RTDNA 2022
EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
2021 was a year that saw a focus on civil rights, especially on the South Shore. Throughout the year, WATD covered a wide array of issues involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. Examples that are found in this submission include coverage of protests regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at the Plymouth County Jail, a local leader discussing discrimination against Asian-Americans, a rabbi addressing anti-Semitic incidents at Duxbury High School, and a push to have more inclusiveness for Native Americans, as the region observed the 400th Anniversary of Thanksgiving. This submission includes mostly audio reports with two video news packages; one featuring Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and the other reporting on the premiere of the Smithsonian Channel film “Behind the Holiday: Thanksgiving.”
Listen to the compilation here:
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/08/pressley-opens-new-district-office/
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/11/plimoth-patuxet-hosts-premiere-of-thanksgiving-film/
NEWSCAST
The Mid-Day Report with Christine James, on September 10, 2021, delves into several continuing stories we’ve been reporting on for years, including remembering 9/11 in the Boston area, and continued scrutiny into correctional facilities, specifically the Plymouth County House of Correction, the largest jail in New England. The Plymouth County Sheriff, Joe McDonald, shared news of dropping their “287(g)” program, run in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and attributing it to personnel issues, rather than pressure from protesters or critics. We also highlighted interviews with a local Fire Chief and a former New York City gang detective, as they shared their memories of responding to New York on and after 9/11. This leads into a montage of 9/11 sound, as we remember what happened on that day 20 years ago. We highlight some of the issues, and the way our lives have changed since then. A Veterans Food Drive that we hold monthly from the WATD parking lot is also featured, as they typically give out over 10,000 pounds of food – pet food, too at this event. There were also compelling pictures and video posted to our website, and Facebook pages. The latest sports, traffic, weather, and a Wall Street update is included in the report.
BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
Stolen Rockland Police Cruiser (3/27/21)
Listen to Story:
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/03/man-with-brockton-ties-identified-as-suspect-shot-following-chase/
This story began with an investigation into a convenience store robbery in Rockland. It resulted in a police cruiser being stolen and a pursuit through multiple towns, with two police officers injured. The vehicle was cornered multiple times, resulting in road closures and suspension of public transit. A standoff took place in Quincy, and the suspect was shot and killed by police after he attempted to leave the cruiser while holding a patrol rifle. This story includes live updates, a live report from the scene, comments from local officials, and witnesses who saw the incident unfold.
Braintree K-9 Officer Kitt and Police Ambushed by Suspect (6/4/21)
Listen to Story:
On June 4, 2021, Braintree Police responded to a domestic violence incident on McCusker Drive. While police searched the area, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said they were ambushed by a suspect lying in a wooded area. Braintree
K-9 Kitt was mortally wounded, and two officers suffered gunshot wounds. The suspect was shot and killed by police. WATD’s Dan McCready provided updates from the studio, and Lenny Rowe reported from the scene.
Virginia Hannon Murder Suspect Identified (3/18/21)
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For 37 years, the murder of Virginia Hannon was unsolved. Hannon, 59, was a beloved member of her family and worked as a cook at the Bryantville Elementary School. She was found bludgeoned and stabbed in her West Street home in Pembroke on February 13, 1984. WATD’s Christine James has covered this story extensively for decades, meeting with family members, investigators, and officials, since the case began.
We conducted a live broadcast during a March 18, 2021 press conference with Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz. He said police received a tip that led them to a suspect, 58-year-old Jesse Aylward. After rounds of testing, Aylward’s DNA was a match to a nylon stocking used to strangle Hannon, broken glass, and paper towels at the scene. Retired Pembroke Police Chief Rick Wall, who spoke at the conference, was Hannon’s paperboy at the time of the murder.
HARD NEWS
Hard News Danny Sheehan Tribute – (8/12/21)
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/08/marshfield-bids-final-farewell-to-eight-year-old-danny-sheehan/
Danny Sheehan was an eight-year-old boy from Marshfield who had a profound impact on his community. He battled aggressive pediatric brain cancer for four years, but had a contagious smile and laugh that brought joy to others.
