Drug, Competency Testing Long Overdue

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL January, 2005  The attitude is pervasive. When North Andover was considering a $4 million override several years ago, a Finance Committee member publicly stated, “Our number one objective is to NOT cut any jobs.” Really? We thought that public safety and education might come in first?  While that story is now old, […]

Haverhill’s Future

By: Jim Rurak, Former Mayor of Haverhill January, 2005  Haverhill’s history seesaws between big plans to promote its urban economy and extaordinary commitments to preserve its rural assets.  Unlike Lowell and Lawrence whose land area is completely built up, Haverhill’s urban core makes up only a fraction of its total area. The rest is made up of […]

Bookkeeper’s Corner – In the Land of White Death

  By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – January, 2005 You may be familiar with Sir Ernest Shackleton’s disastrous expedition to the Antarctic that spanned 22 months from 1914 to 1916. It has been retold numerous times in books, newspaper/magazine articles, and even a PBS Nova special. After considerable hardship, all members of Shackleton’s expedition survived the […]

Firefighter Heroes – Paying Attention with Tom Duggan

January, 2005 Even if we accept that everything Judy Brito says is true, Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan is absolutely right when he says that most firefighters in the city of Lawrence are honest, decent, hard-working individuals. They are the men and women who go out and respond to the cries for help from innocent victims […]

It’s The Little Things That Count – SENIOR MOMENTS WITH JIM CASSIDY

Lisa Beamer was recently interviewed on Good Morning America. If you remember, she is the wife of Todd Beamer who said, “Let’s Roll!” and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington, DC on that terrible morning of 9/11. She said it’s the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as […]

Valley Patriot of the Month: Tech. Sergeant Jeremiah Sullivan ~ Hero in Our Midst

By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – January, 2005  A boyhood attraction to trains, electronic gadgets, and Morse code earned Jeremiah (Jerry) Sullivan a ticket to see Europe by air. Actually, it was numerous tickets; they were for a B-17, and the reception wasn’t very friendly. Jerry was born and grew up in Lawrence. He graduated from […]