BOSTON – A Lawrence tax preparer and former teacher in the Lawrence and Boston school systems was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with his role in defrauding the IRS of hundreds of thousands of dollars by filing false tax returns. Leonidas Nunez, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge […]
Bump Calls on MassHealth to Address Systemic Problems in Program BOSTON, MA — Auditor Suzanne M. Bump today released an audit that found that, during a roughly five-year period, MassHealth inappropriately paid $15,201,854 for adult foster care (AFC) and group adult foster care (GAFC) services for members in long-term care facilities (LTC), which is prohibited […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL Anti-Semitic, hate group Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) can hide behind the name “PEACE” (see letter) but those of us who pay attention are not fooled. Their goal is to masquerade as a civil and human rights organization (as many pro-terror groups do) in an effort to oppose any peace in Israel, as […]
To the Editor: In a recent article, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan attacks Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) as an “anti-Semitic, pro-terror organization” that is “masquerading” as a peace group (“State Senator Barbara L’Italien’s Trip Israel: Part II”). Duggan provides no evidence for these inflammatory accusations. But for the record, MAPA is an affiliate of Peace […]
THANK YOU OUTBACK – Last month the Veterans’ Services Officer for North Andover and Boxford, Gerard Maguire, held a fundraiser for our veterans at the Relief’s In in Lawrence. I want to personally thank the Outback Steak House in Methuen for donating an amazing meal for the event in support of our veterans. I am […]
BOSTON – The City of Boston’s Chief of Staff of Intergovernmental Affairs, Timothy Sullivan, was arrested this morning after a federal grand jury indicted him in connection with the extortion of a music festival production company operating on City Hall Plaza. Sullivan, 36, of Dorchester, was indicted in a two-count federal indictment charging him with conspiracy […]
By: Dr. Bharani Padmanabhan – June, 2016 The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine has now been proved, twice, to work against public safety, against the very reasons we taxpayers fund it’s very existence. The first case involves Dr. Michael Langan, who worked for years at MGH taking care of our elderly. He also served […]
By: Kathy Runge – June, 2015 Let me start with a shout out to State Rep. Marcos Devers, who had the courage to vote against the “bathroom bill,” which I’m sure wasn’t easy for a Democrat. Thank you Rep. Devers! I was at Lawrence’s Memorial Day commemoration and only three councilors attended. None of the […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – June, 2016 In May, the Massachusetts Legislature approved legislation that seeks to enhance government transparency and accountability by providing residents with greater access to public records and imposing penalties for non-compliance with public records requests. I re-filed a piece of legislation this session, co-sponsored by Representative Diana DiZoglio, in […]
Mike Demers of Salem, NH Says His Boycott Website Has Ruffled Some Feathers at WR Berkeley According to the New Hampshire Dept. of Environmental Services, Haffner’s Oil Company overfilled the oil tank at 21 Martin Avenue in Salem, NH in February of 2007. As the result, more than 200 gallons of oil spilled into […]
BOSTON – A senior sales executive at a seafood processing company in Gloucester was indicted yesterday on federal tax charges. Richard J. Pandolfo, 70, of North Andover, was indicted on four counts of making and subscribing false tax returns. He is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Kelley on June 16, […]
June 3, 2016 Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a public records reform bill Friday, after a joint conference committee of the Massachusetts legislature negotiated and reached a final deal on final language of the bill. For the first time in the state’s history, members of the public and the press will be able to hold […]
By: Tom Duggan – May, 2016 The cozy relationship between The Eagle-Tribune (which is headquartered in Alabama) and town officials in Salem, NH has come to an abrupt end this month, with the Board of Selectmen banning an Eagle Tribune reporter from public meetings in town and raising serious doubts about the credibility of […]
By: DJ Deeb – May, 2016 The debate over Common Core has been heating up over the past several months, especially with the Presidential and Congressional Elections looming. The purpose of this article is to explain the origins of Common Core, summarize the standards, and offer suggestions on how to stop Common Core from being […]
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H4333 5-23-16 On Monday, a joint conference committee of the Massachusetts legislature negotiated and reached a final deal on a new public records reform bill for the first time in 40 years. CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW If signed by Governor Baker, the new law, (Final BillH4333) , would allow judges to award legal costs and attorney […]