By: Lawrence City Council President, Patrick Blanchette – December 2004 Unfortunately the City of Lawrence is dealing with tough financial problems this year. When I was first elected to the Lawrence City Council (over five years ago,) the annual operating budget was roughly $170 million, with a contingency reserve account of $3 million. The […]
Kudos to Selectman Wendy Wakeman for defending free speech in North Andover. Wakeman supports an open door policy for political candidates who wish to campaign at the North Andover Senior Center. A belated three cheers for The Town of Methuen Council on aging as well as the Councils on Aging in Lawrence and Haverhill […]
By: Paula Porten & Tom Duggan – December 2004 For the last two years, residents of Lawrence have been calling the construction of a $110 million high school “The Big Dig of Lawrence,” because of its price tag. For months, School Committeeman Amy McGovern and Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy have been questioning the quality of work […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL December, 2004 State Representative Barbara L’Italien has consistently supported two public policies that violate the teachings and core doctrine of the Catholic Church, abortion and gay marriage. Last month, while staunchly defending her right to espouse these anti-Catholic positions, she publicly attacked pro-life activists who were holding a sign that read […]
PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN Tom Duggan – November, 2004 Massachusetts State Representative Barbara L’Italien should be ashamed of herself. She has not only taken a public stand against two of the Catholic Church’s teachings, abortion and gay marriage, (she favors both) the liberal legislator was seen on election day verbally attacking and […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL October, 2004 LAWRENCE – In the towns of Andover and North Andover, candidates running for office are not allowed into the senior centers to campaign. These are public facilities, paid for and operated with public funds. Seniors (usually the most active voters) go there to congregate, have fun, and get important information […]
ANDOVER- The Greater Lawrence Technical School unveiled the new Science and Technology wing last month and dedicated it to a lifelong advocate of the vocational school, Evelyn Burke. Mrs. Burke has been a member of the Technical School Committee for eighteen years, was treasurer of the board for twelve years and was a nursing instructor […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL September, 2004 John Kerry and the democrats have long touted the myth that the presidents’ education initiative “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLB) isn’t funded and “leaves kids behind”. In fact, it was a mantra at the Democrat National Convention and the media has consistently reported the charge as fact. But, a […]
By: Tom Duggan – September, 2004 LAWRENCE – After more than thirty years of neglect and empty promises by elected officials, the Veterans Memorial Stadium has finally become a priority for government leaders in the city. In an unusual display of cooperation, Mayor Michael Sullivan and the Lawrence City Council worked out a $30 million capital […]
By: Tom Sharkey – September, 2004 The development of the mill buildings, the construction of a new rail center, and the repairs to City Hall and to Veterans Stadium speak to a community coming together to shape its future. Though still in its early stages, emerging as another success story for the City is Lawrence […]
September, 2004 One of the major problems with the Lawrence City Charter is that there’s no accountability clause when any mayor simply refuses to follow or enforce the law. This has been a problem since 1986 when the city charter first went into affect. Since then, the frustration of Lawrence residents and City Councilors […]
By: Hartley Pleshaw – September, 2004 You probably don’t realize it, but if you live in Lawrence, you live in a place which should be as hallowed as Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg or Normandy. If you have an ancestor who worked in the Lawrence mills in the early part of the 20th Century, you […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL August, 2004 A brand new, multi-million dollar transportation center has broken ground in the City of Lawrence near the North Andover line. That’s the good news. The bad news, however, is that the new facility has been named in “honor” of former Lawrence State Senator, Patricia McGovern. She was not only a […]
PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan -August, 2005 What do you do when you are a State Representative and a campaign contributor violates his liquor license (by letting people drink outside) at a political party? Well, if you are Willie Lantigua and you’ve made your name in politics by race baiting, […]
By: Hanna, Age 10 – October, 2004 What is the difference between a teacher, a principal and a superintendent? Teachers work most directly with the students in the classroom. Principals run the schools and are in charge of everyone in the school building. Superintendents are in charge of all the schools. We make sure that […]