By: Eva Montibello For more than a decade several pieces of child protection legislation have been in front of Massachusetts’s leadership, typically dying in the Judiciary Committee. Finally, many pieces of legislation are progressing through the process with help from Merrimack Valley advocates Laurie Myers, Founder and President of VOICES, Joseph DiPietro, Founder and President […]
By; Eva Montabello – July, 2012 For more than a decade several pieces of child protection legislation have been in front of Massachusetts’s leadership, typically dying in the Judiciary Committee. Finally, many pieces of legislation are progressing through the process with help from Merrimack Valley advocates Laurie Myers, Founder and President of VOICES, Joseph […]
By: Eric Fisher – August, 2011 If it can happen to Newburyport, it can happen to YOU. Notice it says, “to Newburyport” because Electrician’s Union IBEW Local 103 has decided that since it lost a bid to work on Newburyport’s Anna Jaques Hospital, that it’s going to make not only the hospital but also […]
The State Ethics Commission has fined a salesman from CBE Holdings for paying bribes to an official at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to gain state funded contracts through the Transportation agency. According to the Ethics Commission, salesman John Dunnet of CBE, admitted violating Mass General Law 268A, (the conflict of interest law) by illegally […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2012 Lawrence Teachers Union President Frank McLaughin says that Receiver Jeff Riley has mandated a new contract for teachers in the now state run Lawrence School System. In a confidential letter obtained by the Valley Patriot that McLaughlin sent to members of the now powerless union, McLaughin told teachers: “We […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2012 The race to fill the 2d Essex House District being left vacant by Harriet Stanley has three Republicans vying for the nomination in the September state primary election. The three Republicans are Bob Cronin of Boxford, Gary Fowler from Georgetown and Lenny Mirra from West Newbury. Here is where […]
By: Kevin Cuff – July, 2012 Nearly forty years ago, my family taught me the values of civic RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. As a member of our hometown School Committee, my mother took positions that, at the time, were extremely controversial, challenging and polarizing. Her perseverance taught me that everyone including your established school systems […]
By: Peter Larocque – July, 2012 In case you didn’t know, In God We Trust is the motto of the United States of America and it has been on our coins beginning as far back as 1864. At first it was just printed on the new two cent coin, but by 1909 it was […]
By: Christine Morabito, Greater Boston Tea Party – June, 2012 Gone are the days when local newspapers did anything resembling in-depth investigative reporting. Whether the issue is lack of funding, under-staffing or in far too many cases, blatant political bias, it is the news-consuming, tax-paying citizens who are left unprotected. In essence, the mainstream media […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL June, 2012 Receiver Jeffrey Riley’s plan to improve the educational opportunities for the children of Lawrence contains a few ideas that, if fully exploited, may improve performance. That being said, the parents of Lawrence’s school children and the taxpayers that fund this educational debacle, were both left out of the process of creating this […]
By: Karin Rhoton – June, 2012 Somehow the rhetoric never changes, even though the calendar does. Another year has gone by and still the taxpayers of Massachusetts continue to fund pet projects of politicians instead of funding services and programs for the communities in which they live. Still the taxpayers have not seen the […]
By: Peter Larocque – June, 2012 I would like to respond to an Editorial entitled, “Bake Sale Band Flap” that was published in the Eagle-Tribune on 5/13/2012. Towards the end of the editorial, the writer makes a conclusion concerning the crux of the matter, “when Legislators hand off their power to control the fine […]
By: Joe D’Amore – June, 2012 The community action movements that swept Lawrence “It’s Your Right” and “Uniting Lawrence” appear to have initated derivative actions that speak to a yearning for change in this city. These have manifested themselves in unique ways such as a proliferation of Face Book groups, radio programs, letter writing […]
By; Tom Duggan – June, 2012 Former Methuen Mayor and Democrat candidate for State Senate in the Massachusetts First Essex District race, Bill Manzi, called into “Paying Attention!” with Tom Duggan and co-host Paul Muranao on WCAP radio 980AM to talk about where he stands on the issues facing Massachusetts Voters. The First Essex […]
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – June, 2012 You’ve probably heard of “Conservative Democrats.” Lately they have been as scarce as hen’s teeth. Locally, I viewed the late Senator Steve Baddour (still breathing, but no longer a state senator) as a Conservative Democrat. While we had a modest overlap of views, […]