Frank Morano discusses some of the hottest topics and gives his opinion. Frank talks about NewYork's problems with the migrant crisis and then Frank talks about elected officials pushing for student newspapers in every high school in NYC. Frank talks about some people not liking that a NY Assemblyman sent a Thankyou note to a homeowner flying an American Flag outside their home and then Frank talks about the endless roads of scaffolding clogging up NYC.
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The Other Side of Midnight Good morning everyone, this is The Other Side of Midnight on 77 W.A.B.C. I'm Frank Morano, thank you for listening. Well, for the better part of two years, we have been chronicling New York's difficulties with handling the migrant crisis and unfortunately, the more migrants that are here, I will mention that we are seeing the rate of migrants coming to New York City at least slow a little bit, which maybe is a step in the right direction. But the role is still coming here and all the problems with them coming here all still exist and are even getting worse. All the quality of life issues of having unvetted undocumented people who we don't know anything in the backgrounds and are largely becoming at least temporarily wards of the city. Well, there is a darker side of this because two months ago, a 13-year-old girl was raped and robbed at Knifepoint in Queens by an illegal immigrant from Ecuador. Now, we learn another woman suffered the same brutal attack just a few days ago at the hands of two illegal migrants from Nicaragua and Mexico, one of whom previously lived at the La Quinta Hotel migrant shelter on Third Avenue at the taxpayers expense. Now, we know that the problem with immigration is very much a national issue. I think you'd be hard pressed to say that the Biden administration has done a good job with their border policies, it seems there are far too many violent, unvetted individuals coming into our country and unfortunately New York City and our mayor and the governor have used our tax dollars to lure them to New York City with things like free food, free housing, free health care and education. It's not only misguided, it's just plain wrong. Because of these backwards policies and the city's continued refusal to cooperate with ICE, which the mayor has tried to change to his credit. Dangerous criminals have been given free reign on our streets to put the public's safety at risk. Unless the people in charge in our city and in our state and certainly at the federal government wake up to the damage that their policies have caused, we are going to see more people, innocent people, full victim to these heinous, violent attacks, sexual and otherwise. It's just quite frankly infuriating that even after thousands of incidents of migrant crime, the Biden administration still won't rescind their more than 60 executive orders that created this crisis. And the city council refuses to take action to do things like end the sanctuary city law and stop misinterpreting the right to shelter, which was meant for homeless New Yorkers, not for anyone that's homeless anywhere on the face of the earth. Bean me up! To be continued. The other side of midnight. Seventy-seven, double-dude, baby. You say me? Local spot flags. Good. Maro everyone, this is the other side of midnight on 77 W.A.B.C. I'm Frank Barato. Thank you for listening. You know, I have a bit of a soft spot for student newspapers. I wrote a little bit for my school newspapers over the years, even going back to elementary school, but my wife, who is a phenomenal print journalist, practically lived at hers. It's where she caught the journalism bug, and let me tell you, it's a bug that's hard to shake once it bites. So when I hear elected officials in New York are pushing for student newspapers in every public high school in New York City, I have to say, it's about time. In fact, I'd love to go further. I'd love to see more of them have school radio stations as well. That's something I'd love to get behind. And not just because I'm biased towards journalism, or in that case radio, but think about it. Student newspapers aren't just some extracurricular time-killer. They're an incubator for real talent. A training ground for the next generation of reporters, editors, and truth-tellers, and at a time when we need good journalists now more than ever, we should be doing everything we can to support this initiative. These papers aren't just about reporting who won the big game or what's on the cafeteria menu next week, although I'm sure that's important too. Now, these young journalists could be breaking real stories, holding their schools accountable, and learning to think critically about the issues that matter to them and their communities. And if you ask me, there's no better time to start than in high school, where curiosity and creativity are practically bursting at the seams. The data backs this up as well. The report from Baruch College found that schools with student newspapers tend to have higher graduation rates. So not only are these papers great for developing young journalists, they're actually helping students stay engaged in school. The unfortunate reality, though, is that many schools serving low-income students or students of color are the least likely to have these programs. Just 7% of public high schools with the highest poverty rates have student newspapers that's a shame and a real missed opportunity. That's why I'm in full support of this push to get a student newspaper in every high school. Everyone deserves the chance to find their voice and use it. And for some children, that voice is best expressed in print, typing away at a keyboard, chasing down leads, and maybe even earning a byline or two. The Department of Education says they've invested over $1.5 billion in schools, and that goes a long way towards enriching opportunities for students, including student newspapers. But investment is just the beginning. We need to