By: Shawn Hansen – Dec. 2017 For Dorothy “Dot” Hayes of the Jason Hayes Foundation, her week ended being honored in center court at the Boston Celtics/Orlando Magic game on November 24, 2017. Establishing the aforementioned foundation in 2005 in memory of her late son, Jason Hayes, Dot and other members of the foundation’s […]
The Methuen Fire Department and Methuen Firefighters Local 1691 teamed up with Columbia Gas to hand out 88 coats, hats, and gloves to children as part of Operation Warm at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Head Start, 24 Gill Ave. in Methuen. The kids were thrilled to receive their new winter gear, meet […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL December, 2017 Last month this editorial page highlighted the problem of corporate social media tech-giants (like Facebook and Twitter) censoring political messages their employees don’t agree with. We were inundated by reader emails telling us that this was a manufactured crisis, claiming that Facebook and Twitter don’t censor messages based on the […]
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has penalized CIL, Inc., a metal finishing business in Lawrence, $18,690 for several hazardous waste management and air quality violations. MassDEP inspected the 400 Canal Street facility on October 26, 2016 and found hazardous waste violations, including that the satellite and main accumulation area hazardous waste […]
By: Tom Duggan, Jr. – Dec. 1, 2017 Earlier this year The Valley Patriot learned about Lawrence Police Officer Jeremaiah O’Connor had died in the line of duty back in the 1950’s but his sacrifice was never recognized. Officer O’Connor has since been declared a line of duty death and his family given the “last […]
BOSTON – After more than 60 years of working in a crumbling building every day, the men and women of the Lawrence police department may finally be getting a new station. “Back when I was first elected, I said one of my priorities was to help find a way to get the funding for a new […]
By: Paul Murano – Nov. 2017 At the end of each November we commemorate a peace meal between two warring parties. We call it Thanksgiving. The word ‘Thanksgiving’ in Greek means Eucharist. Whereas Thanksgiving is celebrated once a year, the peace meal that is the Eucharistic is celebrated every Sunday. There are profound parallels between […]
Jenn Baker and Tripper (Alfredo III) DiMauro were married by the sea on September 9, 2017 at Shining Tides in Mattapoisett, MA. The bride is the daughter of Christopher Menz of Hampton, NH and granddaughter of Anne (and the late James) Baker of Westford, MA. The groom (born in Springfield, MA) is the son of […]
By: Tom Duggan – 11-14-17 Lawrence Superintendent-Receiver Jeff Riley is expected to announce his resignation Wednesday just one week after the reelection of Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera. Riley was appointed by state officials to run the chronically under-performing school district nearly seven years ago. Since then he has acted as both superintendent and school committee, […]
33 Local Firefighters Graduate State Firefighting Academy “Graduating from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy takes great perseverance, drive, and intelligence. We are proud of Both Jamison Kattar and John McCarthy, and look forward to welcoming them to the ranks of the Methuen Fire Department. We know that they have the training and skills to be successful in […]
By: Alex Talcott -Oct. 2017 If you’re a parent of a child with special needs, you’ve likely dedicated much of your life to researching, providing, and advocating for the best care for your child. So naturally, you may worry about what will happen when you are no longer able to supervise your child’s care due […]
By: Robin Desmet – Oct. 2017 Halloween—a holiday for witches, ghosts, vampires, and the much maligned black cat. But what is it about black cats that brings out the haters? The reputation of the black cat as an evil creature started back in Europe in The Middle Ages. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX claimed that […]
By: Tom Duggan – Oct. 29, 2017 Methuen residents living in the Forest Lake area of West Methuen woke up Sunday Morning to profane graffiti and Nazi Swastikas painted on cars and signs. Valley Patriot sources also say three cars near the Methuen line in the bordering Town of Dracut were also hit with hate […]
With all the bad publicity surrounding Lawrence’s crime and corruption problems, you might think that small businesses like A&M Auto Body would be resistant to moving into the city. But, Angelo Memmolo of East Boston says he sees Lawrence as a “great opportunity” to expand the auto body business his father started when he was […]
By: Joe D’Amore – Oct. 2017 As I write this, countless families and friends of the victims of the Las Vegas massacre are now receiving the bodies, released from official coroners after a week of inexplicable tragedy. Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, family members and friends felled in the prime of their lives in a moment […]