City of Methuen Awarded $9,000 to Replace Trees

Methuen Mayor Steve Zanni announced last month that Methuen has qualified for matching funds through the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s (DCR) Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant Program. Mayor Zanni and members of the Methuen Arbor Group joined with Groundwork Lawrence last November to apply for this funding through DCR. The coordinated grant proposal […]

Senator Kathleen Ives on Welfare Reform Bill

By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives BOSTON – Following a press conference that Senate President Therese Murray held Monday morning, the Senate is due to take up a comprehensive welfare reform bill on Thursday aimed at making state assistance transitional. The bill addresses cyclical issues that prevent recipients from transitioning off of welfare as well as […]

Firefighter, Activist Manny “Juan” Gonzalez Officially Kicks off Campaign for Lawrence Mayor

By: Tom Duggan – July 18, 2013 Lawrence Firefighter and community activist Manuel “Juan” Gonzalez launched his official campaign kickoff for Mayor Thursday night before a packed room of about 100 people at the Firefighter’s Relief In. Flanked by former Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, Lawrence City Councilor Marc LaPlante (District “F”), and Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association […]

Representative DiZoglio Votes to Strengthen EBT Enforcement

Representative DiZoglio Votes to Strengthen EBT Enforcement

  BOSTON – State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation that provides immediate funds for reforms to the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The bill updates EBT oversight measures included in the FY ’14 budget and advances continuous […]

EDITORIAL: Still No Investigation, No Answers on Jamie Atkinson Scandal

EDITORIAL: Still No Investigation, No Answers on Jamie Atkinson Scandal

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 […]

Methuen Council Candidate Evan Chaisson: Solicitor Fiasco a “Joke” Council Needs Leadership

Methuen Council Candidate Evan Chaisson: Solicitor Fiasco a “Joke” Council Needs Leadership

By: Tom Duggan – July 17, 2013 With Jeanne Pappalardo leaving the city council because of term limits this year, three people are seeking to fill two seats on the city council representing Methuen’s West End. Incumbent Councilor Sean Fountain, School Committeeman George Kazanjian and Methuen’s most outspoken member of the school committee Evan Chaisson […]

After Six Years on Council, Pappalardo Looks Back

By Tom Duggan – July, 2013 Always outspoken and often controversial, the West District Councilor has had her share of political scuffles over the last six years, but even those who had an adversarial relationship with Pappalardo say they respect her even though they were on opposite sides of most political battles. “Jeanne Pappalardo is […]

Political Action Committees in MA Report Contributions of $2.6 million to State and County Candidates in 2011-12

Political Action Committees in MA Report Contributions of $2.6 million to State and County Candidates in 2011-12

The 2011-12 state election cycle saw typical political action committee activity in Massachusetts, even with the addition of independent expenditure PACs, according to a study published by OCPF that examines campaign finance activity by PACs. PACs reported making $2,637,514 in direct contributions to state and county candidates in 2011-12, a period that did not include […]

City Pays DiAdamos $4M Rent For Building Worth $801,200

City Pays DiAdamos $4M Rent For Building Worth $801,200

By: Tom Duggan – July, 2013 According to documents obtained by The Valley Patriot, Carmine and William DiAdamo of the DiAdamo and DiAdamo Law firm are not only the worker’s compensation attorney’s for the City of Lawrence, but the money they made on the city for rental payments of their Essex Street buildings under the Lantigua […]

PJ Keating Company Agrees to Restore Damage to Wetlands Area in Dracut, Caused by its Quarry

PJ Keating Company Agrees to Restore Damage to Wetlands Area in Dracut, Caused by its Quarry

Asphalt Operation in Dracut Penalized $54,150, company agrees to Improve Street Drainage for Surrounding area BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized PJ Keating Company $54,150 due to wetlands and water quality violations at its property on Bridge Street in Dracut. PJ Keating Company, a foreign corporation with a local office in Lunenberg, […]

Long Island Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda Affiliate

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York A complaint and information were unsealed in federal court yesterday afternoon charging Justin Kaliebe, an American citizen and resident of Babylon and Bay Shore, New York, with attempting to travel to Yemen in order to join the foreign terrorist organization al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), […]

HERO IN Our Midst: CORPORAL ROBERT F. BAILEY, U.S. ARMY

HERO IN Our Midst: CORPORAL ROBERT F. BAILEY, U.S. ARMY

VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH By: Helen Mooradkanian – June, 2013 In that assault landing on Morotai, 45 LSTs (landing ship, tank) lined the shore. Offshore coral reefs and boulders caught landing craft. Troops, vehicles, and supplies were unloaded onto the beach—with no opposition from the 500 or more Japanese caught there by surprise. But […]

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – Sorting Out the Obama Scandals, Connecting the Dots

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – Sorting Out the Obama Scandals, Connecting the Dots

By: Tom Duggan – June, 2013 In the last few months, the American people have had to endure story after story in the news about the Obama administration’s abuse of power and violations of civil liberties. Though I rarely write about national politics or the President, I think it is important for our Valley Patriot […]

FBI Releases Annual Crime Statistics

FBI Releases Annual Crime Statistics

According to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, released today, the nation experienced a 1.2 % increase in the number of violent crimes and a 0.8 % decline in the number of property crimes in 2012 when compared with data from 2011. The report is based on information the FBI gathered from 13,770 law […]