state Senator Nick Collins who joined us, and we're going
to talk about that. We talked about this last night,
(39:12):
but Nick Collins probably knows more about this issue than
anyone we could get on the show, and we will
have him with us. Any questions you have or comments
you want to make, you'll be able to join the
conversation too. Back on Night's side. Right after this on
a Thursday night,
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