By: Methuen Mayor Bill Manzi – March, 2012 “With the City of Methuen in the middle of a battle over outsourcing the Information Technology Department (City Council rejected Mayor Zanni’s proposed privatization) former Mayor William Manzi offers a primer on privatizing municipal services, using the White Paper by Stephen Lisauskas and the Pioneer Institute […]
By: Anne Knowles – March, 2012 Andover is one of the best known towns in Massachusetts. It offers great schools, a well managed town and residents from all corners of the world that make this town their home. Andover has an exciting history going back in time to the first settlers around 1634 and […]
By: Jeff Katz – March, 2012 As I write this, we are a few days out from the Michigan Republican primary and the race continues to evolve. For the past month, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has been leading former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In fact, at times, Santorum’s lead has been shown to be […]
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX By:Dr. Charles Ormsby – March, 2012 Can’t they just leave us alone? Why must they constantly meddle in our affairs? They are like overbearing busybodies with a congenital case of ego elephantiasis. Or is it arrogance elephantiasis? As children grow up they eventually outgrow the need for parental guidance. The […]
By: Ronnie Ford – March 2012 Over the past few weeks, we in Methuen have experienced a first attack regarding our government or at least part of our government, the Housing Authority. Believe me, you ain’t seen nuttin yet! The latest battle lines have been drawn between Kenny Martin and some councilors, hiding beneath the […]
By: William Gunn – March 2013 I submitted a letter similar to the following to a Massachusetts State Legislator asking him to draft legislation that would eliminate the DOR and all income, sales and other taxes in the state to be replaced with a surcharge to every community based on property values. This would allow […]
More than 200 Actions Taken in 23 States By: Cecelia Calabrese – March, 2012 According to recent statistics, we are losing approximately 1000 World War II veterans every day. Time grows preciously scarce for each one of us to take advantage of the opportunity to let these extraordinary men and women know just how […]
By: State Senator Steven Baddour When I was the Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation, I helped coin the phrase “reform before revenue” to describe an approach to transportation reform that sought to ensure that tax- and toll-payer money was being spent efficiently and effectively so that the Legislature didn’t pump new […]
Feds Serve More Subpoenas in Corruption Probe By: Tom Duggan – March, 2012 Since the days of Willie Lantigua’s first campaign for state representative, The Valley Patriot has reported extensively on his failure to report campaign contributions, failure to declare campaign expenses and accepting illegal contributions such as cash, dollar amounts over the legal contribution […]
March, 2012 The Boston Celtics and the Mass State Lottery presented North Andover high school student Nathan Richards, (17) with a “Heroes Among Us” award at the March 4th Celtics game. Richards, an Easter Seals youth leader, was honored for starting a disability awareness program at North Andover Middle School. He also has testified on Beacon Hill […]
Helen Mooradkanian – March, 2012 Colonel Kris Mineau, USAF (Ret.), of North Reading, flew 100 combat missions into North Vietnam in 1966 as fighter pilot in the supersonic F-4C Phantom II. Capable of speed Mach 2.23, more than twice the speed of sound, the Phantom was key to downing the Soviet MiG-21s used by the […]
By: Eva Montabello When telling a story about “strength of spirit”, Methuen City Councilor Jamie Atkinson wholeheartedly embodies the statement. A lifetime of health hardships hasn’t stopped him from continuing to cross items off of his “bucket list”. From his recent election win to a Methuen City Council seat with a focus on […]
By: Christine Morabito, Greater Boston Tea Party – February, 2012 If there is one thing Massachusetts excels at it is rewarding bad behavior. Exhibit A: the lack of oversight applied to entitlement programs. Take EBT cards. While in many cases these cards are used for their intended purpose, the system is a magnet for waste, fraud and abuse. One […]
By: Connie Benedetto – February, 2012 Dwight Brewington, a native of Lynn, MA, was born partially deaf. Yet, from a young age, after realizing his love and passion for basketball, he had to overcome people’s perceptions of his handicap and prove that he can compete at a high level. After high school, Brewington played […]
By: Debbie Papalia – February, 2012 At this year’s March for Life in Washington, DC, Steven Tyler, the famed frontman of Aerosmith and the “American Idol” judge was mentioned in a post-abortion testimony on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building during the “Silent No More” Awareness Rally; Julia Holcomb testified how she […]