After his passing, the town of Marshfield rallied to support Danny and the Sheehan family. The main roadway in town, Route 139, was lined with thousands of people who held balloons, signs, and made noise for their hero.
Sheehan was able to raise funds for Cops for Kids with Cancer, and was named an honorary member of the Marshfield Police Department. Police and Fire Departments from around Massachusetts took part in his funeral procession around Marshfield. Some officers traveled from as far as Middleton, Connecticut to be part of the final send-off.
WATD’s Lenny Rowe took video of the procession, and interviewed some of Danny Sheehan’s classmates as they stood outside his elementary school. He files this report.
Hard News Elijah Lewis Investigation – (10/24/21)
A 5-year-old New Hampshire boy, Elijah Lewis, was reported missing on October 14, 2021.
This set off a frantic search to locate Lewis, with investigators searching in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said his office received credible information that led investigators to a remote, wooded area off Chestnut Street in the small town of Abington, Massachusetts. Investigators from numerous states, K-9s, and helicopters conducted an extensive search over two days in the area.
On October 23rd, Cruz and officials announced a cadaver dog located Lewis in a shallow grave, about 250 yards from the roadway.
WATD’s Lenny Rowe closely followed this story, and filed reports throughout the weekend.
CONTINUING COVERAGE
FEATURE REPORTING
Jeff Belanger’s Creepy Christmas (12/24/21)
In this story, Dan McCready speaks with paranormal writer and podcast host, Jeff Belanger, about the darker side of the holiday season. This story includes references to Krampus, the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol” and the banning of Christmas in Boston by Puritanical leaders due to its perceived “Satanical” origins. The story also includes a video featuring our interview with Belanger.
Listen to Story:
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/12/jeff-belanger-discusses-the-creepy-side-of-christmas/
Fuller Shallop Returns to Plymouth (6/19/21)
Listen to Story:
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/06/fuller-shallop-returns-to-plymouth/
On June 19, 2021 the Fuller Shallop, a replica of a vessel that was onboard the original Mayflower, made a return to Plymouth after having undergone repairs. In this story, Dan McCready speaks with members of the crew who were aboard the voyage, representatives from the Plimoth Patuxet Museums who explain its historical significance, and members of the public who watched it come ashore. This story features both a story for radio broadcast along with a video for the station’s website.
Katherine Ebert is 100 (08/04/21)
Listen to Story:
WATD’s Christine James had a chance to sit down and talk with Duxbury resident, Katherine Ebert, who celebrated her 100th birthday on July 28th. Katherine had many interesting comments to share about life, and her experience,s including seeing legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh fly his plane, and how she taught American G.I.s after WWII.
ED AND THE FLYING TURTLES (12/10/21)
Listen to Story:
A number of visitors flock to the beautiful beaches along the South Shore and Cape Cod, and most leave before the cold weather sets in. Some, like sea turtles that prefer warmer temperatures, don’t make it out in time, and end up cold-stunned along the beaches. Volunteers gather the turtles and they enter a system organized by the new England Aquarium to save and rehabilitate them. Part of the process is airlifting them out of the airport here in Marshfield, Massachusetts. WATD’s Ed Perry reports from the airport.
SPORTS REPORTING (9/16/21)
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The Hold the Line Foundation was founded in 2018 after the murders of Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna and Vera Adams in Weymouth. The inaugural game joined the Weymouth Police and Fire Departments in a charity game against professionals from the National Hockey League. Proceeds from the annual game go to an emergency fund for law enforcement families.
For the third annual game, state, local, and federal police officers got the chance to play against professional hockey players from the National Hockey League and the Premier Hockey Federation.
Proceeds from the third annual event supported the Braintree Police Department, after two officers were shot and injured by a suspect. Their K-9 officer, Kitt, was mortally wounded in the incident.
WATD’s Lenny Rowe spoke with some of the officers, players, and organizers involved in the event, including a Rockland Police Officer, who managed to score a goal in the contest.
