CHANGES TO METHUEN’S CITY CHARTER The Methuen City Council and the charter commission are considering changes to the city charter this year (the document that governs how the city operates). Some of the proposed changes being discussed are minor tweaks to the document to make city government more effective and accountable. But, some of the […]
June, 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, After a spirited week of debate, the Massachusetts State Senate has delivered a state budget for the 2020 Fiscal Year. The budget will now go to Conference Committee, where members of the House and Senate will collaborate on combining their respective proposals into a final budget by the start […]
By John Cuddy – June, 2019 Lawrence’s Angus MacPherson, better known as Mac, was originally from South Boston with fond memories of growing up there and especially of hanging out with his four brothers and many close friends on the corner of E and 5th streets. Sensing that the war was coming to America, […]
By; Brian Genest – June, 2019 A new chapter in Dracut history can be added to the books. For the first time, the Dracut Republican Town Committee (DRTC) marched in the town’s Memorial Day parade this year. Spoiler alert, brought to you by the First Amendment: it won’t be the last. Let’s face it… The […]
Last week, the Methuen City Council had the chance to beautify a collapsing piece of public property on Union St., costing city taxpayers absolutely nothing. The state was willing to pay the full cost of the project. Instead of accepting the contract, however, two councilors harpooned the project, telling the public – and their fellow […]
By Abby Junkvorian -May, 2019 As the time approaches for cities and towns to begin publishing and voting on their budgets, many fail to consider one of their town’s biggest assets – the public library. In 2017 alone, Massachusetts libraries served a total of 6,780,743 civilians (MBLC). So why is the constant threat of shutting […]
By: Paul Murano – May, 2019 Although my social media posts, website blurbs, and newspaper articles pull no punches in articulating my personal take on important issues, my teaching style is very different. My approach in the college classroom is objective and Socratic, allowing for students to think for themselves by following reason wherever it […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – May, 2019 The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to approve $42.7 billion budget for the state’s upcoming fiscal year. The budget includes notable investments in education, housing, and public safety while keeping in line with revenue projections to ensure balanced spending. The House budget makes major investments […]
By: Duncan Burns – May, 2019 You’re a bad person. You’re also a bad American. You simply do not know what’s good for you or this country. That is the kind of rhetoric being spread by so-called “woke” people in this country, backed by a corrupted and partisan media. The political polarization and anger in […]
By: Bharani Padmanabhan – May, 2019 And so it ends, with a whimper rather than the expected bang of a hundred billion dollar squeeze. Even before the lucre has been extorted out of pharma companies that make pain medicines, the CDC was forced to dissociate itself from guidelines it had created in the service of […]
By: Rick Bellanti – May, 2019 Lack of sleep in your life can for sure make you miserable, cranky and over tired the next day. In the long run, skimping on sleep can mess up more than just your mood. Studies show getting quality sleep on a regular basis can help improve all sorts of […]
By: Billy Cushing – May, 2019 Are you someone who would like to subscribe to a streaming service but you’re not sure which one is the best? Or which one is the best fit for you? Hopefully I can give you a little guidance on the different streaming services and what each one has […]
By: John Cuddy – May, 2019 Memorial Day does not belong to the Republicans, the Democrats, or any elected official. It is not intended for honoring the men and women currently serving in the military or our Veterans. Memorial Day belongs to the six American Heroes written about in this article, and all who gave […]
Dear Valley Patriot Readers, As you read this, there is one conversation that is taking place in every city and town across the Commonwealth; it is a conversation that is of great importance and will impact every resident as community leaders contemplate budgets and residential tax rates. This hot topic is education funding. The current […]
By: Brian Genest – May 2019 Some things are worth fighting for. Freedom of speech is one of them. Sadly, you have to fight for it every single day in Dracut! After Town Manager Jim Duggan illegally banned the Dracut Republican Town Committee from marching in the town’s Memorial Day parade to honor our fallen […]