By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Jan. 2016 We have an opportunity in coming weeks in the Legislature to send the Governor a comprehensive piece of legislation to further address the opioid crisis. Legislative action to date includes substantially increased funding for: treatment post-detox; Community Mental Health Centers for both adults and youth; and […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – Jan. 2016 There have been a number of important legislative developments toward tackling public records reform. This month’s column is an opportunity to describe the status of public records legislation in the effort to produce meaningful public records reform this session. At the onset, Senator Jason Lewis filed S.1676, which […]
“We’ve turned a corner,” said Rep. Jim Lyons, “but we still have a long, long way to go.” Reflecting on the first half of the 2015-2016 legislative sessions, State Representative Jim Lyons (R-Andover) noted that it was a productive year marked by many legislative accomplishments, although vital challenges remain to be addressed. “From the beginning,” […]
By: Dani Langevin – Jan. 2016 Meet Hector Black: Hector is a ninety-year-old man who lives in Tennessee. He has been featured on StoryCorps, Radiolab, and The Moth. He fought in World War II and attended Harvard where he studied social anthropology. None of this sounds remarkable, but Hector’s personal story is. Seven years ago, […]
By: John Macdonald – Jan. 2016 It’s an odd thing when the American entertainment industry blends popular couples by binding their names together. An example would be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that got the name “Bradgelina” or when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez cursed tabloid covers with the name “Bennifer”. However, let’s not forget […]
By: Tom Duggan – Jan. 2016 He’s a Hollywood actor, an author, a musician and a singer, but Steve Blackwood says his latest passion is teaching and he has started up his own actors studio in North Andover to teach local talent what it takes to make it in show business. “It’s funny,” he […]
By: Al Kaprielian – Jan. 2016 As December neared the end, we finally saw our first winter storm with snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain. December 2015 will go down as the warmest December on record ever for Boston at number one. On December 28th, the average temperature was 46.4 degrees, which is 11.3 degrees […]
By: Jeff Katz – Jan. 2016 Bill Cosby, once seen as the elder statesman of American family friendly comedy now stands charged with a felony count of aggravated indecent assault and is only free to walk around because he was able to post one million dollars in bail. Most of America now looks at The […]
By: Rick Bellanti – Jan. 2016 I received a great question this week and thought I’d address it here this month since it’s the start of the New Year, when everyone is gearing up with their 2016 New Years Resolutions. Where do you get your motivation from and how do you maintain it to not […]
In the race for the Republican nomination for President, there are really only four viable candidates as we approach the February 9th New Hampshire Primary, and the Massachusetts Primary in March. They are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie. To understand the race and why it is so contentious, you first have […]
By: Tom Duggan, 1-12-15 Massachusetts State Lottery Director Michael Sweeney told the Valley Patriot Tuesday morning that the Powerball jackpot has been adjusted to $1.5B, the largest lottery payout in world history. “It’s really a big win for the state,” Sweeney said. The Powerball jackpot hasn’t been hit in 19 successive drawings. The last time someone […]
By: Paul Murano – 1-11-16 Since I now live in NH, I thought I’d take advantage of seeing the presidential candidates up close and personal this political cycle. There are two ways I judge candidates: 1) who I think would be best for the country, and 2) who I think has the best chance of […]
State Representative Jim Lyons (R-Andover) today supported the repeal of a 1989 law requiring individuals to forfeit their driver’s license for five years for certain drug-related offenses. The current law is seen as a deterrent to individuals convicted of minor drug crimes who try to secure employment or treatment following their release from prison. The […]
By: Dr. Padmanabhan – December, 2015 In November’s Valley Patriot, I laid out the reason underlying the false government narrative that prescribing pain medicine to patients is the cause of the increasing number of overdose deaths. I was encouraged that finally after 2 years of drum-beating the false government narrative and concealing the massive impact […]
By: Dr. Frank MacMillan – December, 2015 As a college student in the mid 1980s, I studied and received my bachelor degree in economics prior to attending medical school. Also In the mid 1980s, I took note that one component of the new wave in health care was insurance paid prescription drug coverage. As a […]