August, 2007 We wish to thank author J.K. Rowling for inspiring so many people, especially young children, to read and to enjoy reading in the age of internet, television and video games. In the 24 hour period from midnight July 21st, to midnight July 22nd, over 15 million copies of “Harry Potter and the Deathly […]
July, 2007 Careful readers of this paper have probably noticed the above byline under The Valley Patriot banner since our very first printing. We chose this byline, the first five words of the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, because we believe that this amendment is the first line of defense against government trampling our rights […]
Tom Duggan (07/03/07) Lawrence Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo Laboy has been under fire by critics over the last month for his decision to house newly arrived immigrant students with lack of English proficiency in the “old” high school building on Haverhill Street once the new $110 million campus is officially opened. Teacher’s union president Frank McLaughlin […]
June 5, 2007 NORTH ANDOVER – While property taxes in North Andover continue to rise each year, and with an override on the horizon, and the average taxpayer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts experiencing a property tax bill increase of 4.7% from fiscal year 2006 to 2007, some elected officials in North Andover actually saw […]
June 5, 2007 We love immigrants. Those who come to America to become Americans have been the blood, sweat and backbone of our nation for many years. Those who go through the application process and have come here legally have shown by their behavior that they are ready to live by the laws of […]
Local Hero Speaks on War on Terror Monday, May 28, 2007 Memorial Day Services were held all around the Merrimack Valley today in honor of those who lost their lives serving the United States Armed Forces. In North Andover, Massachusetts, Valley Patriot of the Month, Thomas Hudner, a Medal of Honor recipient, spoke […]
PAYING ATTENTION! with Tom Duggan Former Congressman Jim Shannon Endorses Tsongas By: Tom Duggan, May 16, 2007 Niki Tsongas, the front runner in the race for the 5th congressional district visited the city of Lawrence last night at the opening of her Essex Street headquarters only feet away from city hall. Tsongas is […]
PAYING ATTENTION! with Tom Duggan By: Tom Duggan -Monday, May 7, 2007 Last week Siglo 21, (a partially bilingual newspaper) printed the following paragraphs about the ACLU and our website posting about the meeting: (Siglo21) “Tommy Duggan, the director of The Valley Patriot, the only member of the Anglo-American press present at the gathering […]
Valley Patriot of the Month By: Ted Tripp – May, 2007 CONCORD/ANDOVER – Tom Hudner was sitting in the commons area after lunch at Phillips Academy in Andover when word spread that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. As with most young people of the era, he had no idea where Pearl Harbor was […]
Valley Patriot of the Month, Hero in Our Midst Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. Ted Tripp – (May 7, 2007) CONCORD/ANDOVER – Tom Hudner was sitting in the commons area after lunch at Phillips Academy in Andover when word spread that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. As with most young people of the era, […]
How People Hear What They Want to Hear Paying Attention! With Tom Duggan By Tom Duggan – May, 2007 Last month the ACLU came to Lawrence for a meeting with citizens who had a beef with the Lawrence police. Packed in the large function room at “Casa Dominicana” on Essex St. were criminals, malcontents, racists […]
By; Tom Duggan May, 2007 When Lawrence resident David Camasso was being interrogated by members of the Lawrence City Council last month, one issue was repeatedly brought up for Camasso to address: If hired as comptroller, would Camasso bow down to political pressure when it came to approving expenditures he believed were excessive, illegal […]
May 5, 2007 We are looking forward to the circus that will take place at this year’s May 14th North Andover Town Meeting. On the town warrant to be decided by North Andover voters is a Proposition 2 ½ Override. A memo of agreement signed on by the Board of Selectman, the School Committee […]
By: Tom Duggan – May 7, 2007 When I thought of my daughter Hanna advancing from 5th grade at the Thomson School to 6th grade at the North Andover Middle School (NAMS), the last thing I was thinking about was grade inflation. I was more concerned about issues relating to the transition, like bullying, […]
Valley Patriot of the Month PART 2 By: By Ted Tripp April, 2007 (read part 1) METHUEN – It was late in the summer of 1943 and Tom Petrillo was a shell loader on one of the twenty 5″ guns onboard the battleship USS Massachusetts. After serving 16 months on Big Mamie, and having […]