Haverhill: Council Votes for Mayor’s Parking Plan

By a vote of 6-3, the City council tonight voted for the Mayor’s parking plan, the fourth plan which has been presented to them. Unlike previous plans, this parking plan did not recommend charging for parking in the downtown. Voting for the plan were Councilors Hart, Hall, Daley-O’Brien, Scatamacchia, McGonagle, and Quimby. Voting no were […]

Did Georgetown Club Owner Swindle $357K

Did Georgetown Club Owner Swindle $357K

By: Lonnie Brennan, Georgetown Selectman   A trial is now being heard in Essex Superior Court in Lawrence against Georgetown Country Club owner Peter Wojtkun, who is facing several counts of fraud, misleading, deceptive and coercive business practices, and physical assault according to court documents obtained by The Valley Patriot. The complaint was filed by […]

Police Investigate Middle School Death Threats

By: Tom Duggan – April 2008 NORTH ANDOVER – Several North Andover Middle School students are being investigated by the North Andover police for personal profiles posted on the America On Line Internet service threatening to harm fellow students and naming at least one teacher and a classmate the student pledges to “kill.”  These threats […]

Methuen Police did the Work

Valley Patriot Editorial  March, 2008 What started off as a paperwork dispute between the Department of Justice and Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon has resulted in (among other things), other officers accused of being paid for work they did not do. The fact is, the U.S. Department of Justice has never questioned whether or not […]

Methuen Police Chief Solomon alleges federal corruption probe of Mayor Manzi

Claims Mayor’s actions against him are retaliatory and invokes protections under federal and state whistleblower laws   Supporters of Methuen Police Chief Joe Solmon – February 18, 2008  METHUEN, MA – Whistleblower (noun): An employee, former employee, or member of an organization, especially a business or government agency, who reports misconduct to people or entities […]

Former North Andover’s Acting Superintendent Gave Himself Illegal Raise of $4,484 Raise

VALLEY PATRIOT EXCLUSIVE!   By: Tom Duggan – January, 2008   The North Andover School Committee is suing their former acting Superintendent Richard Bergeron for illegally giving himself a $4,484.34 raise without school committee approval.  A complaint filed in Lawrence District Court claims that Bergeron ordered a payroll clerk to put the additional money in […]

Stokes Arraigned in US District Court in Boston Charged with forging Military Discharge Papers

Says he will not resign from Lawrence School Committee     by Tom Duggan, posted 1/9/08 BOSTON, – January 9, 2008 – Elected Lawrence School Committeeman James Stokes was arraigned in Federal Court in Boston today after being arrested at Top Donut on Winthrop Avenue by Lawrence Police and Federal Agents.  Lawrence Police took Stokes […]

City settles lawsuit for $610,000 over computer porn

City settles lawsuit for $610,000 over computer porn

City Clerk’s Internet Porn, Harassment Cost City Thousands By: Tom Duggan – January, 2008 Lawrence’s former assistant city clerk, Jennifer Padellaro, settled her workers’ compensation claims as well as her federal lawsuit against the City of Lawrence last month for $610,000. A settlement conference (called a lump sum conference) took place at the Industrial Accident […]

Lawrence Fire Department receives grant to network emergency communications throughout state

Lawrence Fire Department receives grant to network  emergency communications throughout state

  Tom Duggan – December, 2007   In 1995, a devastating fire ripped through the Malden Mills factory on Broadway in Methuen. Firefighters and police officers responded to the emergency from allover the Commonwealth.  As the out-of-town public safety officials began to arrive at the scene, chaos ensued as it became nearly impossible to coordinate […]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Thanks Police

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Thanks Police

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL   November, 2007  Governor Deval Patrick recently stirred up controversy when he stated on a Boston radio program that he is interested in getting rid of police details on state and local construction sites and replacing them with civilian flagmen.  If Governor Patrick were to issue an executive order, then only state […]

Spanish Newspaper Siglo21 Misleading Latinos

Spanish Newspaper Siglo21 Misleading Latinos

PAYING ATTENTION! with Tom Duggan   By: Tom Duggan -Monday, May 7, 2007 Last week Siglo 21, (a partially bilingual newspaper) printed the following paragraphs about the ACLU and our website posting about the meeting: (Siglo21) “Tommy Duggan, the director of The Valley Patriot, the only member of the Anglo-American press present at the gathering […]

Criminals and Cop Haters “Educate” the ACLU

How People Hear What They Want to Hear  Paying Attention! With Tom Duggan By Tom Duggan – May, 2007 Last month the ACLU came to Lawrence for a meeting with citizens who had a beef with the Lawrence police. Packed in the large function room at “Casa Dominicana” on Essex St. were criminals, malcontents, racists […]