Category: 508: A Show about Worcester

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Brendan Melican and Drew Wilson.

This week, we are snowed upon.

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Fresh injera is available at Fresh Farm Deli, 560 Lincoln St, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Big Y is carrying conspicuous amounts of locally-sourced food.

The McDonald’s vegan “feed-in” was popular; there’s a bike ride to a local farm sanctuary picnic this weekend.

We revisit the idea of local bloggers filling a small part of the gap the T&G is leaving. At some point Mike will try to define numbers for this thing.

Brendan talks about the recent City Council and School Committee debates and explains why you might want to attend one.

Mike shares how much time and money it takes to do a weekly show on WCCA TV13–not that much!

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Drew Wilson and Brendan Melican.

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Brendan describes the recent city election debates. Drew talks about Worcester residents opposing cruelty to circus animals, another Buddha Hut buffet, and an upcoming event outside McDonald’s on Main Street; see also Futuristic Brunch. Annie loaned us a Worcester Bicentennial coloring book. You can reportedly get injera on Lincoln Street; we will follow up.

Update: WCCA has posted videos of the mayoral debate

Huge amounts of viewer feedback!

• Sometime guest panelist Jack Stewart is looking for paid poll workers
• Journalist Brian Goslow tells us what Worcester’s bloggers need to do if they want to do journalism
• Joe O’Brien apologizes for spamming Mike
• Another Joe says that “I feel podcasting can teach our [youth] members communication skills, job skills, leadership skills as well as help them to realize that someone who grows up in Main South, Great Brook Valley or Plumley Village can have a voice.” We definitely want to help any aspiring digital media creators learn the ropes.
• Among other things, Nicole points out this complaint from “Members of the Commission on Disabilities, the Human Rights Commission and the Community Coalition on Bias and Hate” about this article in the InCity Times.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, we talk about Worcester Magazine News Editor Scott Zoback leaving, what it would take to beef up accountability journalism in Worcester (inspired by a Clay Shirky lecture), and legalizing medical marijuana in Massachusetts.

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In the coming weeks we will be interviewing Bill McCarthy and Rob Diaz. Feel free to suggest questions in the comments below.

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Brendan Melican, Tina Zlody, and Worcester City Council candidate Mary Keefe.

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Gary Rosen plans to run for State Rep; Bill Coleman plans to run for U.S. Senate.

Tina talks about the upcoming stART in the Street art fest and last week’s Pecha Kucha night.

Mike recaps his analysis of City Council websites.

Mary is running for an At-Large seat on the City Council.

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More conversation about this episode at Paulie’s blog.
Continue reading “508 #84: Mary Keefe”

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan Melican and Bruce Russell talk with Kate Toomey about running for mayor of Worcester.

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Also: no new info on political sign thefts; discussion of the pools issue and a curious incident with the City Manager; Dianne Williamson’s latest cry for help; absurd self-parody from Jordan Levy. We never do get around to discussing how much any of us can bench.

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More conversation about this episode on Paulie’s blog.

Continue reading “508 #82: Kate Toomey”

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelists are Brendan Melican and Worcester School Committee candidate Tracy Novick.[display_podcast]

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This week begins a series introducing Worcester election challengers. We mostly talk about the School Committee and the elections. Other relevant links and notes:

• School starts next week
• Mushroom kits
• First issue of Inside Worcester is out
• Vegetarian renaissance: Veggie Corner opens where Quan Yin was, more dining guides being printed, Worcester Veg Fest slated for mid-April
• Vegetarians have a Lower Cancer Rate than Regular Meat-Eaters
• Yellow ribbons taken from Columbus Park yard
• Chandler cleanup hailed (Contrary to our claim, Paulie not mentioned)

Just the Novick interview:

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508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan and Mike mourn that Gary Rosen is not running for re-election.

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Also: the first issue of Blank Canvas in 2 years is out; Derek Ring took photos of some LaRouche people; there’s a Buddha Hut brunch tomorrow; vegans should check out Chris Gould’s food cart at the Dive Bar; The Woo is holding a 12-hour prayer vigil for Main South; the pond weeds are supposedly no big deal; there was a pot bust in Worcester; we talk about a famous acid bust; Mike is thinking of growing mushrooms.

Also: Intermission.

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508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Mike and Brendan read the papers and cover some of the basics of Worcester’s upcoming election, scarcely 3 months away.

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Note: Not long after this podcast was recorded, Gary Rosen announced he was not running.

Brendan’s Tracy Novick yard sign was stolen, along with all the other Novick signs on his street.

Notable articles from Thursday’s paper:

• Street survivors
• Cat killed in ‘self-defense’
• Barren Burncoat landscape toured

The InCity Times celebrates their 8th anniversary. The Catholic Radical discusses banking and efforts to unionize local janitors. We mention that this effort may impact cleaning service owner Stephen Buchalter’s campaign. We also review some backstory of Joe O’Brien and Grace Ross, and how Mike Germain won the last election under unique circumstances.

Continue reading “508 #79: Worcester elections 101”

508 is a show about Worcester. This weeks panelists are Brenna Cussen and Brendan Melican. It’s been a rough week in the area. So we explore the public art exhibit in Elm Park, study invasive water plants, note the upcoming Christianity and Anarchism conference, and look forward to another Creative Laundry event.

Audio listeners are offered a classic IKEA item, and will enjoy Jonathan Coulton’s “Ikea“.

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Continue reading “508 #78: Elm Park art”