By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – April, 2016 Recently, the State Senate unanimously, and in a bipartisan fashion, passed a bill I filed to protect consumers from unknowingly entering a credit contract and to limit instances of fraud resulting from the mailing of unsolicited and often predatory loans. Every day, residents across Massachusetts find what […]
By: Senator Kathleen Ives Dec. 2015 The Massachusetts Senate recently completed the first year of a two-year legislative session by sending to the governor’s desk legislation for increased penalties for trafficking fentanyl, and five bills related to veterans. To further address the health crisis of opiate abuse in the Commonwealth, the legislature passed House Bill […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – October, 2015 The State Senate recently passed additional reforms aimed at combatting the substance abuse epidemic in Massachusetts. Senate Bill 2020, which passed unanimously, focuses on prevention and early intervention, responsible pain management, expanded drug take-back programs by manufacturers, and reducing the number of opiate pills in circulation by […]
By: Senator Katy Ives – May, 2015 On April 22, 1965, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the Massachusetts Legislature in a Joint Session comprised of State Senate and State Representatives. This was the first time Dr. King spoke before a legislative body. Six months prior to this visit, he had won the […]
Over 1,300 associate degrees and certificates were awarded at Northern Essex Community College’s 53rd Annual Commencement Exercises which were held on Saturday, May 16th in the quadrangle on the college’s Haverhill Campus. Because Saturday was Armed Forces Day, NECC President Lane Glenn asked the 20-plus graduates who were veterans or military service personal […]
Last week, State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives was appointed as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses. “This is a great opportunity to oversee meaningful legislation that will impact my district. I look forward to serving in this capacity in the new legislative term, knowing that small businesses play a […]
By: Kathleen O’Connor Ives – January, 2015 In my first legislative session we passed a number of significant laws, including requiring nursing homes, rest homes, or other long term care facilities to first obtain informed, written consent if psychotropic medications are to be administered, along with a description of the side effects. We also passed […]
BOZO OF THE YEAR – LENNY DEGNAN – It takes a lot to get bozo of the year but Lenny Degnan, (former Chief of Staff for Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua) has managed to do just that. Degnan was convicted of fraud and corruption earlier this year as the result of his role […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives Dec. 2014 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It disproportionately impacts women and is caused by smoking and poor air quality. It severely impacts quality of life by causing a shortness of breath, which makes it difficult to do the […]
CHANNEL 5 DEBATE – Of all the debates this political season, Channel 5’s debate between Charlie Baker and Martha Coakley was by far the worst. It was so awful and apparently biased that I actually had to go back and watch it twice. It was like a train wreck you can’t look away from. […]
By: Tom Duggan – December 2, 2014 PREVIOUS STORY UPDATED 6;20 pm 12/4/14 James Kelcourse has held on to his razor thin lead in the 1st Essex State Rep. race recount that wrapped up on Thursday, showing Keclourse defeated Newburyport Democrat Ed Cameron on election day by 12 votes in a three way race that included […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives November, 2014 November 11, Veterans’ Day, a national day of remembrance to honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces during war, was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. In my first term as State Senator, I am proud to have worked […]
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD HOUR 1 CLICK HERE TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD HOUR 2 Today Tom, State Rep. Lenny Mirra and Phil DeCologero talked about the election results, analyzed the numbers and dissected the raw numbers from Tuesday. TOPICS: The governor’s race, the Rosemary Smedile race against Diana DiZoglio, the Jim Kelcourse race in […]
By: Joe D’Amore Correspondent UPDATE November 7, 2014 11AM. Republican State Rep. Candidate Jim Kelcourse has been declared the winner of the three way race for the 1st Essex State Rep. seat this morning. by 11 votes after provisional ballots were counted in Newburyport and Salisbury. Kelcourse initially won the final vote on election night by […]
By: Tom Duggan, November 3, 2014 While The Valley Patriot newspaper has a policy against endorsing candidates, each member of our editorial board is free to endorse or make public who we are voting for. Here are my personal picks for the 2014 election season and why. Governor Charlie Baker, Republican As a right […]