EXCELLENCE IN SOUND
East Bridgewater Veteran Beats Cancer and COVID-19 (4/17/21)
Listen to Story:
A ceremony was held in East Bridgewater after a 95-year-old Marine veteran survived a bout with COVID-19. Longtime resident Jim Ingargiola has experienced tough battles throughout his life. The World War II veteran was stationed in Guam and Iwo Jima in 1945. He’s beaten lung cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Lenny Rowe spoke with Ingargiola, who even sang Frank Sinatra’s “Let Me Try Again.”
JAIL PROTEST (09/24/21)
Listen to Story:
Plymouth, Massachusetts had an old county jail that had a history of leaking inmates. To finance a new jail, a former sheriff agreed to take state and federal prisoners. That has led to celebrity prisoners, including Whitey Bulger. It has also led to ICE detainees. People protesting the holding of those charged with immigration violations blamed the current sheriff who tried to explain he had no choice. They walked, under Plymouth police protection, from Plymouth Rock to the jail chanting all two miles. WATD’s Charles Mathewson followed them
OVERALL EXCELLENCE
2021 will be remembered by the WATD News Department as a year of stops and starts. Starting to get back into courtrooms, then closures again. Starting to be able to get to more live meetings, limiting them, stopping them, and shifting to a remote platform. COVID numbers up, then down, then seeming to skyrocket after holiday gatherings. Lots of COVID testing. Through it all, we found ways to make it work, including continued use of masks, microphones on long poles, and spacious, open studios. This was all an effort to bring our listeners all the news and information they count on. The stories we’ve included in the entry showcase show some of these diverse stories, including a “montage” of pandemic coverage to represent just a small bit of what we’ve covered.
1) BLM March in Milton (5/26/21)
A number of community groups banded together in Milton, to march for “George and Justice” and to remind people that their thoughts, actions, and deeds really do matter. Participating groups included religious organizations, civic groups, politicians and people who wanted to lend their voice and show their support.
2) Stolen Rockland Police Cruiser (3/27/21)
Listen to Story:
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/03/man-with-brockton-ties-identified-as-suspect-shot-following-chase/
This story began with an investigation into a convenience store robbery in Rockland. It resulted in a police cruiser being stolen and a pursuit through multiple towns, with two police officers injured. The vehicle was cornered multiple times, resulting in road closures and suspension of public transit. A standoff took place in Quincy, and the suspect was shot and killed by police after he attempted to leave the cruiser while holding a patrol rifle. This story includes live updates, a live report from the scene, comments from local officials, and witnesses who saw the incident unfold.
3) 9/11 First Responders in Studio (9/9/21)
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/09/duxbury-fire-chief-kevin-nord-and-kingston-k9-officer-mike-la-natra-detail-their-9-11-experiences/
First Responders, Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord, and Kingston Police Officer Mike LaNatra, a former NYC Gang detective, shared some of their memories twenty years later of responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
5) Pandemic Montage
Selected highlights represent just a small portion of what we covered and provided to our listeners for Pandemic coverage during the year.
4) Braintree K-9 Officer Kitt and Police Ambushed by Suspect (6/4/21)
Listen to Story:
On June 4, 2021, Braintree Police responded to a domestic violence incident on McCusker Drive. While police searched the area, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said they were ambushed by a suspect lying in a wooded area. Braintree K-9 Kitt was mortally wounded, and two officers suffered gunshot wounds. The suspect was shot and killed by police. WATD’s Dan McCready provided updates from the studio, and Lenny Rowe reported from the scene.
Hundreds of people gathered at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for a funeral service for Kitt, a Belgian Malinois who was born in Slovakia in 2009. He was remembered as a hero who continued to charge towards the suspect, despite being wounded.
5) Pandemic Montage
Selected highlights represent just a small portion of what we covered and provided to our listeners for Pandemic coverage during the year.
6) Pembroke Election Forum (4/26/21)
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/04/pembroke-select-board-candidates-on-watd/
WATD maintained their tradition of political coverage by holding a number of in-studio live political forums – this example is from a local Select Board race and a question about the “fairness” of closed Facebook sites.
7) Remembering Undercover Arrest of Cocaine Kingpin (5/6/21) George Jung
International Cocaine smuggler George Jung’s death brought back memories for many local people including comments from the State Police Detective, Bill McGreal, who went undercover to successfully arrest him.
