By: Oscar Camargo – June, 2015 I must confess: I used to hate Father’s Day. It was a painful reminder growing up that my father wasn’t around. I envied friends who grew up with that sacred bond intact, and secretly wished no one would ask about my situation. You see, my father was an alcoholic […]
By: DJ Deeb – June, 2015 The end of the school year is always an exciting time for students, parents, teachers, and support staff. May and June are always busily filled months with awards nights, orientations, and planning for the next year. Many exciting changes are being planned for the 2015-2016 school year. First off, […]
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 […]
EXCLUSIVE TO THE VALLEY PATRIOT By: Al Kaprielian – June, 2015 On a surface weather map we commonly see what we call “fronts”. A front is caused by differences in air pressure in the atmosphere. Fronts separate two different air masses. An air mass is defined as a region of air where the air around […]
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 […]
By: Sidney Smith- June, 2015 READ PART I HERE A young kid of 19 years old, like so many of the young guys my mother and I had met, was being assigned to the 8th AF and sent to England; a kid named Larry from Easton, Maine. His orders had to have read something […]
By: Tim Coco – June 23, 2105 Two Haverhill nursing homes, Lakeview House Skilled Nursing and Residential Care Facility and Baker-Katz Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, received the federal government’s top five-star rating and have been deemed “deficiency free” again this year. The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Care […]
By: Jeff Katz – June, 2015 In early May, the Beegle family of Portland, Oregon was flying home from Orlando, Florida. Mom and dad with two children in tow. What should have been an uneventful flight turned in to an ordeal which the family will never forget and an embarrassment that United Airlines should not […]
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. […]
By: John MacDonald – June, 2015 This past Memorial Day weekend I traveled down to a campground in Rhode Island. It’s a place called Holiday Acres and it has a lot of seasonal campers year round and, of course, many weekenders during weekends in the summer. Those of us who have made the decision and […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – June, 2015 Last week, I testified on a bill I filed, S.1700, An Act Relative to Obtaining Information, before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. This bill promotes access to information, available to all, within a reasonable time frame and for residents to have recourse in […]
By Christine Morabito – June 2015 As an environmentalist and bird lover, it gives me no pleasure to criticize the largest conservation organization in New England; an organization of which I am a member. Personal conflict aside, it seems apparent that Massachusetts Audubon Society’s support for a massive industrial project threatens thousands of birds a year. […]
By: Tom Duggan – June, 2015 The Methuen police are testing new body camera equipment donated to the department as part of a pilot program. So, last month I had the opportunity to do a police ride-along in Methuen to see how well it was working out. Riding with Officer Jeff Torrisi, we pulled over […]
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.