Losing Your Job Over “Free Speech” Part 1

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there have been countless examples of people losing their jobs or being suspended over their controversial comments about Kirk’s death. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is the latest public figure to be suspended, and his show pulled “indefinitely” for comments he made during an opening monologue on his show earlier in the week. What constitutes as free speech, and can you separate yourself and your political viewpoints from that of your company? Dan  discussed the legalities of free speech and working for a privately owned company or entity that might hold your comments against you.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there have been countless examples of people losing their jobs or being suspended over their controversial comments about Kirk’s death. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is the latest public figure to be suspended, and his show pulled “indefinitely” for comments he made during an opening monologue on his show earlier in the week. What constitutes as free speech, and can you separate yourself and your political viewpoints from that of your company? Dan  discussed the legalities of free speech and working for a privately owned company or entity that might hold your comments against you. Attorney Harvey Silverglate joined us to discuss.

How far away has your luggage been left behind never to be returned? Josh Bittker is a local Cambridge guy whose luggage despite containing an Apple AirTag with its exact location known, had his luggage left behind at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris by Air France, never to be returned. Despite persistent communication by Bittker and assurance from the airline that they knew where his luggage was and that it would be returned, the airline turned around and dubbed the luggage a total loss and it ended up at a Parisian thrift store! Josh shared his story with us as we invited listeners to also share your lost luggage stories!

We kick off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!September is National Suicide Prevention Month – Raising awareness about suicide and how to help. Guest: Christi Taylor Jones – Psychotherapist & suicide survivor - MA author of "Touched by Suicide: A Personal and Psychological Perspective on the Longing for Death and Rebirth" The unique story of how MA based Jefferson Rubber Works, a 50-year-old supplier of custom-molded rubber products found success in the pet products industry, thus Ruff Dawg was created! Came up with the popular dog toy – the K-9 flyer! Guest: Carrie Quinn – Marketing Director of Ruff Dawg Bill sponsors say public restrooms need to be changed - Universal changing stations for adults with disabilities or health conditions, plus diaper changing stations for babies, would be required in certain public buildings. Guest: Alison Kuznitz – State House News Reporter MSPCA-Angell Warns of Parvovirus Dangers Following Hospitalization of Abandoned Golden Retriever Puppies. What parvovirus is, what dog owners need to know and how to prevent it. Guest: Alyssa Krieger - director of the MSPCA-Angell’s Community Outreach program

Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel made some comments that had his parent company suspend his show indefinitley. Dan shared his thoughts and invited listeners to call in with their opinions on Kimmel's suspension. 

Parents are left with an impossible decision after an 18-year-old Falmouth student was accused and arrested for threatening a school shooting in Falmouth. Ian Fotheringham is charged with threatening to use a deadly weapon in a public building. While police did not find any weapons upon investigation, it raises concerns over how to handle such threats and the difficult decision for parents over whether they send their kids to school where a shooting threat has been made. At a hearing, a district court judge ruled that the teen can go free if he posts $2500 bail and wears a GPS monitoring device. What would you do as a parent or a student?

Last year the data showed that the majority of students in 561 MA elementary schools were not proficient in reading and less than half of MA's elementary and middle school students met or exceeded expectations on the 2024 English language arts MCAS, down more than 20% from pre-pandemic levels. Lawmakers have introduced a bill, the “Right to Read Act,” that would promote high quality comprehensive literacy instruction in all MA public schools. Mary Tamer, a former Boston School Committee member and the Executive Director of MassPotential, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the success of all K-12 students across the Commonwealth, joined us to discuss.

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!The Return of Taste of Fenway on Wednesday September 24th! Guest: Steven Farrell - Executive Director of Fenway Community Development Corporation New Massachusetts license plate honors K9 officers and handlers. Guest: James (Jim) LaMonte – Founder of the K9 PTSD Research Center in Seekonk, the group who came up with the idea of the plates Europe bans chemical used in some gel nail polishes, classifying it as a ‘reproductive toxicant’. Tufts doctor things there should be some type of regulation in the U.S. She thinks it would be a particularly good idea for women of childbearing age to avoid gel nail polish… Guest: Dr. Farah Moustafa - MD, Dermatologist and Director of Laser and Cosmetics at Tufts Medical Center Retired Milford firefighter John Hennessy, who, after a lifetime of service with the Milford Fire Dept., now needs help finding a donor for a lifesaving kidney. Guest: John Hennessy – Retired Milford firefighter who needs a kidney  *For more info on John and how to donate*

With so many stories in the news, Dan invited callers to bring up any topic for discussion.

In recent years, the FBI has seen a huge increase in the number of child and teen sextortion cases. James Woods was a 17-year-old college-bound track star who took his life after being the target of sextortion. James’ parents, Tamia & Tim Woods, started a foundation that educates students and parents alike about the dangers of sextortion. Tamia and Tim joined us on NightSide and discussed what sextortion is, how kids are being targeted, and in some cases, taking their own lives as a result.