Next month The Valley Patriot will be publishing an interview with one of the writers of Faith of Our Fathers, Tom Saab of Salisbury. The movie will be shown at Visionmax on Rt. 110 in Salisbury, MA on July 1st-5th. Any group interested in purchasing 750 tickets can contact Tom Saab to bring a movie […]
June 30, 2015 Secretary of Public Safety Daniel Bennett today announced a reformed security procedure regarding access by attorneys to clients held in Department of Correction facilities in Massachusetts. Bennett says the new regulations are effective immediately, and are designed to strike an improved balance between prison security and personal privacy. “The changes […]
By: Bharani Padmanabhan – June, 2015 This month, Valley Patriot Publisher Tom Duggan was front and center in this state’s media environment for a couple of days. Most media people referred to him by name except for Dan Kennedy who refused to do so while using Tom’s testimony to support the new public records bill. Tom had […]
By: Dani Langevin: June, 2015 Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Methuen High School and sitting in on a meeting of the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance). Several of my colleagues and I are currently organizing such a group at the Marsh Grammar School and wanted to see one in action. I was very […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell June, 2015 Massachusetts gets an F grade for access to public records according to some very respected public interest groups. A number of bills have been filed to change this including legislation filed by Senator Ives and co-sponsored by both Representative DiZoglio and myself. As a member of the […]
By: Tom Duggan -June, 2015 A fired guidance counselor in the Lawrence Public Schools, Brenda Sudol-Kirwin, won an arbitration hearing against the schools in August of 2013, for sick leave for injuries she incurred while working in the schools. But Kirwin says the issue is not over and wanted to go public about the abuse […]
Tulimieri also required to make restitution to the Redevelopment Authority in the amount of $21,245 The State Ethics Commission approved a Disposition Agreement (“Agreement”) in which Joseph Tulimieri, the former Executive Director of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (“CRA”), admitted to violating G. L. c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, by increasing his own compensation […]
By: Jessica Finocchiaro – June, 2015 NORTH ANDOVER—Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump is the first female to serve as Auditor in the Commonwealth’s history, and she spoke frankly about her experiences at the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s “Women in Business Series” last month. Members of the Chamber fielded questions as last minute attendees checked […]
Massachusetts Legislators, members of the media and 1st amendment advocates testified last month before a joint House and Senate committee on Beacon Hill, asking legislators to add penalties to the state’s fake public records law. The law, MGL Ch. 66, states that the keeper of records in any municipality or public agency must turn over public […]
NEIL HARRINGTON IS THE POSTER BOY When I started this journey to reform our state’s public records law five years ago I had no idea that the Town of Salisbury would feature so prominently in my motivations to add stiff penalties for officials who refuse to turn over public documents. Yet, here we are. […]
By: John MacDonald – June, 2015 This past Memorial Day weekend I traveled down to a campground in Rhode Island. It’s a place called Holiday Acres and it has a lot of seasonal campers year round and, of course, many weekenders during weekends in the summer. Those of us who have made the decision and […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – June, 2015 Last week, I testified on a bill I filed, S.1700, An Act Relative to Obtaining Information, before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. This bill promotes access to information, available to all, within a reasonable time frame and for residents to have recourse in […]
By Christine Morabito – June 2015 As an environmentalist and bird lover, it gives me no pleasure to criticize the largest conservation organization in New England; an organization of which I am a member. Personal conflict aside, it seems apparent that Massachusetts Audubon Society’s support for a massive industrial project threatens thousands of birds a year. […]
BOSTON—Two more friends of convicted Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for their role in impeding the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. Robel Phillipos, 21, of Cambridge, was sentenced this afternoon to three years in prison and three years of supervised release, and ordered to report to the […]
June 1, 2015 LAWRENCE — Residents looking for help or support from their state senator or state representatives can now find it at City Hall. The Lawrence delegation has opened a local office at Lawrence City Hall, 200 Common St., Mayor DanielRivera and the city’s state delegation announced. The office – Room 203 on the […]