keep the momentum going. Groups like the New York City Youth Journalism Coalition are already stepping up, advocating for more opportunities for students to get involved in journalism. So let's give our kids a chance to be heard. Let's give them the tools they need to cover the stories that matter to them. Who knows? The next great investigative journalist could be sitting in a high school classroom right now, just waiting for the chance to break their first story, and when they do, they'll be doing more than just writing for the school paper. They'll be shaping the future of journalism itself. Beam me up! To be continued. The other side of midnight. You know, it seems like these days you can't do anything without someone getting offended. Take the case of New York State Assemblyman Matt Slater. Now the guy sees an American flag flying outside someone's home, and he decides to send a thank you note. It's a simple, sincere letter acknowledging that homeowners patriotism. That's it. He's not asking for a vote or a donation, just saying, "Hey, thanks for showing some love for the good old U.S. of A." And wouldn't you know it, some people have a problem with that. One of his constituents felt the letter was intrusive, and reached out to Politico, New York, to let them know. Intrusive. Really? It's a thank you note. Not a surveillance operation. Literally, just a thank you note for flying the American flag, which apparently was sent to about a hundred constituents. I get that. In today's world, we're all a little wary about who's watching us. But if an elected official is out there, not asking for money, but just appreciating an American flag, well, isn't that kind of refreshing? I think it adds a lot to a local community to see these American flags flying. I'd love to see more elected officials do what Slater's doing, not just for the American flag, but for the New York State flag, and for the New York City flag, or whatever, municipality you happen to live in. Imagine getting a letter from your city council member, thanking you for flying the state flag or the city flag outside your home. It'd be a nice reminder that for all our differences, we share a community, a city, a state. Plus, it would let people know that our state and city flags exist, because let's be honest, how many of us can even picture them? A lot of people come to visit me when I have the state flag or the city flag flying outside my house, and the first thing they ask me is, what's that? Look, there are a lot of things politicians do that are genuinely worth complaining about. Sending a kind note because you happen to have a flag outside your house isn't one of them. In fact, I think we need more gestures like this, not fewer. So, assemblyman Matt Slater, keep sending those letters, and for those of you feeling a little intruded upon, maybe take it as a small, personal moment of appreciation. We could all use a little more of that these days. And who knows? Maybe one day someone will thank you for flying the New York City flag, or if you're really feeling bold, the Staten Island flag. Now, that would certainly be something. Beam me up! You know, there are certain things you expect when you walk around Manhattan, honking cabs, the occasional street performer, maybe even a guy trying to sell you a knock-off watch. But what you don't expect, or rather wish you didn't have to expect, are those endless rows of scaffolding. They're everywhere. It's like Manhattan has become one giant construction site that never seems to finish the job. And it's not just me saying this. A new city commission study, announced by Mayor Eric Adams, has revealed that businesses in Manhattan, hidden under these scaffolding eyesores, are losing thousands of dollars every month, thousands. I mean, no wonder restaurants and bars are struggling. How are you supposed to attract customers when your business looks like it's been locked away behind a makeshift prison of steel poles and plywood? Who wants to sip a cocktail while staring at rusted bolts? These scaffolding structures, also known as sidewalk sheds, are originally intended to protect us from falling debris during construction or maintenance. Great idea in theory. But the problem is, they stick around longer than the half-finished project in your garage. They stay up for months, sometimes years, even when the work is done. Honestly, the only time scaffolding ever feels remotely useful is when it's pouring rain and you forgot your umbrella. At that point, it's less a construction safety measure and more of a temporary rain shelter for the woefully unprepared, which usually includes me. So what are we doing about this? Well, Mayor Adams says he's working with the city council on some solutions. Think scaffolding in different colors, better lighting, and most importantly, shortening the duration of those permits. And I say it's about time. Businesses can't survive with these structures blocking their storefronts indefinitely. I've been complaining about this for years and I'm not alone. Scaffolding has become a permanent feature of our skyline and we all know it shouldn't be. Here's the thing. We need to take action and we need to take it fast. These scaffolding are more than just an eyesore. They're strangling small businesses. They're costing the city revenue and robbing New Yorkers of the vibrant street life we've come to love. So let's get serious about limiting how long these things stay up. Let's make sure building owners are moving quickly to finish their repairs. And if they're dragging their feet, hit them with fines so hefty they'll think twice about letting that scaffolding collect more dust. At the end of the day, this isn't about improving aesthetics. It's about supporting our businesses, our workers, and our city's economy. And who knows, maybe someday we'll be able to walk down the street without feeling like we're stuck in a never-ending construction zone. Wouldn't that be something? Beam me up! To be continued.
