By: Philippe Thibault, Jan. 2024 The greatest philosophical questions in the world are often passed off as a gag line. What is the sound of one hand clapping? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a noise? There are academic discussions that can be made from these […]
By: Brian Genest – Jan. 24 How can Dracut miss Phil Thibault if he won’t go away? Thibault, the town’s most rejected perennial candidate—a nine-time failure at the ballot box—has found a new way to add to his credentials as Dracut’s most monumental loser: Getting passed over for a variety of appointed positions on town […]
By: Brian Genest – 12-23 As we get ready to usher in a new year, here’s a look at some of the highlights and happenings from 2023 in Dracut. * The Dracut Scholarship Foundation’s annual telethon raised more than $162,000. Since it began, the scholarship foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships to 1,700 […]
By: Philippe Thibault – Nov. 2023 Maybe it is the crisp air, the smell of fallen leaves, the sound of a crackling fire, the long shadows on midafternoon walks, or the plastic Santa Clauses that have been in stores since Labor Day, but this time of year brings out philanthropic qualities of goodwill that we […]
By: Brian Genest – Nov. 2023 ‘Tis the season to count your blessings and there are plenty of reasons to be grateful in Dracut. Strong town government is at the top of the list. Things have been going well in Dracut and it’s not by accident. It’s because the right people have been in charge […]
By: Philippe Thibault 10-23 All communities serviced by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and those communities adjacent to this public transit provider will be required to create zoning supporting the production of housing. A total of one hundred and seventy-seven communities in eastern Massachusetts are required to comply. Boston is exempt from the regulation. […]
By: Brian Genest 10-23 There can be a fine line between good government and bad government; in Dracut, a recent meeting of the so-called Tri-Board was an example of absurd government. At that gathering about town finances and potential future budget deficits, made up of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and members of the […]
By: Philippe Thibault 9-23 I occasionally like to say, tongue in cheek, that the Constitution of the United States was never ratified in Dracut. All the rights and privileges afforded by that document cease to have validity and relevance within the town borders. I find it humorous and laugh, until it is true. There is […]
By: Brian Genest 9-23 If you think Dracut’s most rejected perennial candidate—nine-time loser Phil Thibault—couldn’t be any more bitter than he already is about being the town’s monumental loser, think again. This time, Dracut’s self-proclaimed perpetual victim Phil Thibault and his fruit loop friends are lamenting because he wasn’t appointed to a town board, again. […]
By Brian Genest Valley Patriot DRACUT COLUMNIST The clock is ticking and the legal bills are piling up at Dracut Town Hall over a request for public records about Tony Archinski. In addition to already being a far-too-expensive and far-too-lengthy process, it’s also incredibly suspicious, based on the circumstances. If justice delayed is justice denied, […]
Aug. 15, 2023 The Town of Dracut will hold a multi property real estate auction on Wednesday, August 23rd at 12:00 P.M. at Dracut Town Hall, 62 Arlington Street. The live auction, conducted by The Zekos Group, Municipal Auction Strategies is an excellent investment opportunity for local residents, builders and investors. Featured properties include a […]
By: Brian Genest – 7/23 “You’re fired,” Dr. Marsha Della-Giustina told my classmate in our Broadcast Journalism 2 course at Emerson College. It was the fall of 1989, thirty seconds after the bell rang on the first day of the class. As my dilatory would-be classmate tried to enter the room, Marsha blocked the doorway […]
Philippe Thibault – 7.23 “All politics is local” is most strongly associated with former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill. There would still be national issues that would spark conversation at the local coffee shop and diner. These were discussions between friends and colleagues that may not agree politically but were bound by […]
Philippe Thibault, 6-23 You can hear the iconic music all ready, can’t you: dee, dee, DEE, dee. Such is life in a small bucolic hamlet in northeastern Massachusetts, but appearances can be deceiving when the light is dim. A dim light from the twilight zone. Let us cast a brighter light on the zoning bylaw […]
By: Brian Genest – 6-23 What was Selectman Heather Santiago-Hutchings thinking? For a year, she’s been a member of the Zoning Bylaw Review committee, which is in the process of trying to overhaul the town’s zoning bylaws for the first time since the 1980s. She’s been present, at least physically, but you have to wonder […]