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The show begins with an excerpt from Fr. Bernie Gilgun’s homily at the memorial mass for Tom Lewis.

Cha-Cha was part of a Real Solutions press conference this week looking to change people’s attitudes towards “sex workers” and “drug users,” among others. Real Solutions has asked the City Manager for information about the state of rooming houses and “SROs” in Worcester over the past decade.

The license commission suspended the city license for a gun range and will allow alcohol to be served at an event at Green Hill Park. City Councilor Joff Smith has suggested the city start a lottery.

“Renegade blogger” Marc Reece had a bad experience with Karon Shea Modeling and started a blog about it. Mike ties this to some of the ideas in Clay Shirky’s great new book Here Comes Everybody.

Jeff Barnard and Jordan Levy have criticized some of the recommendations the Research Bureau made about the city’s finances. Mr. Levy’s blog now has an RSS feed.

Jeff:

They recommend that the city sell, among other things, the airport. . . . the city’s been trying to sell the airport since the beginning of time . . . They’ll probably recommend in some future report that the empty mall on Front Street should be redeveloped . . . .

We experiment with reading Mr. Levy’s blog aloud.

Brendan: You, Mike Benedetti, just fixed everything that’s wrong with Jordan Levy.

Mike: As Muhammad Ali said of someone else, he’s “too old and too ugly to be the champion. Look at me! I’m pretty!”

The Telegram & Gazette spammed Mike this week. Jeff Barnard pointed out that blogging for the T&G is a rip-off. This week’s best online discussion threads include this one about school funding and this one about WRTA funding.

Fitchburg is cutting library services.

Papamoka and Wormtown Taxi posted some interesting info about groceries. Mike encourages you to hike the Massachusetts Midstate Trail and read his thru-hiker’s guide (PDF).

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You wouldn’t know it from reading the Telegram & Gazette, but, as at other papers, their circulation is still dropping. The news could be worse. Mike notes a goofy headline. (Brendan mentions the 2-headed kitten in Milbury and a T&G column that made it to Fark.)

We have an exclusive interview with two of the kids behind the play The Dragon Sorcerer, which will be performed in Worcester May 9 and 10.

I already have my tickets

Mike summarizes this week’s InCity Times and praises Annie’s Clark Brunch.

We listen to Gary Rosen speak about the possible decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts.

Brendan:

Next fall marijuana will be decriminalized in the state of Massachusetts. There’s no doubt about it . . . . All the Billy Breaults in the world are not going to stand in the way of this happening. There’s just too much public support out there.

Brendan shares his thoughts on the resolution of the strip club zoning issue.

We finish the show with an excerpt from the audiobook of Cory Doctorow’s new young adult novel Little Brother. Mike is going to buy a copy for a teen he knows who likes civil liberties and dislikes The Man.

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A Worcester county court officer is being investigated for leaking info to crooks; a Barre police officer who shot a dog in the leg is back to work. Worcester Peace Works has submitted an antiwar/PILOT resolution to the City Council.

We talk about how City Councilor Rick Rushton has bucked some of his political patrons by becoming an Obama delegate. Brendan explains state taxes to Mike. Brendan complains about the schools. Mike describes the Transgender Emergency Fund fundraiser. We speculate about the whole Volcanoboy/Worcesterite web forum transition, which seems to be a work in progress. (Nice to see Worcesterite is running Drupal, in my opinion the least-bad CMS out there.)

Bruce kinda promises to be at Art Attack on May 1 if any listeners want a photo with him; the event would be a nice beginning to a night on the town, which you could end with some of the Turtle Boy shows at area bars.

Of course, we also talk about guns.

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The Transgender Emergency Fund, previously announced on 508, has a fundraiser Saturday night at the Hotel Vernon. The Antiquarian Society has settled its feud with neighbors; Brendan and Mike don’t like the precedent that has been set. Brendan says people like his idea of a green grid for North Main Street, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

Worcester Magazine’s best-of issue hands awards to both Alec Lopez of the Dive Bar and a runner-up to Happy Birthday Mike Leslie.

Brendan and Mike talk for a really long time about Gary Rosen and Kate Toomey’s hair. The powers-that-be are proposing new regulations on scrap dealers that Mike doesn’t think will solve the problem of metal theft. Brendan likes Rosalie Tirella’s article on sidewalks in the InCity Times.

This article about skateboarding in Sterling provides almost no information.

