By: Karin Rhoton – June, 2012 Somehow the rhetoric never changes, even though the calendar does. Another year has gone by and still the taxpayers of Massachusetts continue to fund pet projects of politicians instead of funding services and programs for the communities in which they live. Still the taxpayers have not seen the […]
By: Joe D’Amore – June, 2012 The community action movements that swept Lawrence “It’s Your Right” and “Uniting Lawrence” appear to have initated derivative actions that speak to a yearning for change in this city. These have manifested themselves in unique ways such as a proliferation of Face Book groups, radio programs, letter writing […]
By: Ken Willette – June, 2012 I have observed with great dissatisfaction political decisions being considered or enacted by our local leadership in Methuen. With each questionable decision, I have come to the same conclusions: when are real government reforms going to be implemented and how much will these recent actions to augment the […]
By: Gerry Nutter – May, 2011 On April 26th for the 2nd time since February the Lowell City Council received a “White Paper” dealing with suggestions of how the Council should spend taxpayer dollars from a Political Action Committee based here in Lowell named Move Lowell Forward. In the 2009 election this “non-partisan citizens […]
By: Ronnie Ford – May 2012 Get your calculators out folks! Yep! There are 763 candidates for various offices in the Merrimack Valley area. Some are good, some not so good. So be very careful when casting your vote. Do some homework on the candidates that you choose; make sure that they have the views […]
By: Kenneth Willette May, 2012 I was quite amused to learn recently that Deval Patrick will be making the rounds on the national press circuit as an official spokesperson for the Obama re-election campaign. I am actually thrilled that he is the national spokesperson, because his dubious record on crime, illegal immigration and tax […]
By: Rob Eno – May, 2012 After completing work on a $32.5 billion budget, Speaker Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) said the budget process was, “the most open and transparent we can have”. The non-partisan Center for Public Integrity, among others, strongly disagrees. They recently gave Massachusetts an F for openness and transparency in our budgeting […]
By: Joe D’Amore – May, 2012 Here is my response to questions raised by a reporter of a local newspaper. Groveland’s Candidate’s Night is the only event that offers an opportunity for citizens to view candidates and discuss issues for upcoming elections. The event occurred on April 12th at Town Hall and was not […]
By: Robert Irving – May, 2011 Celebrity TV Endorsements – Robert Wagner is back on TV in a toned down commercial for reverse mortgages; this time for Guardian First Funding Group out of New York and Philadelphia. According to an employment ad, this company operates a Call Center and hires telephone representatives as they […]
By: Diana DiZoglio, Valley Patriot Reporter – April, 2012 On April 3, Methuen, MA/Salem, NH Rotary hosted their second annual Celebration of Achievement Banquet at Merrimack Valley Golf Club. President Elect Trudy Lawler call it the “signature event” which “recognizes teachers, students and awards scholarships”. “It’s something that we work toward all year long”, she […]
By: Dr. Rami Rustum – April, 2012 Pain relief at the end of life is a top priority task for patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Failure to achieve such goal has enormous consequences with tremendous distress to patients, a sense of failure by family caregivers, and moral distress of professionals who understand that the […]
By: Christen Varley – April, 2012 I spent the better portion of last week reading, watching, and waiting for news from the Supreme Court. The hearings held to determine the constitutionality of the individual mandate, as well as the entirety of Obamacare, are over and we Americans must now wait for the verdict. I don’t […]
Lab testing ranges are EXTREMELY BROAD! By: Dr. Jin Sung – April, 2012 From a medical standpoint, normal blood glucose levels have a broad range of 70 to 105, while functional or optimal blood glucose level ranges are 85 to 99. According to the American Diabetic Association, a blood sugar level reading of 106 to […]
By: Mayor Bill Manzi – April 2012 The Boston Globe recently published a story on the municipal finance system that detailed the fact that Methuen, on a percentage basis, was tied for first in the State (with Woburn) for being the highest (on a percentage basis) amount below the Proposition 2.5 levy limit. The data […]
By: Eva Montabello – April 2012 The title of this story may not be the typical way that North Andover residents see their former Town Moderator. When I first met Charlie, I could see the sparkle in his eye and within the first few minutes of conversation hear his commitment to fairness, integrity and growth. […]