A weekly report on things I’ve read, heard and seen since last Wednesday. 

Article: From bus driver to professor, he keeps RI workers’ history alive, by Carlos Munoz in Boston Globe, September 27, 2026. This is the story of Scott Molloy, who was hired as a Rhode Island Transit Authority bus driver in 1973, drove for eight years then became the union business agent for three more. During this stretch, he received his Ph.D. in history. He was hired by the University of Rhode Island to teach labor history. Along the way, he accumulated a substantial collection of RI Transit and labor history artifacts. He recently donated some of it to the Smithsonian and most of it to the URI archives. About a dozen years ago, the Globe saw a business opportunity and started aggressively covering Providence, Rhode Island. The plan must have worked since RI coverage is more extensive than ever in the Globe. I went to Providence College from 1976 to 1980, so I have some lingering fondness. Plus, Providence politics can be pretty entertaining which keeps me paying attention.

Article: “Nutritionalists love these fall fruits and vegetables” by Caroline Hopkins Legaspi in New York Times, September 29, 2026. About eight years ago, I got a CSA subscription. That stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You pay a lump sum and then each week you get a crate filled with fresh vegetables, all locally grown. (The provider here is Farmer Dave’s in Dracut). This has expanded my culinary horizons to the point that vegetables are the high point of most meals, although some time I struggle to identify what a particular thing is. As a result, anytime I notice an article on fruits and vegetables, I pay attention. As the article states, “Here are 10 less popular but no less delicious – or nutritious – fall fruits and vegetables nutrition experts say are worth experimenting with this fall:” Brussels sprouts; cranberries; Jerusalem artichokes; Swiss chard, pomegranate seeds; okra; rutabagas; persimmons; winter squash; and pears.  

Book Review: Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City 1886-1990 by Jonathan Mahler (2025). This book spans the final four year term of Mayor Ed Koch who served three consecutive terms, from 1978 until 1989. Besides Koch, the main characters in the book are Al Sharpton, Rudy Giuliani and Donal Trump. A strong supporting cast includes Benjamin Ward, the first Black police commissioner; David Dinkins, who succeeded Koch as mayor and was the first Black person to hold that office; and Larry Kramer, the AIDS activist. The events this group must navigate include the stock market collapse of October 1986; the AIDS epidemic; runaway homelessness; the Central Park Jogger assault; the Preppy Murder; race confrontations at Howard Beach, Bensonhurst, and other places. Runaway homelessness, and much more. Having lived through it, I remember many of these events but not in the context of each other and of what else was going on in the world. That’s one reason why this book is so interesting. 

Obituary: “Sam McDowell, 84, Pitching Ace Who Battled Alcoholism, Dies” by Richard Goldstein, New York Times, October 9, 2026. My interest in baseball was born in the summer and fall of 1967 when I was eight-years-old and the Boston Red Sox won the American League Pennant and nearly won the World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3. At least some of the games were televised but the production values were still rudimentary, so I consumed most games on an AM radio. I also learned about the players by purchasing baseball cards. They cost 5 cents per pack which gave you five cards and a brittle stick of bubble gum. I didn’t accumulate an entire set but I had a big stack of cards, sorted by teams, so when the Red Sox faced the Cleveland Indians, for example, those cards were pulled out and studied. One of those cards was of Sam McDowell, a fearsome starting pitcher who teamed with Sonny Siebert to give the Indians a one-two pitching punch on an otherwise lackluster team. McDowell played a few more years, retiring early in the 1975 season. I don’t think I’ve thought of him since but noticed his obituary this week, a memorable name from my childhood.