Brendan will start appearing on Mike Messina’s radio show Monday nights.

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1990 photo of Tom from the magazine Inside Worcester.

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Charles talks about an event he’s organizing Saturday: “Nuclear Power is Not Green. Stand Out at the Obama Caucus to nominate delegates to the Democratic Convention Forest Grove Jr. High School, Worcester, MA, 12:30 PM Saturday April 5th 2008.” Brendan offers some defense of nuclear power.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Charles remembers the first march he attended, which was a response to King’s death.

In Worcester, a police officer shot a dog.

The InCity Times printed a hilarious pull-quote this week.

Chief Dio and Councilor Germain made intemperate comments at recent City Council meetings.

The show finishes with a long interview with Jacob Berendes about the state of his visionary junk shoppe, HBML.

You, too can leave a voice message to be played on the show. Just call 508-471-3897.

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Ralph “Ralph’s” Moberly has died. People worldwide have fond memories of that bar, but it doesn’t get a lot of respect in Worcester.

The building HBML rents in is getting foreclosed. Read their blog for the latest updates on finding a new location (or making do with the current one). The hip literary enterprise McSweeney’s is encouraging people worldwide to help them. Despite this kind of attention, HBML doesn’t get a lot of respect in Worcester.

Bruce used to think this was a picture of Mike Leslie:

Here is the real deal:

The Dive Bar isn’t moving to its new location/name till at least June.

Our friend Dave is on the cover of Worcester Magazine; he doesn’t like the photo.

Artigo/Ajemian Films continues to raise money for their project “We Got the Beat.”

Nothing much happened at this week’s hearing about the American Antiquarian Society vs. the Montvale Historical District. (You might listen to the opening for a detailed explanation of the issues.) The AAS is asking supportive Worcester residents to sign a petition against the expansion of the historical district.

Mike has been unable to entice people to public hearings with offers of free beer; asking people to trade printouts of Jacob Berendes e-mails for beer has worked great, though.

You, too can leave a voice message to be played on the show. Just call 508-471-3897.

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After comparing the philosophies of Joff Smith, Dr. Dre, and Thomas Jefferson, we talk about the City Council’s salary debate. (Audio of the debate at archive.org.) We also revisit last week’s discussion of the Antiquarian Society and Dianne Williamson’s similar take.

Mike and others were arrested for praying this week, but the US marshalls let them finish the prayer before arresting them, perhaps a sign that their hearts were softened by the 43-day vigil of prayer and fasting that preceeded the event. We also talk about a recent anti-war march, last year’s big anti-war rally, and the time Worcester police let activists install 2,000 crosses on the Commons without a permit.

Monday at 10:30AM is the Economic Development hearing at City Hall about the whole AAS parking lot thing. (Mentioned in passing: meet the new Dive Bar.)

You, too can leave a voice message to be played on the show. Just call 508-471-3897.

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Video from the anti-war prayers:

Video from the anti-war march:

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Worcester Indymedia is filing several public records requests to mark Sunshine Week; we’ll follow up on a future show and see if government is responding as the law requires.

Brendan defends the American Antiquarian Society against a proposed expansion of a nearby historical district. (More about the founder of the AAS.) Today is the birthday of one of Mike’s Facebook friends. Former City Council candidate John Mahoney still seems to be spamming people.

The Hanover Theater opens in Worcester tonight; check the WCCA TV13 website for a video clip shortly after the festivities begin. (Brendan mentions David Copperfield in connection with this.)

Census forms are finally out. If there aren’t any changes to be made on your form, you can let the city know via the web.

Mike will be at a prayer service next week that might turn into civil disobedience. And it might not.

Tracy Novick talks about the current crisis in local school funding; she’s been blogging about it.

You, too can leave a voice message to be played on the show. Just call 508-471-3897.

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We start off by discussing Worcester’s new contract with Charter for cable services. Scott talks about printing City Councilor Toomey’s Facebook updates in Worcester Magazine.

Worcester commuters may take trains to Boston via Fitchburg. Brendan talks about the Worcester police shooting a man. T&G has an mp3 recording of police radio of the incident.)

Mike talks with Election Commissioner John Stewart about the city census.

Kevin Ksen phones in about the successful Stop Unwanted Trash campaign.

You, too can leave a voice message to be played on the show. Just call 508-471-3897.

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To get an e-mail each week alerting you of the new episode of 508, join the e-mail list:

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