By Christine Morabito – September 2015 While it is fashionable to say you care about the environment, at least one nonprofit organization is putting words into action. I recently had the opportunity to join the Clean River Project on the Merrimack River in Lawrence. The clean-up was sponsored by Siemens, and I was amazed at what […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – August, 2015 The Massachusetts State Senate debated the Fiscal Year 2016 state budget last month, where I advocated for key provisions that will be beneficial to the constituents of my district. The items below are a number of the district-specific priorities included in the final budget: Fixing the MBTA Over […]
By: Vipsania Pimentel – August, 2015 While most of my classmates were getting ready to enter the real working world after our college graduation, I was packing a suitcase, and getting ready to move thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. After studying abroad in Florence, Italy as an undergraduate, I never imagined that I […]
By: Amy Berard – August, 2015 I am one of the 59 Lawrence teachers whose contract was not renewed this year. Recently, on June 11, you reported on this. I would like to share with you and possibly your readers my experience teaching within the Lawrence Public School District. I have taught in Lawrence at […]
Merrimack College will award a Bachelor of Arts degree to Methuen resident Harold Paragamian in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 2nd, in Our Mother of Good Counsel Chapel in Austin Hall. Members of the media are invited to attend. Mr. Paragamian, 90, of Methuen, Mass., took occasional classes at Merrimack between 1969 and […]
By: Tom Duggan, July 31, 2015 The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has granted a hearing to former members of the Salisbury Board of Health, after Town Manager Harrington fired the entire board for trying to expose corruption, conflicts of interest, fraud, “apparent government waste” and retaliation against them as “whistleblowers”. The suit was filed […]
By: Jerry Robito – July, 2015 Working in corrections for over thirty-four years, I have seen countless inmates return to jail for opiate addiction related crimes. The problem today is how little is being done to rehabilitate these inmates in hopes of them becoming successful upon their release back into the cities and towns of […]
Former Lawrence School Committeeman Jim Vittorioso has passed away. Vittorioso was a teacher in the Lawrence public schools and at the Greater Lawrence Technical School. He served as a school committeeman under Dr. Gene Thayer’s reign as superintendent in the mid to late 80’s. He then returned to the school committee in the early 2000’s […]
Demolition of the Bradstreet School on Main St. in North Andover began Friday. The town has sold the property and in it’s place will be a mixed use business and residential building.
By: DJ Deeb – July, 2015 June proved to be a busy and interesting month for Methuen Public Schools. The Federal Government is once again meddling in our schools through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by requiring that school lunch prices be increased. First off, Congratulations to the Class of 2015 who had a […]
By: Dani Langevin: June, 2015 Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Methuen High School and sitting in on a meeting of the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance). Several of my colleagues and I are currently organizing such a group at the Marsh Grammar School and wanted to see one in action. I was very […]
By: Tom Duggan -June, 2015 A fired guidance counselor in the Lawrence Public Schools, Brenda Sudol-Kirwin, won an arbitration hearing against the schools in August of 2013, for sick leave for injuries she incurred while working in the schools. But Kirwin says the issue is not over and wanted to go public about the abuse […]
By: DJ Deeb – June, 2015 The end of the school year is always an exciting time for students, parents, teachers, and support staff. May and June are always busily filled months with awards nights, orientations, and planning for the next year. Many exciting changes are being planned for the 2015-2016 school year. First off, […]
By: Kathy Runge – June, 2015 Myra Ortiz, Candidate for District A Councilor I recently spoke with Myra Ortiz, who will be running against incumbent Sandy Almonte. Myra has made Lawrence her home for 15 years and currently represents District A on the School Committee. Although the school system is under receivership, Ms. Ortiz has […]
EXCLUSIVE TO THE VALLEY PATRIOT By: Al Kaprielian – June, 2015 On a surface weather map we commonly see what we call “fronts”. A front is caused by differences in air pressure in the atmosphere. Fronts separate two different air masses. An air mass is defined as a region of air where the air around […]