By: Ken Willette Election Night– 2016. For most political pundits and most polls, there is a very high expectation that Hillary Clinton will be elected as the first female president. Clinton was going to give her anticipated victory speech in an enclosed glass structure, thereby symbolizing a woman finally breaking through the glass ceiling of […]
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 […]
By: Brian Genest -Feb. 2019 In Dracut, you don’t question “the powers that be.” If you do, prepare to be attacked. Just ask Conservation Commissioner Fred Spicer. Fred Spicer broke the golden rule of Dracut politics: He dared to ask questions about a proposed town project, a path on a narrow strip of conservation land […]
03-19 When former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua first took the corner office at Lawrence City Hall he fired a number of department heads whom he believed had campaigned against him. He wasn’t firing them for doing a bad job or committing a crime; it was all politics. Lantigua did not want anyone in his administration […]
March, 2019 There is no question that the City of Lawrence is the hub of the opioid epidemic in New England. There is also no question that while violent crime is drastically down over the last year, Lawrence is still a crime riddled city and a destination for heroin and other drug traffickers, users, and […]
By: Bharani Padmanabhan – Feb. 2019 That our government cannot simply take a person’s liberty or property without due process is a bedrock principle of the United States as found in the 5th Amendment to the Constitution. That “governmental purpose to control or prevent activities constitutionally subject to state regulation may not be achieved by […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Since the start of this legislative session, I have filed dozens of bills that seek to make Massachusetts a better place to live and work. On Thursday, I gave my first speech on the floor of the Senate about the need to eliminate taxpayer funded silencing agreements, known as non-disclosure agreements […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Feb. 2019 I have filed a number of bills this session to address issues important to the residents of the Merrimack Valley and the Commonwealth. I will be filing additional legislation throughout the session, but some legislation has been put forth at this time as residents have already […]
By: Rick Bellanti – Feb. 2019 Sugar is one of the leading contributors to obesity and people that consume more sugar are more likely to be overweight or obese. For many people sugar and junk foods can become an addiction just like abusing drugs or alcohol. The more cookies, candy and donuts you consume, the […]
By: Brian Genest – Feb. 2019 Here we go in Dracut, again. Town Manager Jim Duggan is getting a pay raise, again. Homeowners are getting higher property taxes, again. “Economic development” is what the politicians in town call it. It’s a very interesting formula: the money comes in and trickles up to Jim Duggan and […]
IG REPORT HAS TONS OF ERRORS…. LIKELY, MAYBE, KIND OF One thing that popped out at me while digesting the IG report on corruption in Methuen was the fact that it never actually concluded anything. It didn’t really rule anything and contained words like “Likely illegal” and “may be” against the law. People who are […]
By: John Cuddy – Feb. 2019 Haverhill’s Anthony J “Tony” Zukas lived at Haverhill Crossing on Amesbury Road near Northern Essex Community College when I interviewed him. The students at Northern Essex Community College, and all of us really, can learn much from this World War II Veteran. Originally, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, he was the […]
By: Bill Cushing – Feb. 2019 From time to time, my column will feature questions asked by readers regarding the world of TV. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have about TV at BillsTVTalk@gmail.com, and I’ll do my best to answer you and may feature your question in a future column. […]
In order to prepare for the possibility that Roe vs. Wade be overturned within this presidency, the states of New York, Virginia, Vermont, and others have been attempting to legalize abortion up until birth. The governor of New York publicly celebrated their new bill while the governor of Virginia stated proudly that their legislation would […]
Feb. 2019 The Inspector General’s report on the approval of the Methuen Superior Officers’ contract was scathing and eye opening to those who have not been paying attention to Methuen politics. The report is harsh with criticism of former Mayor Zanni, current Mayor Jajuga, the previous city council, and others. It detailed how the former […]