By: Tom Duggan, July 31, 2015 The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has granted a hearing to former members of the Salisbury Board of Health, after Town Manager Harrington fired the entire board for trying to expose corruption, conflicts of interest, fraud, “apparent government waste” and retaliation against them as “whistleblowers”. The suit was filed […]
By: Dr.Bharani Padmanabhan – July, 2015 Governor Baker’s task force recently issued its much awaited report which advocated a comprehensive approach to dealing with the state’s heroin epidemic. This report has much to appreciate within but also a few points that remain worrisome. For example the recommendation to stop asking patients in hospitals if their pain […]
Included in this year’s 2016 State Budget is an amendment, sponsored by State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), for $25,000 toward the Lawrence-Methuen Community Coalition (LMCC)’s recently formed Merrimack Valley Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative. The LMCC is a resident-based coalition focused on the prevention of substance abuse, child abuse and domestic violence through the establishment of […]
July, 2015 Friends of Merrimack Valley Hospice is supporting the patients and families served by Merrimack Valley Hospice House with their recent purchase of recliners for each of the private suites at this specialized facility to help those nearing end of life. This gift is part of the group’s first annual gift to benefit the […]
READ PART I HERE READ PART II HERE By: Sid Smith – July, 2015 Before each individual squadron takeoff, it required the efforts of thousands of people involved in intelligence, target selections, weather info including not just surface conditions, but winds aloft at varying altitudes as well as icing conditions, target routes, ordinance required with […]
By: State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives July, 2015 In June, I attended the Methuen City Council’s special meeting where Kinder Morgan, a Houston-based energy infrastructure company, presented their plan for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would travel through Methuen, Massachusetts. I joined Representative Linda Dean Campbell and concerned residents to speak during the public […]
July 29, 2015 LISTEN TO RYAN AND TOM 980WCAP’s Ryan Johnston interviewed Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan about his Public Records Bill H3665 on Beacon Hill and why the full vote on the bill did NOT take place today in the House of Representatives.
Intervened with a tow company operator in an effort to have a tow charge reduced for a family member, then retaliated against the tow company On May 21, 2015, the State Ethics Commission (“Commission”) voted to find reasonable cause to believe that Massachusetts State Police Trooper Seth Peterson violated the state’s conflict of interest law […]
By: Kathy Runge, July, 2015 The City Council, led by Council President Maldonado, a.k.a. Lawrence’s Ambassador to the UN, has been busy in the last month. The FY16 budget got approved with Maldonado providing the only dissenting vote. He proposed a series of potential cuts and argued for them while acting as president of the […]
July 28, 2015 The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission has fined Methuen City Councilor Joyce Campagnone, $1,000 civil penalty for the violation of conflict of interest laws and was ordered to pay restitution to the City of Methuen in the amount of $4,000. Campagnone, a Methuen City Councilor, is also a full-time paid employee of the Greater Lawrence […]
More than 125 people showed up last night at the Lowell VFW, as Veterans Assisting Veterans held a memorial service for the four marines and one navy seaman who were killed last week by a Muslim Terrorist at a Tennessee recruiting center. Air force veteran and WCAP radio host John MacDonald organized the event after Massachusetts […]
An Adams, Massachusetts, man has been charged in an indictment in connection with a plot to engage in terrorism on behalf of ISIL. The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz of the District of Massachusetts and Special Agent in Charge Vincent Lisi of […]
Legislative panel oversees consumer protection, alcohol licensing policy BOSTON — Sen. Barbara L’Italien has been appointed the new Senate chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, succeeding the late Sen. Thomas Kennedy, who passed away last month. Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, announced the appointment Thursday following a formal session […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2015 Methuen resident Christine Prescott went to the Methuen police station last month to thank the officer who saved her life when her heart stopped while working out at a local fitness center. “I had just finished my 45 minute spinning class at the gym,” Prescott told The Valley Patriot. […]