MAYOR SAYS VOWS HE WILL NOT SUPPORT A PROP. 2 1/2 OVERRIDE June 15, 2016 – With Methuen Mayor Zanni proposing a 1% increase in the school budget, Superintendent of Schools Judy Scannell is threatening to make staffing cuts saying the increase is not enough. Superintendent Scannell says the 1% increase will result in eliminating four police […]
By: D.J. Deeb – June, 2016 May has proven to be a very busy month for the Methuen School Committee as it almost always is. There have been several workshops on the budget (which is still a work in progress), awards ceremonies, teacher recognition, and pro-active planning for the year ahead. First off, Congratulations to […]
By: Tom Duggan – 6-12-16 There is a war brewing in Methuen over Mayor Zanni’s proposed city budget, which School Committeeman Nick DiZoglio says “shortchanges our students” and “is a disgrace in a community like Methuen.” While Mayor Zanni proposes an increase in the school budget, not a decrease, DiZoglio called the budget measure a “cut” for the […]
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By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – May, 2016 Following a three-day session and a process that starts in the fall, we in the House of Representatives finalized our FY17 budget. We held the line on spending and included no new taxes or fees. As a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, I […]
Methuen residents and business owners will save more than $900,000 annually thanks to the newly created Methuen Community Choice Power Supply program. The City of Methuen and Colonial Power Group, Inc. announced that they have entered into a two-year agreement to bring significant energy cost-savings to the city’s residents and small businesses through this initiative. […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives May, 2016 Kinder Morgan, a Houston, Texas-based energy infrastructure company, submitted its first letter related to their Northeast Energy Direct Project (NED Project) to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 15, 2014. It detailed a plan to construct 177 miles of new pipeline from Wright, New York to […]
By: DJ Deeb – May, 2016 The debate over Common Core has been heating up over the past several months, especially with the Presidential and Congressional Elections looming. The purpose of this article is to explain the origins of Common Core, summarize the standards, and offer suggestions on how to stop Common Core from being […]
By: Tom Duggan – May, 2016 14th Essex District State Representative Diana DiZoglio will have a challenger for the Democratic Party’s primary in September. She is North Andover attorney Phyllis Jones, who says that she is “disappointed” in the incumbent’s lack of transparency and refusal to support gay marriage and “transgender rights”. Originally from New […]
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H4333 5-23-16 On Monday, a joint conference committee of the Massachusetts legislature negotiated and reached a final deal on a new public records reform bill for the first time in 40 years. CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW If signed by Governor Baker, the new law, (Final BillH4333) , would allow judges to award legal costs and attorney […]
By: Duncan Burns – May, 2016 Right now, when it comes to labor issues, all eyes are currently on The Verizon Strike, which affects many municipalities across The Merrimack Valley. Many will question the union’s motives, as the tactic of going on strike is usually in order to strong-arm a company into submission and usually […]
This month marks the return of Dr. Rami Rustum as a columnist in The Valley Patriot. We sat down with Dr. Rustum last week to talk about what does, and what makes Merrimack Valley Pain Management Associates different from other pain clinics. Dr. Rustum was born and raised in Syria where he eventually went to […]
By: State Re. Linda Dean Campbell – April, 2016 Recently, we saw the bipartisan approval by the Massachusetts House of a bill to fund local municipal road and bridge repair. Additionally, Governor Baker has requested more money for local bridge repair, which will require an additional appropriation. As a member of the Committee on Ways […]
By: Dani Langevi – April, 2016 I was at a wedding shower the other day sitting with several family members. The evening before when I couldn’t sleep I realized that all four nieces on my side of the family have degrees in some form of social work. At the table, was one of those nieces […]