Jan, 20204 WILL CASTRO BE PERMANENT? Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena is expected to send down William Castro’s name to the city council for approval to be the permanent Lawrence Police Chief. Castro is currently the Acting Police Chief after former Chief Roy Vasque was pushed out over politics. Castro was appointed as DePena’s Chief of […]
KANE’S KORNER ~ THE ADVENTURES OF KANE! Jan., 2024 On Sunday New Years Eve Day, Kane went for a woods walk with a group of resident shelter dogs and volunteers from the Lowell Humane Society. In his group was Tillie being walked by her amazing foster care dad and mom Brian and Isabel Surprenant […]
By: Santiago Reyes Cruz, Jr. Fresh out of the hospital from a life-threatening illness, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan was presented with one of the most prestigious awards in the Merrimack Valley last month, the Greater Lawrence Psychological Center’s Overcoming Obstacles Award Most people may know that Tom is a homeless advocate; he feeds them, […]
LAWRENCE — Last month, the Greater Lawrence Psychological Center, Inc., hosted approximately 200 people at their 5th-annual Overcoming Obstacles Gala at Salvatore’s Italian Restaurant in Lawrence. I first want to thank Michael Agricola and Phillip Wood, (owners of Salvatore’s) for donating their food and space for this event. The gala raised approximately $50,000 to […]
State Rep. Estela Reyes 10-23 First, I want to say how happy I am that my good friend, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan is recovering from a near death experience that kept him in the hospital for over a month. I truly appreciate his friendship and the fact that he gives members of the community […]
State Rep. Ryan Hamilton 10-23 I am proud to come from the Merrimack Valley, where we cherish and uplift our veterans and their families. I am also proud to come from a family who understands the sacrifice our veterans have made. My grandfather was a Korean War veteran and two of my uncles served in […]
By: Michael Gorman 9-23 The following eulogy was delivered last month at the funeral of local philanthropist Frank Cann by TMF founder Michael Gorman. TMF is a group of local volunteers who feeds the homeless in Lawrence. My Name is Michael Gorman and I am the Founder of the non-profit organization – The Movement Family, […]
Affordable Homeownership in Lawrence, Haverhill, and North Andover By: Kane Kane knows it is a dream of many families in the Merrimack Valley to own a home. There are so many hard-working people that work full time that are priced out of homeownership due to the astronomical price of real estate. The Executive Director of […]
Housing, Independent Living Skills for Homeless Young Adults 7-23 Kane didn’t know which way to look first when he entered the Project Kompass Home in North Chelmsford. Should he look around the beautiful, tidy, and cheerful home or look at the inviting and confident face of Founder, Executive Director Ronnie Hoey? Kane learned that word […]
6-23 Kane had the honor of accompanying Raymond Brunelle to Arlington National Cemetery to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Kane found the experience to be very humbling. Kane learned that Raymond Brunelle is no stranger to serving his country and local citizens of the Merrimack […]
By: State Senator Pavel Payano – 6/23 On Thursday, May 25th, the Massachusetts Senate approved a comprehensive budget of $55.9 billion for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), signaling the Commonwealth’s commitment to fiscal discipline and the long-term economic well-being of the state. With a focus on equity and opportunity, the Senate’s budget delivers historic levels of […]
5-23 METHUEN – Just a week after Don Smeriglio announced that he was selling Borrelli’s Deli to the Tomacchio family, both Smeriglio and the Tomacchio’s appeared on the Paying Attention Podcast to talk about the turnover. We asked Don how he got into the business. Here’s what he said. “I purchased the original Borrelli’s in […]
Audio Podcast on Podbean: Today Tom has a few topics he is going to cover. Firstly, his outrage at Veterans Northeast Outreach evicting homeless veterans and also Andover’s attempt to do away with Columbus Day. His main topic today is the Methuen City Councils ambush of Methuen’s Senator and state reps. Follow Tom and The […]
Every year, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan holds an anniversary BASH to honor police officers, firefighters, veterans, and community activists, as well as to raise scholarship money for local high school seniors. “When we walked out of the room last year we had raised and given out $33,000 in scholarship money and that was […]
By: Kane ~ 03-23 March 27, 2023 is a perfect example of having boots on the ground saving three abandoned, actually dumped on the side of the road puppies. Kane wants you to take a close look at the picture below. These three lovely volunteers from Sweet Paws Rescue, including founder Cynthia Sweet are holding […]