By: State Rep. Estela Reyes – Nov. 2023 First, I want to congratulate Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan who received an “Overcoming Obstacles” award from the Greater Lawrence Psychological Center last month. Given what Tom has been through, just in the last year alone, he has certainly earned this award. I also want to […]
Steve Boksanski Executive Director – Massachusetts Beverage Association The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is incredibly beautiful, thanks in part to the efforts of its residents. Bay Staters know the importance of recycling and do it well. But more can be done to make recycling even more effective and efficient, including modernizing outdated recycling infrastructure that makes […]
Also Illegally using Sewer Funds for Construction On November 2, 2022, the Newburyport Daily News reported that the new Lafayette Road Sewer Project had an initial estimated cost of $18.5 million and quoted Town Manager Neil Harrington as saying: “The project is completely funded through the town’s sewer enterprise fund and that following the project’s […]
6-`6-23 BANNING PLASTIC BAGS Voters at the Annual Town Meeting in North Andover voted overwhelmingly to ban plastic bags in food businesses with more than 3,000 square feet. This will effect Market Basket and other grocery stores and restaurants in town. To the surprise of many Town Meeting voters, the North Andover Board of Health […]
5/16/23 Salisbury, MA In response to the closure of Salisbury Beach access points 8, 9, and 10 by the Department of Conservation and Recreation state and local officials, and concerned stakeholders have committed to promptly address the situation. Officials claim that rollowing winter storms that damaged the beach access points, necessitating their closure, a move […]
4-25-23 BOSTON – To celebrate Earth Week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that $600,000 in grants have been awarded to 10 regional or municipal wastewater utilities and systems across Massachusetts including $121,360 for the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District. The GLSD treats wastewater for Lawrence, Dracut, Methuen and North Andover. This grant program is the first to […]
The Adventures of Kane Peaslee – 10/22 Kane has Exciting Breaking News from Lowell Massachusetts! Executive Director Gary Wallace and Assistant Executive Director Adam Garvey of the Lowell Housing Authority report the LHA will Convert the Historic Hadley House, with an original construction date of 1822 to five supportive housing units for Veteran’s. Gary […]
The Merrimack Company Focuses on Eco-friendly Manufacturing and 1% for the Planet LAWRENCE – The Merrimack Company launched their first collection of sustainable, eco-friendly apparel and accessories designed in the heart of the Merrimack Valley. With a mission to help people “Stay Adventurous,” the Lawrence-based brand offers a collection made from organic and recycled materials […]
By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Oct. 2021 At a recent public hearing about how to spend $4.8 billion in federal dollars coming to the Commonwealth, the need to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the Merrimack River came up again and again. It’s been a rainy summer, causing millions of gallons of sewage to […]
By:Rep. Linda Dean Campbell This summer, our Commonwealth experienced the rainiest July on record in at least a century. The climate report recently released by the United Nations predicts that average precipitation in our region will continue to increase as climate change worsens. In the Merrimack Valley, we know all too well what more […]
Help The Valley Patriot Stay in Business Your Donation of ANY Amount helps By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Aug. 2020 Very exciting news for our Merrimack River and all who use it – the Massachusetts House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill I filed to make sure the public is alerted in a […]
Boston, MA – An audit released today by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump shows the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is not providing important information to the federal government and the public about the safety and usability of Massachusetts watersheds in a timely manner. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, […]
By: Linda Dean Campbell – Sept. 2019 In July, the state’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture voted to move forward legislation I filed with Sen. Pat Jehlen and Rep. Denise Provost that would require public notification of sewage discharges into rivers like the Merrimack. This is the first step the bill must […]
September, 2019 This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Columbia Gas explosions that rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. For those who lived through it, it will be something we will never forget. Homes and businesses blew up, caught fire and the magnitude of the disaster eventually resulted in the evacuation of all of […]
In the Fiscal Year 2020 Senate Budget, State Senator Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) passed legislation to create a Merrimack River District Commission, an inclusive commission of local stakeholders — from sewage management professionals to environmentalists to elected officials — as well as representatives from state agencies, to assess the current health of the Merrimack and to […]