By: Tom Duggan Sept, 1, 2015 Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has ruled that Lawrence City Council President Modesto Maldonado has violated the open meeting law by holding secret meetings and not notifying the public of what was to be discussed or what was discussed during their secret session. Ruling The state’s open meeting law […]
September, 1, 2015 Mayor Rivera’s Response Posted 9/2/15 Lawrence Police Officer William Green told The Valley Patriot early Tuesday morning that an affidavit will be filed with the Lawrence Election Department Wednesday at 1pm calling for a recall petition against Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera. Among the reasons listed on the affidavit, Rivera is accused of political retaliation […]
By: Tom Duggan – August, 2015 Explosive new details have come to light revealing that viral media reports on a 911 dispatcher in Lawrence, whose “job is on the line” over hanging up on Spanish-speaking callers … is false. CBS news and other outlets reported this week “A 911 dispatcher’s job is on the line […]
Flip page PDF viewer of the August, 2015 Valley Patriot PDF OF THE AUGUST, 2015 VALLEY PATRIOT AVAILABLE ON KINDLE!!
By: Al Kaprielian – August, 2015 Clouds are classified by different levels: high, middle, low and towering. High clouds, known as cirrus clouds, are thin, feathery and hair-like. They are too thin to produce any precipitation, and can often precede a low pressure system. They can also produce a halo around the sun and moon. […]
By: John MacDonald – August, 2015 Little did anyone suspect that the vote to hire a new Superintendent of Schools in Lowell would have such a profound effect on this year’s City Council race? Several months ago the match was lit, on what has become political dynamite. A divided Lowell School Committee had a choice […]
After a year of construction work, Dr. Gomer finally announced the opening of his new location for Mount Vernon Dental Solutions. The new dental office was built in place of an old Julie and Wendy’s convenience store that was abandoned for a long time. Last month, Lawrence officials attended a ribbon cutting at Mount Vernon […]
Last month the Massachusetts Legislature delayed a scheduled vote on a public records reform bill after getting pressure from the very politicians who will have to pay the price for concealing such public documents. The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) initially opposed the public records reform bill, but after realizing there was too much momentum in […]
FULL INTERVIEW WITH IKE GABRIEL OF THE SEIU (Produced by Zach Murhpy) Explosive new details have come to light revealing that media reports about a 911 call taker in Lawrence, whose “job is on the line” over hanging up on Spanish-speaking callers… is false. CBS news and other outlets reported this week that “A 911 […]
State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) says she believes those who put their lives on the line for our country in the United States military should not have to pay excise taxes. DiZoglio said on Thursday that under her proposed legislation active duty members of the military would be exempted from motor vehicle excise taxes while serving. […]
By: Tom Duggan, July 31, 2015 The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has granted a hearing to former members of the Salisbury Board of Health, after Town Manager Harrington fired the entire board for trying to expose corruption, conflicts of interest, fraud, “apparent government waste” and retaliation against them as “whistleblowers”. The suit was filed […]
Included in this year’s 2016 State Budget is an amendment, sponsored by State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), for $25,000 toward the Lawrence-Methuen Community Coalition (LMCC)’s recently formed Merrimack Valley Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative. The LMCC is a resident-based coalition focused on the prevention of substance abuse, child abuse and domestic violence through the establishment of […]
LAWRENCE – The Lawrence Fire Department will receive $1,181,222.00 from the federal government to be used to hire new firefighters and purchase new equipment and training. The grant comes to the city from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. “This is great news for the […]
WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT IN CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE RACES Candidates wishing to have their names appear on the September ballot for municipal elections had until close of business on Tuesday to turn in the required number of signatures. The Lawrence City Council is made up of nine members. Six members of 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 […]