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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. For our last little bit of the show today, we're going to do part two of what we did at the same time yesterday. Yesterday, we invited you to call in with the news from your neighborhoods. While we got a lot of calls, almost all of them that got through in that first wave, were from New York City, the five boroughs per se. Now, we're going to do round two, but for this edition, we're going to invite you to call in from anywhere other than the five boroughs.

New Jersey you're up, Long Island you're up, Westchester, Rockland, other points north, Connecticut too, you're up. The question is, what's going on in your town? What's going on in your neighborhood? What's going on even on your block? Your hyperlocal news that doesn't make the news otherwise. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. What's the news from your block? This is our hyperlocal news call-in that we do periodically here on the show. What's going on on your block? What's the controversy? What's an interesting trend?

What's something that's going on on your block, in your neighborhood, or in your town that you think others would be interested in hearing about? 212-433-WNYC. We did the five boroughs yesterday, we'll do anywhere else today from our listening area. 212-433-9692. While some calls are coming in, here's an example of one that we got yesterday, but not quite in time to get it on the air on yesterday's show. A listener tweeting as NJ Li guy tweeted in Wantagh Nassau County.

"We have for the first time three school board candidates endorsed and supported by outside far-right political groups. They are going against two more traditional candidates for the two open seats." That was the tweet. While we haven't been able to independently verify that news yet, Newsday did report two weeks ago that the newly appointed Wantagh superintendent of schools, Philip D'Angelo Jr. has quit after less than three months on the job. This news comes after many months of reports that some vocal parents in the community have been urging the district to make masks optional in schools.

Over the mask debate, but what's the news from your school board? Maybe it is just the latest iteration of the mask debate or the vaccine mandate that's caused infighting. Maybe it's something as extreme as candidates endorsed and supported by outside far-right political groups for your local school board. That's just one example. Susie in Rocky Hill, New Jersey, you're on WNYC. Hi, Susan.

Susie: Hi, thanks for taking my call. Yes, I guess you can say this is hyperlocal news. I think we're the 20th smallest municipality in New Jersey. We're 10 minutes north of Princeton, but our local issue is that our library is about to be closed. The County Library System, a few years ago, announced that they were transferring all of our materials and services to a nearby town. Which leaves the future of our library, which has been operational for almost 50 years now. Its future is unclear, and it's a critical piece of social infrastructure here.

Brian Lehrer: Why is it going to close? Not enough use, local budget shortfall, what's the short reason?

Susie: The short reason is that some political activity, I guess, convinced the County Library System at Somerset County to open a brand new library in the adjacent town. For some reason, the County system instead of adding that library, decided they would transfer all of our resources to that adjacent municipality.

Brian Lehrer: That's unfortunate. Any loss of access-- Of course, I don't know this whole story, I don't know the story at all, but any reduction in library branches making it harder to go seems like a bad thing. Anne in Great Neck, you're on WNYC. Hi, Anne.

Anne: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I'm a big fan. We have a very hotly contested school board race here. It's usually sleepy and people don't pay much attention to them, although, of course, people move here because the schools are so good. What's happened is we have a longtime trustee who was a retired Great Neck teacher who was running for reelection being opposed by someone who says he's a concerned parent, but he has had to leave. He's been asked to leave library board and school board meetings for not wearing a mask during COVID.

He has a long list of books he wants to ban in the schools. He is supported by some religious organizations that are actively politicking, which is illegal in their congregation. There's been a whole road sign war where he's just plastered the thoroughfares with dozens in one spot dozens of signs. Hers, the longtime trustee's signs are mysteriously going missing even off of people's lawns.

Brian Lehrer: What's an example of the road sign if you know some of the text that this candidate is posting?

Anne: Oh, they're very innocuous. It's just the guy's name, vote for our concerned parent on May 17th.

Brian Lehrer: I see.

Anne: That's it.

Brian Lehrer: You think it's like that Juan [unintelligible 00:06:11] story or he's coming in with a Ron DeSantis style book-banning or speech-limiting agenda.

Anne: He said that actually. He's actually said in public. He's waved around the list of books he wants to ban. He literally said at a meeting that he wants to bring a slice of Florida to Great Neck.

Brian Lehrer: Really interesting and really interesting. That's probably worth some more than hyperlocal news coverage from Great Neck there. Looks like we have another one that I'm not going to have time to get to from somebody who doesn't even want to identify their town but is saying northern New Jersey. We're going to get to Beth in Richfield, Connecticut. Next, Beth, you are on WNYC. Hi, there, what's going on in Richfield?

Beth: Hi, Brian. Well, Richfield is a very small cute town fairly high income, and there's been a continuing controversy concerning low income and just general apartment buildings. In Connecticut, there's been a move in the legislature to try and desegregate certain towns in Connecticut, and there's an apartment building being proposed. There's a very loud group that is opposing it saying is going to ruin the character of the town. Saying things like, "I moved here for high-value homes, and this is going to decrease our property value."

It's very interesting. I happen to be on the side that I think many towns in Connecticut could use some diversity, but there's just continuing meetings going on with the town to try and-- [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: Economic diversity also implying, I guess racial diversity as a hot button in Richfield.

Beth: Exactly.

Brian Lehrer: I'm going to leave it there so we can get one more person on before we run out of time. Thank you for giving that some publicity. We'll finish with Chris in Verplanck in Westchester in the shadow of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, right Chris?

Chris: Yes, Brian. How are you doing?

Brian Lehrer: Good. We got 30 seconds for you. Go for it.

Chris: This is what's going on. Indian Point has been decommissioned. You have the huge electrical infrastructure right there already existing. The state, the town, the whole area is doing nothing with it. No alternative energy. No energy storage facilities. It's truly a shame not taking advantage of all the infrastructure that's there already. I don't understand why the environmental has abandoned the whole area. After the Indian Point closed, they're doing nothing to help support the community.

Brian Lehrer: Chris, thank you for your call. Thanks for all of you who called for the short call in of really interesting as it turned out, hyperlocal news stories from your neighborhood or town outside the city. Brian Lehrer on WNYC.

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