By: Tom Duggan -June, 2015 A fired guidance counselor in the Lawrence Public Schools, Brenda Sudol-Kirwin, won an arbitration hearing against the schools in August of 2013, for sick leave for injuries she incurred while working in the schools. But Kirwin says the issue is not over and wanted to go public about the abuse […]
By: Kathy Runge – June, 2015 Myra Ortiz, Candidate for District A Councilor I recently spoke with Myra Ortiz, who will be running against incumbent Sandy Almonte. Myra has made Lawrence her home for 15 years and currently represents District A on the School Committee. Although the school system is under receivership, Ms. Ortiz has […]
PUBLIC RECORDS SIDENOTES By now you know I’m in a fight to change the state’s fake public records law. One of the things not really discussed in the many stories this month about that fight is the MMA, or the Massachusetts Municipal Association. This is a group that opposes putting penalties on public officials who […]
NEIL HARRINGTON IS THE POSTER BOY When I started this journey to reform our state’s public records law five years ago I had no idea that the Town of Salisbury would feature so prominently in my motivations to add stiff penalties for officials who refuse to turn over public documents. Yet, here we are. […]
Listen to or Download Hour 1: Methuen Mayor Steve Zanni talks about running for reelection, the new turf at Nicholson Stadium, and more. Listen to or Download Hour 2: State Senator Katy Ives talks about her transparency bill, S-1700 which will penalize public officials who refuse to comply with the state’s public records law. Ives also […]
FIRST HOUR State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) appeared on The Paying Attention radio program on 980WCAP to talk about public records. A great interview with a guy SECOND HOUR: Top Ten news stories this week that are NOT real news.
By: Peter Larocque – May, 2015 Before I get into this month’s column, please allow me to thank Mr. Tom Duggan, Editor of The Valley Patriot who with patience and understanding, afforded me all the time I needed to decide exactly what direction to take my writing. It was during this hiatus that I realized […]
June 1, 2015 LAWRENCE — Residents looking for help or support from their state senator or state representatives can now find it at City Hall. The Lawrence delegation has opened a local office at Lawrence City Hall, 200 Common St., Mayor DanielRivera and the city’s state delegation announced. The office – Room 203 on the […]
Tom Duggan, May, 2015 The friends and family of a child murdered in 1985 have privately raised nearly $4,000 for a headstone, 30 years after the murder of Michelle Pimentel in 1985. Pimentel’s friends and family raised the money in less than one week after appearing on 980WCAP’s Paying Attention Radio program to tell their […]
AUDIO: Tom Duggan on Afternoon LIVE discusses the state’s impotent Public Records law and how it affects you. (VIDEO of Duggan’s testimony below at 41 MIN mark) Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan testified before a sub committee of the Massachusetts State Legislature in favor of a bill he wrote S1700 that would finally put teeth into […]
May, 2015 For his Eagle Scout project, 16-year-old Henry Duerr of Andover wanted to work on a project that was personally meaningful to him and beneficial to local kids. The result: a new traverse rock-climbing wall at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence (BGCL). “My little brother donated a bunch of basketballs to the […]
Individual Inspector Also Penalized Separately for 6 Fraudulent Emission Tests BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized Commonwealth Motors of Lawrence $15,000 for issuing six fraudulent motor vehicle inspection stickers between July 16 and November 7, 2014. In addition, Commonwealth Motors’ license to conduct automobile emissions was suspended for up to […]
By: Kathy Runge – May, 2015 Although, in my opinion, violating the Open Meeting Laws is not unusual for our city council, the newest show of disrespect for city residents has to be the placing of this month’s Semana Hispana fundraising carnival at the South Common with no prior notice given to the neighborhood residents. […]