VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH By: Helen Mooradkanian – January, 2014 NORTHANDOVER – “We were the second largest convoy to leave for Europe—5,000 of us aboard the U.S. Army troopship George Washington—when we left New York in early 1944, bound for Liverpool, England. By the time we arrived in England in April, two months before […]
WASHINGTON, DC – Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera will attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. as the guest of Third District Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. Tsongas invited Rivera, who was recently sworn in as the new mayor for the City of Lawrence, to represent the Third District at the President’s […]
By: Dr. Jin Sung – January, 2014 One in five American children today has a mental disorder and the rate is rising, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Affecting 13 to 20 percent of youth under 18, mental disorders impact a child’s behavior, ability to learn, and cope […]
By Paul Craney – January, 2014 The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University (BHI) estimates that Massachusetts state tax revenues will come in at $23.283 billion for Fiscal Year 2014, 5.3% above FY 2013. Meanwhile, revenues will be $25.132 billion for FY 2015, 7.9% above FY 2014. The 7.9% increase for FY 2015 is largely […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – January, 204 A year ago I was sworn in as the State Senator of the First Essex District, representing the communities of Amesbury, Haverhill, Merrimac, Methuen, Newburyport, North Andover and Salisbury. It has been a very busy and productive year, during which I have advocated for initiatives that have […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL JANUARY 2014 Earlier this month former Lawrence City Councilor Dan Rivera was sworn in as Lawrence’s new mayor after defeating the once-thought unbeatable, William Lantigua by 82 votes. We know all too well the problems Lawrence faces and the long road ahead of Mayor Rivera just to get the city to stop […]
By: Dr. Bharani Padmanabhan With this column I present a newly coined term – assertocracy – and show it’s current use. In her superlative book – In The Footsteps Of Mr Kurtz – Michela Wrong applied the term kleptocracy, government by theft, to the post-war nation state. In the same vein, assertocracy is government by assertion. […]
By: DJ Bettencourt – December, 2013 The vast majority of Granite Staters know from experience that New Hampshire public schools offer an outstanding education for most students. But while many flourish in their assigned school, some students need a different educational environment. Every child learns differently, and all children hold within themselves their own particular […]
By: Tracey Zysk – December, 2013 Winter is here and with the season change comes the use of different types of chemicals to help us keep warm. However, these chemicals could be poisonous to our pets. Our pets are sneaky and they could get themselves into a little bit of trouble if we don’t keep […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – December, 2013 Thus far this session, the Massachusetts Legislature continues to make progress on several issues of public interest. House and Senate legislation is moving forward which pertains to on-line voter registration and early voting in Presidential elections; welfare reform; increasing the state’s minimum wage; reforming the […]
By: Kenneth Willette – December, 2013 As we reach the conclusion of President Obama’s fifth year in office, it is only fair at this critical juncture to assess the full extent of his domestic and foreign affairs record. The Obama record is one of repeated examples of cold and deliberate partisanship and missed opportunities for […]
By: Attorney Timothy Stark – December, 2013 The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (commonly referred to as the “MCAD”) was established to enforce M.G.L. c. 151B, often referred to as “The Fair Employment Practices Law.” The MCAD is a part of the Executive Branch of the Massachusetts state government. If an employee believes they have suffered […]
By: Dr. Jin Sung – December, 2013 Most people realize that their thyroid is important for controlling their metabolism and body weight. But did you know that depression, heart disease, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), menopausal symptoms, muscle and joint pains, irritable bowel syndrome, or autoimmune disease could actually indicate a problem with your […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – December, 2013 At the end of this year’s legislative session, the Senate took up a bill to increase Massachusetts’ minimum wage rate from the current $8.00/hr. to $9.00 in 2014, with automatic increases to $10 in 2015 and $11 in 2016. These increases would also be tied to the […]
By: Helen Mooradkanian – December, 2013 In the early dawn hours of March 25, 1969, in the rice paddies of South Vietnam, near Bong Son, in the province of Binh Dinh, 22-year old Sergeant Thomas F. Siopes, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (separate), was leading a patrol on a “search and […]