Hello Valley Patriot Readers, This past February, the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. settled a lawsuit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and 46 other state Attorneys General after admitting to their role in helping pharmaceutical companies, including Purdue Pharma, bolster the sale of opioids like Oxycontin to increase profits. The settlement, which saw […]
Aug, 2021 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, As a member of the Legislature’s Elder Affairs Committee, one of my top focuses this session is assessing bills filed that impact our older adults. Among these pieces of legislation is an important bill I have co-sponsored, Senate Bill 1823, An Act relative to property tax deferral for estates. […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Massachusetts people have too often been left in the dark due to the secretive and inaccessible culture of centralized power on Beacon Hill. Recently, I announced my candidacy for Massachusetts State Auditor to bring greater transparency and accountability to our government. As State Auditor, I will begin by auditing the Administration’s […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, 2020 was a challenging year to say the least, with our communities facing hardships that COVID-19 brought to our economy, families, health care system and many other facets of our lives. At the same time, it was amazing to see the people of the Merrimack Valley come together during an unprecedented […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, The Legislature recently passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2021. The package includes important investments in sectors impacted by COVID-19, including public health, education and childcare, food security and housing supports. Locally, the budget includes $200,000 toward the establishment of a first-ever Methuen Youth and Community Center, bringing us one step […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Recently, I was so pleased to host fellow senators from across the Commonwealth for a listening SenaTOUR of the Merrimack Valley. This was a prime opportunity to make the unique challenges facing our communities salient to legislators outside the region. I opened the SenaTOUR with a policy forum at CI Works, […]
By Diana DiZoglio – Sept. 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Distracted driving, the act of driving while engaging in other activities that divert the driver’s attention away from the road, has become an epidemic on our roadways. We’ve all seen the constant news headlines reporting car crashes and fatalities. Take, for instance, a recent early-morning […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Every day we hear a news report or read of a new statistic about the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. We all know people – loved ones, friends, neighbors or colleagues – who have been affected by addiction. Here in the Merrimack Valley, I remain committed to addressing the impacts of opioids […]
June, 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, After a spirited week of debate, the Massachusetts State Senate has delivered a state budget for the 2020 Fiscal Year. The budget will now go to Conference Committee, where members of the House and Senate will collaborate on combining their respective proposals into a final budget by the start […]
Dear Valley Patriot Readers, Think for a moment of the last local business you visited. Maybe you stopped by the corner store to pick up milk, went to your local pizzeria for dinner, or picked up a new snow shovel before the last snowstorm at the Mom & Pop hardware shop. Whatever it was, your […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts State Senate has unanimously passed a change to senate rules banning nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding incidents of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination. The rule change, proposed by Senator Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, was passed Thursday during a formal session of the senate as part of a customary rules package which is debated and passed at […]
EDITOR’S NOTE – This month, Methuen resident Diana DiZoglio was sworn in as a State Senator in Boston, replacing Senator Katy Ives of Newburyport. Ives chose not to run for reelection last year to spend more time with her family. We want to thank Senator Ives for her six years in the senate and for […]