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 […]
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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 […]
The December 2013 Valley Patriot, Edition #122
By: Lonnie Brennan – November, 2013 According to the 2012 Georgetown earnings records, recently obtained by The Valley Patriot, the Georgetown School Department spent $331,585.09 on substitute teachers in 2012, just $6,892.13 less than it spent on its entire fire and ambulance salary outlays for the year. The records revealed that 106 individuals received […]
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By: Lonnie Brennan – October, 2013 “You up for a quiz?” my friend Tim gruffed as he shuffled egg bits around on his plate, once again, in a reflective mood as it had been months since we had caught up at the local breakfast nook called Theo’s (best omelets around) right off Central and […]
Senate Republicans Fight for Animal Cruelty Law October, 2013 | Updated 10-28-013 Massachusetts State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) released the following statement today, following the arrest of 32-year-old Radoslaw Czerkawski on multiple charges of animal cruelty in connection with the infamous “Puppy Doe” case: “The prosecutors and the police in this case deserve […]
By: State Senator Kathleen Ives (D) Newburyport October, 2013 Last week, I gave testimony before the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in support of two important pieces of legislation before the committee. I spoke in support of House Bill 695, “An Act Preventing the Disposal of Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater” and House Bill […]
By: Cheryl Hajjar – October 2013 Having it all. That quintessential line brought on by the feminist movement that has been driven in every young girl’s mind including myself over the last 25 years. Lucky us. In today’s world, there are many more opportunities for women than ever before in history and we as women […]
By: Lonnie Brennan – September, 2013 “It’s more than just a building,” Past Grand Knight Bert Hanlon said as we were cleaning out some of the tables and chairs and scattered items from the Knights building on Main Street, “it’s been a resource to so many groups.” The Knights of Columbus building on Main Street […]
By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives, September, 2013 In 2007 a federal audit found that about one in seven elderly residents were being given antipsychotic medication in nursing homes despite the fact that those drugs carry a “black box” warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A “black box” warning is designed to call […]
Boston, MA: As taxpayers across the Commonwealth begin to feel the effects of new and higher taxes today, public records show that many of the legislators who voted to implement these higher taxes, such as the one on gasoline, are also benefiting from taxpayer funded reimbursements for when they travel to the Statehouse. Per diems […]
By: State Senator Kathleen Ives – August, 2013 There has been some misinformation in the press about the Legislature’s recent vote to override Governor Deval Patrick’s veto of the Transportation Finance Bill. Some outlets are reporting that by fighting against the Governor on this veto, the legislature chose to raise the gas tax by 3 […]
Babies and Briefcases By: Cheryl Hajjar – August, 2013 Unless you have been living in a landfill or still have an analog TV in your home, you have heard of the term “crowdfunding” or stories of people raising thousands of dollars for their businesses or projects online. So what is this new rage and how […]