Tom Duggan – December, 2007 In 1995, a devastating fire ripped through the Malden Mills factory on Broadway in Methuen. Firefighters and police officers responded to the emergency from allover the Commonwealth. As the out-of-town public safety officials began to arrive at the scene, chaos ensued as it became nearly impossible to coordinate […]
By: Lonnie Brennan -December, 2007 GEORGETOWN – Quietly, peacefully, a former naval seaman makes his way to a local coffee shop. He takes his seat on a short stool at a curved counter, smiles to a familiar server, shares quips and views on the past day’s events and the morning papers. As he sips his […]
Sandy Gleed This Monday’s special town meeting demonstrated far more about the shortcomings of municipal government than it did about the average citizen’s desire to exert control over wireless communications. The wireless article sparked very legitimate concerns about: * our town’s failure to monitor current cell tower permits * our town’s […]
By: George Vozeolos – December, 2012 With another Special Town Meeting taking place last month, I would like to make it clear what I am trying to do and why. First the why. Our existing town charter was adopted over 22 years ago and North Andover has grown considerably. Like an old sweater, we […]
By: Ralph Wilbur – December, 2007 In the late 1960’s, North Andover was one of the first communities to wholeheartedly adopt the then current fad for “open classroom” teaching. A new high school was constructed without internal partitioning walls and the result was noise, constant distractions and educational bedlam. Generations of North Andover […]
Tom Duggan – December, 2007 Last month, my 7th grade daughter at the North Andover Middle School came home from school and said that she learned in her Spanish class how the leader of Venezuela (Hugo Chavez) was a “good guy” for giving cheap oil to poor people here in the US. She also said […]
PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE By: Michael Sweeney (December, 2007) Lawrence Planning Director “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” -President Abraham Lincoln Good call there by President Lincoln. Unfortunately, under the weak-armed rule of Patrick Blanchette, truth has been replaced in the city council chambers by slander and personal attacks. The truth is […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL December, 2007 There is a rush to judgment by the media and our government, both Democrats and Republicans, reacting to Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of emergency and suspension of their constitution. Everyone now waving the flag of democracy says this is the anti-democratic conduct of a dictator, and should be stopped […]
By: Tom Duggan – December 2007 WCAP radio (980/AM) may be located in downtown Lowell, but Colonel Sam Poulten and Clark Smidt say they are expanding the Lowell-based news and talk programming on the station to include Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill “and everywhere in between,” says Smidt who took over the station with […]
By: Kathleen Corey Rahme – November, 2007 METHUEN – The Massachusetts Women Veterans’ Network named Methuen resident, Sara Payne Hayden the Woman’s Veteran of the Year at a special ceremony in the State House in Boston this month. It was a privilege to nominate her for this honor and according to Heidi Kruckenberg the coordinator for […]
By: Tom Duggan – November, 2007 LAWRENCE – Five elected officials in the city of Lawrence were fired by the voters on election day, as growing discontent among voters saw three members of the Lawrence city council rejected on election day and two members of the Lawrence School Committee being replaced by newcomers. Eight out […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL November, 2007 Governor Deval Patrick recently stirred up controversy when he stated on a Boston radio program that he is interested in getting rid of police details on state and local construction sites and replacing them with civilian flagmen. If Governor Patrick were to issue an executive order, then only state […]
By:Tom Duggan – October, 2007 District “A” – Council president survives … barely Lawrence city council president Patrick Blanchette rightly brags that his family name has been on the ballot in the Prospect Hill section of Lawrence for more than 25 years. However, the embattled District “A” councilor nearly lost his seat on […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EXCLUSIVE By: Tom Duggan – October, 2007 NORTH ANDOVER – Tracy Watson has announced to The Valley Patriot that she will run for the Board of Selectman this March. There are two open seats for Selectmen this coming election with the announcements from Selectmen Licciardello and Xenakis of their intentions not to […]
An exclusive interview with Bob Ansin. By: Tom Duggan – October, 2007 Earlier this month, several erroneous Eagle-Tribune stories alleged that Robert Ansin, CEO of sustainable development company MassInnovation, was running out of funds and that asbestos was found inside the Monarch on the Merrimack building. On Sunday, September 16, the Eagle-Tribune ran a […]