Senator Kathleen Ives on Welfare Reform Bill

By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives BOSTON – Following a press conference that Senate President Therese Murray held Monday morning, the Senate is due to take up a comprehensive welfare reform bill on Thursday aimed at making state assistance transitional. The bill addresses cyclical issues that prevent recipients from transitioning off of welfare as well as […]

Firefighter, Activist Manny “Juan” Gonzalez Officially Kicks off Campaign for Lawrence Mayor

By: Tom Duggan – July 18, 2013 Lawrence Firefighter and community activist Manuel “Juan” Gonzalez launched his official campaign kickoff for Mayor Thursday night before a packed room of about 100 people at the Firefighter’s Relief In. Flanked by former Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, Lawrence City Councilor Marc LaPlante (District “F”), and Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association […]

Lights! Camera! Santorum!!

Lights! Camera! Santorum!!

By Alex Talcott – July, 2013 In a recent Huckabee show appearance, former U.S. Senator, presidential candidate, and Fox News contributor Rick Santorum defended a new job as CEO of a family-friendly movie studio. To host Huckabee, Santorum warned (the Left? the Right? Huckabee himself?) that the enterprise precludes a 2016 run no more than […]

Representative DiZoglio Votes to Strengthen EBT Enforcement

Representative DiZoglio Votes to Strengthen EBT Enforcement

  BOSTON – State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation that provides immediate funds for reforms to the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The bill updates EBT oversight measures included in the FY ’14 budget and advances continuous […]

No Honors For You!

  By Jeff Katz – July, 2013 I am happy to reflect on the fact that as a young man I was in a number of what were then called “advanced” courses. I excelled in English, history and social science and the Philadelphia school system provided me with an opportunity to delve deeper and more […]

EDITORIAL: Still No Investigation, No Answers on Jamie Atkinson Scandal

EDITORIAL: Still No Investigation, No Answers on Jamie Atkinson Scandal

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL July, 2013 At issue was Attorney Richard D’Agostino, who was applying to replace McQuillan as city solicitor after the council voted not to renew McQuillan’s contract. While D’Agostino was being questioned at a public hearing, McQuillan was feeding questions and damaging information to Councilor Atkinson in an attempt to stop D’Agostino from […]

Methuen Council Candidate Evan Chaisson: Solicitor Fiasco a “Joke” Council Needs Leadership

Methuen Council Candidate Evan Chaisson: Solicitor Fiasco a “Joke” Council Needs Leadership

By: Tom Duggan – July 17, 2013 With Jeanne Pappalardo leaving the city council because of term limits this year, three people are seeking to fill two seats on the city council representing Methuen’s West End. Incumbent Councilor Sean Fountain, School Committeeman George Kazanjian and Methuen’s most outspoken member of the school committee Evan Chaisson […]

After Six Years on Council, Pappalardo Looks Back

By Tom Duggan – July, 2013 Always outspoken and often controversial, the West District Councilor has had her share of political scuffles over the last six years, but even those who had an adversarial relationship with Pappalardo say they respect her even though they were on opposite sides of most political battles. “Jeanne Pappalardo is […]

Political Action Committees in MA Report Contributions of $2.6 million to State and County Candidates in 2011-12

Political Action Committees in MA Report Contributions of $2.6 million to State and County Candidates in 2011-12

The 2011-12 state election cycle saw typical political action committee activity in Massachusetts, even with the addition of independent expenditure PACs, according to a study published by OCPF that examines campaign finance activity by PACs. PACs reported making $2,637,514 in direct contributions to state and county candidates in 2011-12, a period that did not include […]

Why MA needs to defund Common Core

By Sandra Stotsky, special to the Valley Patriot Why Massachusetts needs to defund implementation and testing of Common Core’s current standards In this essay, I suggest why Common Core’s English language arts and mathematics standards need revision before further implementation in any Common Core state—and well before tests are given that are based on these […]

City Pays DiAdamos $4M Rent For Building Worth $801,200

City Pays DiAdamos $4M Rent For Building Worth $801,200

By: Tom Duggan – July, 2013 According to documents obtained by The Valley Patriot, Carmine and William DiAdamo of the DiAdamo and DiAdamo Law firm are not only the worker’s compensation attorney’s for the City of Lawrence, but the money they made on the city for rental payments of their Essex Street buildings under the Lantigua […]

Human Interference and the Minimum Wage: A Rodent Love Story

As a former zookeeper and environmental educator, I understand the delicate balance required to sustain any ecosystem. The story of the rat-like nutria, Myocastor coypus, and its invasion of New Orleans, is a perfect example of how humans, convinced they know better, can make a major mess of things. A mere 20 of these 12-pound […]