VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL FEBRUARY 2005 The 2003 Youth Risk Survey found that 1 in 6 Haverhill High School students (17%) are using hard drugs. In response, Haverhill School Committee member Scott Wood, Jr. has proposed drug testing students. As a 2001 Haverhill High graduate himself, Wood has been close enough to see the seriousness of the problem. He believes […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL January, 2005 The attitude is pervasive. When North Andover was considering a $4 million override several years ago, a Finance Committee member publicly stated, “Our number one objective is to NOT cut any jobs.” Really? We thought that public safety and education might come in first? While that story is now old, […]
By: Tom Duggan – January, 2005 LAWRENCE – Wild nights of cocaine parties and binge drinking were not isolated to the Lawrence 911 Emergency Call Center at the Bodwell Street Fire Station (Fire Alarm), according to former civilian dispatcher Judy Brito. Brito showed up at the front door of The Valley Patriot just days […]
By: Jim Rurak, Former Mayor of Haverhill January, 2005 Haverhill’s history seesaws between big plans to promote its urban economy and extaordinary commitments to preserve its rural assets. Unlike Lowell and Lawrence whose land area is completely built up, Haverhill’s urban core makes up only a fraction of its total area. The rest is made up of […]
By Hanna, Age 10 – January, 2005 What is your day like? My day is almost identical to your day; it is very structured. I wake up at six o’clock every morning. I get the kids ready to go and then I drive three of them to school. And then I check into the office […]
January, 2005 Even if we accept that everything Judy Brito says is true, Lawrence Mayor Mike Sullivan is absolutely right when he says that most firefighters in the city of Lawrence are honest, decent, hard-working individuals. They are the men and women who go out and respond to the cries for help from innocent victims […]
Lisa Beamer was recently interviewed on Good Morning America. If you remember, she is the wife of Todd Beamer who said, “Let’s Roll!” and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington, DC on that terrible morning of 9/11. She said it’s the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as […]
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 […]
By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – January, 2005 A boyhood attraction to trains, electronic gadgets, and Morse code earned Jeremiah (Jerry) Sullivan a ticket to see Europe by air. Actually, it was numerous tickets; they were for a B-17, and the reception wasn’t very friendly. Jerry was born and grew up in Lawrence. He graduated from […]
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 […]
By: Jim Cassidy – December, 2004 Late at night, as I gaze out the front window, with the snow softly falling and the holiday lights starting to appear on the surrounding houses, my thoughts often drift back to former times when we were much younger and Christmas was — and still is — a […]
By: North Andover Selectmen Wedy Wakeman December 2004 Fans of big government and the big taxes that fund it like sneaky taxes. Taxes that can be set or raised quietly, with-out the con-sent of voters, fall into this category. Fees are often nothing more than sneaky taxes. And the best kind of sneaky tax, of […]
By: Hanna -December, 2004 Valley Patriot kid reporter Hanna interviews local celebrities and politicians each month. This month Hanna interviewed Haverhill School Committeeman Scott Wood. What do you think about calculators in the elementary schools? Does Haverhill use them? Haverhill does have them for their classrooms, However they are not used very often. Do […]
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 […]