By: Tom Duggan – April, 04, 2006 Fulya Metin, the former secretary for the city of Methuen, who alleged sexual harassment against then City Solicitor Maurice Leriviere, has been awarded workers’ compensation benefits. After claiming that she could no longer work comfortably in the same office where Solicitor Lariviere had allegedly “harassed” her (even though […]
Read PART II By: Ted Tripp – April, 2006 METHUEN – Everyone meeting Luther McIlwain for the first time immediately realizes there is something special in the air. Even a short conversation with the 85 year-old veteran of World War II causes you to think about the greater social and political issues of our time. Every […]
By: Tom Duggan – March 2006 While suburban cities and towns like North Andover are cutting their teaching staff and eliminating art and music programs due to lack of funding, Wilfredo Laboy and the Lawrence School Committee have chosen to use state education dollars for out of state travel conferences (to the tune of $4,000) […]
What Does Your Fifth Grader Know About AIDS? February, 2006 Does your fifth grader know about AIDS? Does your fifth grader know of the “myths of AIDS”? Do you want your fifth grader being taught about AIDS in school? Many parents in North Andover this week are asking themselves these same questions after their children […]
By: Tom Duggan – February, 2006 Don Campbell joined the military in 1978. He was commissioned into ROTC at Pittsburgh State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. After serving active duty for his first two years in Kansas, Don was sent to Germany at the height of the cold war and stationed at various bases around the […]
Kathleen Corey Rahme – January, 2006 For the past six years, the city of Methuen has enjoyed the leadership of Mayor Sharon M. Pollard. Known for her no-nonsense managerial style, she has proven herself to be an effective mayor. But for term limits, she might still be in power. While she has been […]
November, 2005 The running joke before last week’s election was: “who is going to LOSE by a wider margin, Marcos Devers in Lawrence or Ellen Bahan in Methuen?” Well, Ellen won that one, but not much else. She lost the mayoral race to Bill Manzi by a margin of 28% to 68%, a resounding victory […]
By: Charles Ormsby – October, 2005 Frank Shimko, E-4 Communications Specialist Frank Shimko didn’t think his future lay in Nebraska, so at 19 he enlisted in the Army. It was the summer of 1965. Not long afterwards, he found himself on the other side of the world and in harm’s way. Frank was born […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL August, 2005 You cannot put a price on democracy. Yet, the city of Methuen recently tried to cancel their preliminary election, officials said, because too few candidates took out nomination papers. Why have a preliminary election, they asked, and spend thousands of tax dollars when most races for mayor, school committee and city council are uncontested? […]
By: Charles Ormsby – July, 2005 Charles Bruderer of Methuen is just wrapping up his military career. He will be leaving the National Guard after 33 years of service to our country and a record that recently won him the Meritorious Service Medal. Born in Ogden, Utah and raised in Brigham City, Charles found himself between jobs […]
(June, 2005) They were literally the lifeblood of the American troops fighting against the Nazis and Japanese during World War II. The mariners of the Merchant Marine may have been civilians, but their task of supplying food, arms, medicine, and supplies was critical to the war effort. Often facing Japanese subs or German U-boats, these […]
By: Tom Duggan: February, 2005 Cpl. Uliano can still hear General George C. Patton telling the troops not to worry about going into combat. Patton told them, “First, the enemy fires and you duck. Then, you fire and the enemy ducks.” This quote seemed humorous when Sy Uliano relayed the story, but I’m sure it […]
By: Kathleen Corey Rahme – January, 2005 With the holiday upon us, the giving spirit is apparent. But some of us give of ourselves on a regular basis and it is not reserved for a special time of year. It is the gift of oneself that is the greatest gift. I am thinking specifically of […]
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: Methuen City Council President, Billy Manzi – December, 2004 With Methuen’s City Council prepared to set a “tax rate” at the December 6th meeting, it was an opportune time to discuss the process, tax classification, and general budgetary matters. While the Mayor’s recommendations were not yet available at press time, Methuen’s budget does […]