By: Brian Genest It’s a Happy New Year at the Massachusetts State House. State legislators are kicking off 2021 with another pay hike. Talk about a kick in the teeth for taxpayers! Apparently, our state representatives and senators have done such an incredible job, they’re getting a 6.46% raise during the worldwide pandemic. Meanwhile, the state’s […]
By: Linda Dean Campbell The State Legislature extended its two-year session past the usual July 31st end date in order to continue legislating during the pandemic. While we have accomplished a great deal, so much remains to be done to continue state funding of critical services related to the pandemic, pass important legislation, support cities […]
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 […]
METHUEN REPORT CARDS With a new mayor and city council in Methuen taking the reins of power in January, The Valley Patriot has been keeping track of who is serving the people of Methuen and who is there to serve themselves. Below is our objective evaluation of each councilors for 2020. Our editors, staff and […]
By: Paul Murano – Dec. 2020 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes […]
By: Bill Cushing – Dec. 2020 You don’t have to know the game of chess to enjoy Netflix’s superb binge-worthy new series. ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is a seven part limited series about a female chess prodigy coming of age during the Cold War. It begins in a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s. A young […]
By: John Cuddy – Dec. 2020 Retired New York City Police Officer, John Joseph Ratomski, tried to enlist in the Marine Corps the year after Pearl Harbor, in December of 1942. Joe, as he was known to his friends, was found to be color blind, and the Marines rejected him for this reason. The US […]
By: Brian Genest – Dec, 2020 What a difference a year makes. Unlike 2019, which was filled with controversy and a management shakeup at town hall, 2020 was a time of positive change for Dracut. This year, Dracut got strong new leaders in the town manager’s office, at the police department and on the board […]
Kane visited the Lowell Humane Society to learn about the dog adoption program. Since he was a rescue himself, he wanted to understand how other dogs became homeless, how they prepared for adoption, and how could he support the resident dogs in finding a forever home. Kane decided the best way to go about this […]
December – Year in Review As I write this article, it is hard to believe that more than a year has passed since I was elected Mayor. As end of 2020 approaches, it’s a good time to take a look in the rearview mirror and highlight some of our accomplishments together over a very difficult […]
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 […]
By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a tremendous need for food assistance in Massachusetts, as our economy has been particularly hard hit and unemployment numbers are through the roof. If you are in need of food assistance, the Project Bread Hotline can connect you to […]
By: Bill Cushing – 11/20 ‘Ted Lasso’ is a successful college football coach from Kansas hired to be the manager of a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. That’s the premise of a delightful new series from AppleTV+ starring Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis. The character of Ted Lasso […]
By: Santiago Reyes Cruz, Jr. Some of the most victorious memories in our lives will come from moments of unity when we worked together with our friends and family in order to accomplish a common project or a common goal. The task could’ve been as simple as setting the family table for dinner or as […]
By: Rick Bellanti – 11/20 In this new age of Social Media that surrounds us in our daily life with the likes Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Tik Tok, it’s a miracle that anyone gets any work done anymore. From the President of the United States with daily tweets to my fourteen-year-old daughter posting cat […]