8) Plymouth Drag Queen Story Hour (6/25/21)
Listen to Story:
In Plymouth, a Drag Queen story hour for kids took place at the town library, to the delight of some, and the chagrin of others.
Bobbi Clark spoke with the organizer of the event to find out more.
9) U.S. Senator Ed Markey at the Weymouth Compressor (4/2/21)
Listen to Story:
The Weymouth Natural Gas Compressor Station, owned by Enbridge, was the source of controversy and protests.
The station was in operation for a short time before two emergency shutdowns in September. More than 440,000 cubic feet of methane was vented into the air.
This prompted a review from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey joined protesters, and the group Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station (FRRACS) to speak out against its operation.
WATD spoke with Markey, local officials, and Alice Arena, the President of FRRACS.
10) Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Decommissioning (1/26/21)
NDCAP stands for the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel, a group charged with acting as observers for the “decommissioning process” of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. They have been meeting almost every month since the process started, as reported in this package, their frustration is building.
11) National Pollinators Week (06/18/21)
Bees, butterflies, and many other winged insects help to pollinate our plants, from small family gardens to big farms and they’re in trouble. Amy Leonard reports on their situation during National Pollinators Week.
12) Plymouth Jail Protest (9/24/21)
With cries of “the whole damn system is guilty as hell” a group of protesters walked from the symbolic Plymouth Rock to the Plymouth County Jail, chanting and demanding to shut it down.
13) Plymouth Sheriff Ends 287(G) Program (9/10/21)
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/09/plymouth-county-sheriff-joe-mcdonald-says-they-plan-to-end-287g-program-with-ice/
Several programs at the Plymouth County Jail involve the federal agency ICE. The Sheriff came on the air with Christine James to say they were dropping one of them, for several reasons, but not because of any pressure from protestors or critics.
14) Plymouth Select Board Intrigue (08/24/21)
The Plymouth Select Board is the governing body for this community of over 60,000 residents. What began as a story in 2020 about the Town Manager reading emails from a member of that board to various town employees, has evolved into a larger story. Board members may preach transparency and fiscal responsibility, but their actions included manipulating executive session minutes, and spending an estimated $400,000 to get the Town Manager out. This report by Bobbi Clark is one piece of an ongoing story.
15) Ellis Field Dedication (1/25/21)
The town of Hanover honors the memory of a WWII soldier who didn’t make it home, but whose family chose to remember him with a gift that the whole town could use.
16) The National Day of Mourning (11/25/21) is a day that many people also call Thanksgiving. For the past 51 years, hundreds of members of the United American Indians of New England, have gathered on Cole’s Hill, in Plymouth, in a show of support for their history, culture and people. Ed Perry spoke with Kisha James, the granddaughter of the event’s founder Frank James, who was also known as Wamsutta. James spoke about the significance of the day.
17) Pilgrims Progress (11/25/21)
For the past 100 years a group of Plymouth residents re-enact in clothing, route and song the survivors of the winter of 1621 as they make their way to give thanks and worship on the Sabbath. Charles Mathewson reports.
18) Fessenden Site Broadcast (12/24/21)
https://959watd.com/blog/2021/12/watds-ed-perry-broadcasts-from-fessenden-site-in-brant-rock-2/
In 1906, Reginald Aubrey Fessenden conducted the first documented radio broadcast in the world from 400-foot towers in Brant Rock.
It was a morning concert, where Fessenden gave a speech, played his violin, and wished listeners a merry Christmas.
Ed Perry, WATD’s station owner, General Manager, and radio historian, broadcasts from that very location on December 24, 2021.
19) East Bridgewater Veteran Beats Cancer and COVID-19 (4/7/21)
A ceremony was held in East Bridgewater after a 95-year-old Marine veteran survived a bout with COVID-19. Longtime resident Jim Ingargiola has experienced tough battles throughout his life. The World War II veteran was stationed in Guam and Iwo Jima in 1945. He’s beaten lung cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Lenny Rowe spoke with Ingargiola, who even sang Frank Sinatra’s “Let Me Try Again.”