Volunteers from 14 different Home Depot stores in New England showed up at the House of Mercy on Baystate Road with materials and workers to renovate the facility. “They did painting throughout the building, refinishing the floor, air conditioning, installed shelving and did general cleanup for us. We are so grateful for this help,” said […]
NOW THAT WAS A BASH!!! Each year the Valley Patriot celebrates our anniversary with a charity BASH scholarship and award night. This year we raised and gave away almost $10,000 in scholarships to local students, raised money for Veterans Northeast Outreach in Haverhill, and were able to give out 8 different awards to community heroes. […]
Valley Patriot Renames Award for Good Samaritan Scott Clegg By: Tom Duggan, April, 2019 Last year a Good Samaritan in the Merrimack Valley named Scott Clegg passed away. He wasn’t famous, he never ran for office, and he had no interest in being thanked for the work he did in the community. But Mr. Clegg […]
March, 2019 There is no question that the City of Lawrence is the hub of the opioid epidemic in New England. There is also no question that while violent crime is drastically down over the last year, Lawrence is still a crime riddled city and a destination for heroin and other drug traffickers, users, and […]
Last month, hero veteran John Ratka of Veterans Northeast Outreach Center in Haverhill unexpectedly passed away. Ratka was a member of The Valley Patriot family and received the 2016, Valley Patriot Hero Veteran Award for all the work he has done to help homeless veterans, and provide services for veterans in need. Ratka was a […]
It’s no secret that print media industry is dying. It seems that almost every month we hear of another newspaper going out of business as more people get their news on-line, and with freedom of the press – and journalism itself – under constant attack. As The Valley Patriot approaches our 15th anniversary (in March […]
By: Marlene Bistany – Dec.2018 METHUEN – This is a story that should never need writing. It’s a story about apathy, irresponsibility, and disrespect. It’s a story about the bitter treatment of animals and the inadequate systems that fail in its due diligence to the community. But most of all, it’s a story about a pure […]
HEROES AND BOZOS OF 2018 While we normally reserve the word “hero” for our brave veterans, police officers, and firefighters, the use of the word hero in this yearly notebook feature “HEROES and BOZOS” is to denote community heroes who go above and beyond to make our lives better. BOZO – METHUEN SCHOOL COMMITTEEMAN […]
WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT WRONG BUT YOU DON’T On two occasions last month we reported a story on line that we thought we got wrong after it was posted. In one story we reported that a shooting victim from East Haverhill Street had died. Minutes after we reported the victim’s death we were […]
VOTE SEPT. 4TH, DAY AFTER LABOR DAY… IT’S IMPORTANT! Secretary of State Bill Galvin has scheduled this year’s state primary elections for the day after Labor Day when a lot of people are not even back from summer vacation. That means a very low turnout is expected and as anyone who has ever studied elections […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – August, 2018 The Massachusetts Legislature recently passed a $41.88 billion state budget for FY19 and directs a $367 million deposit into the Stabilization Fund, to ensure our state’s fiscal health and protect Massachusetts’ future. It also prioritizes our cities and towns, education, and those most in need of help […]
HELP THE HOMELESS Every Wednesday night a volunteer group called “The Movement Family” serves a family style meal for the homeless at the Buckley Garage on Common Street in Lawrence. In the last five weeks The Valley Patriot has put out a call on Facebook looking for local business in the community to help with […]
By: Joe D’Amore – July 16, 2018 This is what a veteran explained to me along with lots of heartfelt details about his life on a recent fishing trip organized by Dick George of 101st Airborne Division Association of Newburyport. Mr George collaborated with several wonderful organizations to fill a fishing boat that cast […]
By: Robin Desmet – June, 2018 Despite their popularity as pets and their ubiquitous presence in the media, cats are probably one of the most misunderstood breed of animals. Myths surrounding these creatures abound, especially among those who are unfortunate enough to have never owned one. One common misconception that seems to pervade is that […]
Earlier this month, newly appointed Lawrence Police Chief Roy Vasque appeared on the Paying Attention Podcast with Tom Duggan. (You can download it on Spotify, iHeartRadio, iTunes etc.) We asked the chief how he is changing the way the police in Lawrence do their jobs. “I think that the department is energized right now, it’s up […]