MA Lawmakers Pass Public Records Reform, Valley Patriot Publisher Says Senate Must Show Leadership, Close Loopholes

MA Lawmakers Pass Public Records Reform, Valley Patriot Publisher Says Senate Must Show Leadership, Close Loopholes

By: Maria Fiato. Christine Ryan, and Tom Duggan Nov. 23, 2015 MASSACHUSETTS – After nearly five years of trying to get the Massachusetts legislature to reform the state’s impotent public records law, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan says that they have made a good first step towards holding public officials accountable for not turning over […]

Lawrence Engine 9 Reopens in Lawrence

Lawrence Engine 9 Reopens in Lawrence

    More than five years after being closed because of budget cuts, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera has reopened the Engine 9 Fire Station on Bailey St., saying the station “will be operated by a minimum of three firefighters, one apparatus and one rescue boat twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.”  “This is the best case […]

More Than 100 Rally for Embattled Lawrence Mayor, Rivera Says Opponents Are Corrupt

More Than 100 Rally for Embattled Lawrence Mayor, Rivera Says Opponents Are Corrupt

By: Tom Duggan – November 29, 2015   RELATED STORIES – PHOTOS (videos below) More than 100 people rallied in support of embattled Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera Sunday on the Campagnone Common, in the wake of two recall petitions to throw Rivera out of office. Rivera is in his second year of a four year […]

Something Needs to Change… – THE DOCTOR IS IN!

Something Needs to Change… – THE DOCTOR IS IN!

My favorite lesson from high school physics was learning the second law of thermodynamics, that matter cannot be created nor destroyed under ordinary chemical means. It is a really useful concept. What it says is that you can’t make something out of nothing, and that you can’t make that something disappear into thin air either. […]

North Andover Santa Parade 2015, Photos, Winners, Video

North Andover Santa Parade 2015, Photos, Winners, Video

Despite a delay because of rain, the North Andover Santa Parade was held on Main Street Saturday. PHOTO GALLERY   Winners of the Parade Category:           Floats 1st place –            Taki’s 2nd place             60’s Invasion 3rd place              Shriner’s Mini-Haulers  Category:            Entertainment 1st place              Center for Performing Arts 2nd place             Methuen High School Marching Band 3rd […]

Women In Combat

Women In Combat

By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Nov. 2015 Over this past summer, we saw two women graduate from the Army’s Ranger School, our military’s premier course for both leadership and light infantry combat. While there has been a long ongoing debate upon whether American women should fill military occupations associated with close combat, we are […]

VAV Donates 26 Copies of “Veteran Heroes In Our Neighborhood” To All 1st Grade Classrooms in Methuen

VAV Donates 26 Copies of  “Veteran Heroes In Our Neighborhood” To All 1st Grade Classrooms in Methuen

METHUEN – Francisco Urena, Massachusetts Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, is recommending a children’s book “Veteran Heroes In Our Neighborhood” by Valerie Pfundstein and recently introduced the book to VAV Board Members. In an effort to help Secretary Urena with his mission to help educate children about Veterans, VAV donated 26 copies of “Veteran Heroes In Our […]

A Helping Light in a darkened area of Substance Abuse in New Hampshire

A Helping Light in a darkened area of Substance Abuse in New Hampshire

By: Rebecca Pearson – November 24, 2014 With recent reports hitting the news streams about the over whelming opioid overdoses in our area and around the Massachusetts and New Hampshire boarders. The question remains, are there enough long term facilities available for those overcoming substance abuse whether it be from drug or alcohol.  Many detoxes […]

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini Announces New Automated Trash Collection Program! 

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini Announces New Automated Trash Collection Program! 

HAVERHILL – The City and Capitol Waste Services, the City’s trash hauler, are pleased to announce Haverhill’s new wheeled trash cart program. In the spring of 2016, the City will be switching from traditional trash barrels and manual trash collection to a new technologically advanced waste collection system. The program is designed to improve collection […]

Methuen Mayor Zanni Lays Out His Priorities for His Final Term

Methuen Mayor Zanni Lays Out His Priorities for His Final Term

By: Tom Duggan – November, 2015 Methuen Mayor Steve Zanni was re-elected to his third and final term last month. Methuen has a charter provision that limits the consecutive terms a mayor can serve to three. Mayor’s serve for two years. Mayor Zanni was first elected to the Methuen School committee and then the city […]

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – November, 2015

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – November, 2015

PERISOCOPE – With the advance of technology, The Valley Patriot is now using a cell phone application called Periscope to do live video interviews online. On Election Day, we were able to get out to Lawrence and Methuen to interview the candidates and some of their supporters. As soon as we got LIVE on the […]

Questions Every Parent Should Ask to Learn More About Their Child’s School

Questions Every Parent Should Ask to Learn More About Their Child’s School

By: Amy Berard – November, 2015 1. How often is the SpEd (Special Education) teacher in the inclusion classroom? At an IEP meeting, parents will be notified if their child is in an inclusion class. A class is labeled as an inclusion class when a SpEd teacher is pushing in to provide extra support for […]

First Muslim Elected in Lawrence Being Pressured to Resign … Does Lawrence Have Islamophobia?

First Muslim Elected in Lawrence Being Pressured to Resign … Does Lawrence Have Islamophobia?

  Kemal Bozkurt is the first Muslim elected to public office in Lawrence. Bozkurt, the city’s acting library director, ran a sticker campaign for school committee last month as there was not even one candidate on the ballot to fill the seat.  Now, Bozkurt is being pressured by members of the city council to either […]

School Cover-ups Must Not Be Tolerated ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL, Nov. 2015

School Cover-ups Must Not Be Tolerated ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL, Nov. 2015

Last month, The Valley Patriot broke three exclusive stories on-line concerning cover-up situations in the Methuen and Lowell Public School systems. First: Lowell High School Headmaster Brian Martin and his administrative staff tried to cover up the fact that Lowell School Committeeman Steve Gendron’s son, Chris, was engaged in racist behavior at school. Gendron’s son […]