By: Santiago Reyes Cruz, Jr. – July, 2022 This year the race for state representative in Lawrence and Methuen will be decided in the September 6th primary – not the November election – because there are no Republicans running in this race. That means more people need to vote on the September 6th Democrat primary, […]
By State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – July, 2022 Soldiers’ Home Settlement: The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed a funding bill containing $56 million to settle the lawsuit brought forth by families of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home following the tragic COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020. This funding will go directly to Veterans […]
By: Bill Cushing – July, 2022 This month I would like to take a break from talking about TV to talk about something more personal. On June 7, 2022, my father-in-law, Isidore Trovato passed away at the age of 87, after a brave fight with cancer. Many of you reading this article may have known […]
BOSTON – A Methuen man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to armed bank robbery. Caio Costa, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing […]
STATE PRIMARIES WILL DECIDE SEVERAL RACES Several races for State Representative in the Merrimack Valley will be decided in the September 6th primary as there are no Republicans running (so far) in those races. In the newly carved Lawrence/Methuen district it will be Methuen City Councilor Jim McCarty – who has no job and lives […]
CANDIDATE FINANCES The following is a list of local candidates for state representative and state senate, and how much money they have raised, spent, and how much they have on hand as of May 31st. Jim McCarty Candidate for State Rep (Methuen and Lawrence) Receipts year to date: $15,533.81 Expenses YTD: $9,434.71 Cash on Hand: […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – June, 2022 In the Massachusetts Legislature, we are continuing to work diligently to bring accountability and reform to our Soldiers’ Homes. Comprehensive reform legislation I filed with Senator Mike Rush (a fellow Veteran) is currently in the final leg of the process. When a very different bill came […]
6-11-22 The Methuen Democratic City Committee held their annual straw poll Sunday showing where demorat insiders stand on each of the state and local Democrats running for office in the State’s September 6th primary. ITEMS OF NOTE: In the race for governor, Methuen Democrats chose a white woman over a woman “of color” by a […]
By: Dani Langevin – April, 2022 “If you can see it, you can be it,”- Elizabeth Marvel. Simple words but, so very powerful. Recently the members of the Methuen High School Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) donated $300 to the media center for LGBTQ+ materials, as well as, purchasing a large banner hanging in the high […]
Convicted felon sold at least 16 guns, ammunition, a laser sight and drugs to a cooperating witness BOSTON – A member of the Trinitarios street gang was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with trafficking firearms, ammunition, cocaine and fentanyl in the Greater Lawrence area. Arismendy Gil-Padilla, a/k/a “Flow”, 32, of Methuen, […]
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was arrested yesterday on fentanyl distribution charges. Rafael Sierra-Baez, 42, was charged with five counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Following an initial appearance yesterday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler, Sierra-Baez was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 25, 2022. […]
This scholarship was started when (then) Greater Lawrence Tech School Board member Jessica Finocchiaro reminded Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan that he was an alum of the GLTS after the Valley Patriot had announced the first scholarship for Lawrence High School in 2012. Now a city councilor in Methuen, Finocchiaro was on hand for the […]
Because honoring veterans is so much a part of what we do at The Valley Patriot, each year we honor people who themselves honor our hero service men and women here at home. With the passing of our good friend and hero veteran John Ratka in 2019 this award was immediately named in his honor […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, During the COVID-19 pandemic, 77 residents of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home tragically died of the virus – the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the United States over the course of the pandemic. In late March 2020, there had been 230 residents at the home. By the end of […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed legislation to invest $350 million in key transportation improvements across the Commonwealth – a necessary investment for economic growth and quality of life in our communities. The bill includes $200 million for the Chapter 90 program, which provides funding to cities and […]