It’s no secret that print media industry is dying. It seems that almost every month we hear of another newspaper going out of business as more people get their news on-line, and with freedom of the press – and journalism itself – under constant attack. As The Valley Patriot approaches our 15th anniversary (in March […]
By: Marlene Bistany – Dec.2018 METHUEN – This is a story that should never need writing. It’s a story about apathy, irresponsibility, and disrespect. It’s a story about the bitter treatment of animals and the inadequate systems that fail in its due diligence to the community. But most of all, it’s a story about a pure […]
By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Dec. 2018 Governor Baker recently signed into law a bill filed by Senator Harriette Chandler and myself that will enhance non-partisan civics education in our public schools. This legislation exposes students to the founding documents of our country, the fundamentals of our legal system, the roles and responsibilities of […]
By DJ Deeb – Dec. 2018 Earlier this year (in the February, March, and April 2018 Valley Patriot editions) I outlined many suggestions for cuts in spending for the City of Methuen. Last year, the City filled 13 non-civil service municipal positions, hired 10 new firefighters and 3 reserve firefighters, hired 3 new police officers […]
By: Abby Junkvorian – Dec. 2018 Six months. That is how long the residents of the City of Methuen have been subjected to the ongoing struggles of the Police salaries. The discourse seemingly appears to be endless as the year comes to a close; with no solution in sight. Methuen residents, like myself, are becoming […]
By: Bharani Padmaabhan – Dec. 2018 Federal agencies including SAMHSA and the DEA released data for years documenting that overdose deaths were due to illegally-imported fentanyl and Heroin®. Despite the wide availability of real data, Charlie Baker and Marylou Sudders chose to defame, demonize and destroy patients who suffered chronic pain from various bad medical […]
By: Paul Murano – Dec. 2018 Welcome to Americamart. The mood is festive. Snow is falling, and Christmas lights and décor fill the department store. Let us now wander over to the check-out counter and eavesdrop on a conversation between the store manager (Manny Jurr) and a guy shopping (Guy Shaupin). Manny and Guy are […]
By: Bill Cushing – Dec. 2018 Netflix had a lot of success by pairing up a couple of aging stars like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in ‘Grace and Frankie,’ so why not try it again? This time they’ve enlisted Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin in the charming new series ‘The Kominsky Method.’ Arkin and […]
By: Rick Bellanti – Dec. 2018 Intermittent fasting is quickly becoming one of the most popular health and fitness trends with favorable results for sustainable weight loss from diet centers, nutritionist and weight loss coaches. It is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and not eating (known as fasting). Fasting increases […]
By: Robin Desmet – Dec. 2018 Who wouldn’t want to wake up on Christmas morning to find that Santa had gotten them a fluffy kitten as a Christmas gift? As appealing as this may sound to many of you, it actually may not be the best idea. The holidays are a special time of year, […]
By: Ken Willette – Dec. 2018 When I review Left-leaning social media memes and comments, I almost always have one of two reactions:–that either the people circulating these social media bombs watched Star Wars or V for Vendetta far too many times. Or that they are woefully ignorant of American history. Maybe, a little bit […]
By: John Cuddy – Dec. 2018 Somerville’s Peter Fantasia, now living in Reading, Massachusetts at the Artis Senior Living, vividly described to me how he got captured near Rodalbe, France. While serving with Lima Company, of the 3rd Battalion, of the 104th Regiment, of the 26th Infantry Division, the “Yankee Division” as an Army Medic, […]
HEROES AND BOZOS OF 2018 While we normally reserve the word “hero” for our brave veterans, police officers, and firefighters, the use of the word hero in this yearly notebook feature “HEROES and BOZOS” is to denote community heroes who go above and beyond to make our lives better. BOZO – METHUEN SCHOOL COMMITTEEMAN […]
By: Joe DAmore – Nov. 2018 Recently news reports – and explosive social media message decried Mayor Daniel Rivera, apparent uniliteral decisions regarding the use of the Buckley Bus Station as a staging area for feeding homeless people. He ordered that homeless people vacate the station and that a humanitarian group no longer offer dinner […]
If there is one thing that Michael Gorman and his volunteers at TMF (The Movement Family) have proved over the last six months, it’s that helping the homeless and making people’s lives better only takes one thing: effort. For six months TMF offered food, clothing, detox services, transitional housing, and other counseling services to the […]