VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL July, 2013 At issue was Attorney Richard D’Agostino, who was applying to replace McQuillan as city solicitor after the council voted not to renew McQuillan’s contract. While D’Agostino was being questioned at a public hearing, McQuillan was feeding questions and damaging information to Councilor Atkinson in an attempt to stop D’Agostino from […]
By: Eva Montabello When telling a story about “strength of spirit”, Methuen City Councilor Jamie Atkinson wholeheartedly embodies the statement. A lifetime of health hardships hasn’t stopped him from continuing to cross items off of his “bucket list”. From his recent election win to a Methuen City Council seat with a focus on […]
REPORT: Four Councilors Benefited from Police Contract Vote The state Inspector General’s Office (IG) is an independent state agency that conducts investigations of government agencies and makes recommendations when wrongdoing is found. The IG investigated the process of the City of Methuen’s superior officer’s contract approval that has long been the subject of dispute. The […]
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 […]
July, 2018 While voting on last year’s Methuen city budget and union contracts there were at least five (of nine) members of the city council who had a conflict of interest because they had immediate family members working for the city. The state’s conflict of interest laws say that elected officials with family members on […]
THE RACE FOR CONGRESS AND THE DEMOCRAT RESHUFFLE Lawrence’s freshman State Representative Juana Matias certainly doesn’t have any self esteem problems these days. Defeating Marcos Devers in a low turnout state primary a year ago, Mattias has already declared she’s ready to replace Niki Tsongas as your next congressman for this district. Yeah… seriously. Wide […]
By: DJ Deeb – July, 2016 June proved to be a volatile month for both the City of Methuen budget and the Methuen Public Schools budget. Even though Mayor Steve Zanni proposed increasing the city budget by 6.25%, he initially proposed level-funding the schools. Faced with nearly $3 Million in new Federal Special Education mandates, […]
PERISOCOPE – With the advance of technology, The Valley Patriot is now using a cell phone application called Periscope to do live video interviews online. On Election Day, we were able to get out to Lawrence and Methuen to interview the candidates and some of their supporters. As soon as we got LIVE on the […]
By: Tom Duggan – August 4, 2015 In order for any candidate for public office to have their name appear on the ballot at election time, they must get nomination signatures by voters in their respective districts. Voters in each city in Massachusetts will hold primary elections in September and final elections in November of […]
By: Jessica Finocchiaro – March, 2015 The Methuen Stadium Renovation Saga began in 1986, and seems to have ended this week, though many can hardly believe it. After a sudden turn of events, the City Council passed a last minute “7 Point Stadium Financing Plan” Monday, after a similar plan failed the week before. DEPLORABLE […]
By: DJ Deeb – March, 2016 February has been a difficult month for Methuen Public Schools as it has been for residents and homeowners throughout the Commonwealth due to the multiple storms that our region has experienced. In addition to dealing with the snow and ice, a great deal of discussion ensued regarding the present […]
Join us as We Celebrate The Valley Patriot’s 11th Anniversary ORDER TICKETS ON-LINE HERE or mail your check to The Valley Patriot, PO BOX 453, North Andover, MA 01845 March 20th, 6:30PM @ The Relief’s In, 1 Market St. Lawrence, MA With Food, RAFFLES, Music, 50/50, Comedy, and SO MUCH MORE! WHY DO WE HOLD THIS EVENT […]
October, 2013 Central District voters will vote for two of the three candidates for district council and this year’s election. Two incumbents are running for re-election (Atkinson and Ferry) and the former district councilor (Jack Cronin) is running for his old seat after being term limited from running two years ago. Cronin topped the ticket […]
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2013 Once thought to be unbeatable, incumbent West End City Councilor Sean Fountain now has a fight on his hands to be re-elected. With Jeanne Pappalardo unable to run for re-election because of terms limits, voters will have to choose two of three very popular polls. Sean Fountain: Fountain is […]
By: Tom Duggan – August 7, 2013 OTHER METHUEN STORIES Former State Senator James Jajuga is running for Methuen City Council At Large (city wide). Jajuga is a Vietnam Era Veteran, was a member of the Massachusetts State Police, is former Public Safety Commissioner and is the former […]