By Tom Duggan – July 26, 2017 Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera’s new “Homeless Coordinator” Anil “Nilly” DaCosta has issued a new directive to manage the ongoing problem of dozens of homeless squatters living under the Casey Bridge. The encampment, known as “Tent City” has been a haven for drugs, prostitution, and other crimes in […]
By: Tom Duggan – July 25, 2017 Lawrence City Council candidate Francisco Paulino says he is so sick of the special favors City Councilor Estella Reyes has been getting with her property on Haverhill St. that he had to show people so they could see for themselves. On Tuesday, Paulino got word that Lawrence DPW workers […]
Of the 46 recruits to graduate from the Northern Essex Community College/Methuen Police Academy on Friday, July 14, during the academy’s fourth commencement ceremony, 40 already have jobs in law enforcement with more than two dozen departments. Haverhill resident and Northern Essex Community College alumnus Kevin DeCarvalho was one of those recent graduates. The 23-year-old […]
By: Tom Duggan – July 17, 2017 `In response to the State’s Office of Campaign and Political Financing (OCPF) demanding he disclose donors to his campaign, Lawrence City Councilor and mayoral candidate Modesto Maldonado, says the OCPF is “wrong” in its’ assessment of his campaign finance reports, and said the media should be more focused […]
By: Tom Duggan – July 11, 2017 Just two months before the September mayoral primary in Lawrence, embattled mayor Dan Rivera has removed one of his campaign opponents from his city job of DPW foreman, and transferred him to the position of Acting Cemetery Superintendent. Jorge Jaime, who is running for mayor against Rivera, says the […]
By: Tom Duggan – July 8, 2017 OCPF-contributions maldonado OCPF-expenditures maldonado According to The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, (OCPF) an enforcement arm of the Secretary of State’s Office, Lawrence City Councilor Modesto Maldonado has taken more than $2,410 in campaign contributions that have not been accounted for. Maldonado is running for mayor […]
I’ve been gone for a few months and there’s so much news you may not have heard about it’ll take two months to catch up. Council Business: The Ordinance Committee didn’t have a quorum of regular members at any of its meetings during March and April. Each of the four members of the committee missed […]
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for money laundering, transacting in criminally-derived property, and theft of public funds. Leonardo Lara, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the […]
MEDFLIGHT COPTER SHOT AT, MEDFLIGHT ISSUES BIZARRE PRESS RELEASE Last month a fight on Boxford Street in Lawrence resulted in six people being stabbed. One was stabbed in the chest, another stabbed in the face twice. After the victims were transported to the hospital we heard the police call to the helipad at Lawrence General for […]
Former Lawrence School Committeeman Jim Blatchford has withdrawn from the 2017 city council race. Blatchford was fired last Friday, as an aide to Rep. Carmine Gentile, a Democrat from Sudbury. Blatchford issued a statement Tuesday saying he is dropping out of the At-Large City Council race because he needs to concentrate on finding another job. […]
By: Robin Desmet – June, 2017 In my opinion, fostering is one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of volunteering with animals. There is nothing like opening the door to my foster room and getting greeted by 6 fluffy kittens all vying for my attention. It brings me such joy to see them grow […]
Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester has passed away. The controversial head of Massachusetts public education was intimately involved in the takeover of the U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren released the following statement today about the passing of Mitchell Chester, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education: “Mitchell spent his life and his career fighting for students. […]
Lantigua’s Money, Rivera’s Headaches and the Hotly Contested Mayor’s Race By: Tom Duggan – June, 2017 The Lawrence mayor’s seat is a four year term and is limited to two terms. The mayor is in charge of the day to day operations of each city department, from police and fire, to water and sewer services, […]
PHOTOS HERE By: Tom Duggan – June 21, 2017 LAWRENCE – A two alarm fire at 18 Arlington St. in Lawrence left at least 7 people homeless early Wednesday morning. Fire companies from Dracut and other communities raced to the city as flames billowed out of the second and third floor of the building. The […]
By: Tom Duggan – 6-19-17 Massachusetts State Troopers patrolling the City of Lawrence late Sunday night pulled over a van on the lower end of Essex St. near the Aqua Nightclub. Massachusetts Troopers ordered a man out of the vehicle and began to do a pat and frisk, when the man, armed with a handgun, assaulted […]