TOM DUGGAN’S NOTEBOOK: Lantigua, Ed Markey, Gabriel Gomez, Frank Cousins and MORE!

  RICH OLD WHITE GUY VS YOUNG VIBRANT LATINO … WHATS A LIBERAL TO DO? For 25 years, the news media and the democrat party narrative has always been to get voters to have a knee jerk, emotional reaction to a race. The narrative has always been “rich, old, white guy equals bad” and “young […]

EDITORIAL: The Fleecing of Taxpayers – Ultimate Power, No Transparency, No Outrage in Lawrence

EDITORIAL: The Fleecing of Taxpayers – Ultimate Power, No Transparency, No Outrage in Lawrence

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL MAY, 2013   The corruption and the fleecing of the state taxpayers by Lawrence officials is staggering, and we believe the biggest scandal going on in the state. Yet the media and elected “leaders” on Beacon Hill continually look the other way. At issue: Jeff Riley is the state appointed receiver in […]

Riley Increases Central Office Salaries by More Than $6MIL, Spending in Failing School System Climbs to $160MIL Under State Receivership

Riley Increases Central Office Salaries by More Than $6MIL, Spending in Failing School System Climbs to $160MIL Under State Receivership

“The help we give to Lawrence will not be an infusion of capital it will be getting at some management changes.” Deval Patrick January, 2010 “My goal is to decentralize” Jeff Riley 2011   By: Tom Duggan – April 16, 2013 When State Receiver Jeff Riley took over the failing Lawrence Public Schools more than two years ago, he promised to decrease the […]

Legislators Stand With The Valley Patriot on Public Records Law

Legislators Stand With The Valley Patriot on Public Records Law

Local Legislators to File Bill Adding Penalties to Public Records Law Violators   By: Tom Duggan – October 17, 2012 (2:30pm) TOWN HALL, NORTH ANDOVER, MA  During a press conference today endorsing Karin Rhoton for the 14th Essex Rep. seat, Rhoton, Senator Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R) Gloucester, Representative Brad Hill (R) Ipswich, and Representative Brad Jones […]

Judge Murtagh Orders City of Lawrence to Turn over Public Documents “forthwith”

Judge Murtagh Orders City of Lawrence to Turn over Public Documents “forthwith”

  October 11, 2012 Essex County Superior Court Judge Murtaugh ordered the City of Lawrence to turn over public documents sought by The Valley Patriot “forthwith, and that means immediately, sooner than immediately, I want these records produced,” Murtaugh said this afternoon. At issue is Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan’s claim that the City of […]

Secretary of State Galvin Issues Order to Charlie Boddy on Public Records

Secretary of State Galvin Issues Order to Charlie Boddy on Public Records

Attorney Charles Boddy Refuses to Comply, Refuses to Take their Calls   In a letter dated October 3, 2012 Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s Supervisor of Records, Attorney Shawn Williams issued an administrative order against Lawrence City Attorney Charles Boddy to turn over public records requested by The Valley Patriot back in February.  The documents Boddy is refusing […]

Valley Patriot Files Court Action For Public Documents

Valley Patriot Files Court Action For Public Documents

 City Hides DiAdamo Payments – Double Dipping in School Department By: Allan Knowles, Staff Writer – October 3, 2012   Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan filed court action Wednesday against The City of Lawrence, Lawrence City Attorney Charles Boddy and Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s Office for purposely refusing to turn over public documents that […]

Lawrence’s Enterprise Orphanages

Lawrence’s Enterprise Orphanages

  By; Peter Larocque – August, 2o12 That’s right, folks! I said orphanages. Lawrence, the nation’s first planned industrial city; which was once known for its massive mills lining the Merrimack River producing textiles for American and European markets, is now a mere shadow of its former self. Only time will tell whether or not […]

State Receiver Essentially Nullifies Teachers Contract

State Receiver Essentially Nullifies Teachers Contract

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 […]

DOE: No Exit Plan in Lawrence

DOE: No Exit Plan in Lawrence

Massachusetts Officials Have No Plan to Fix Lawrence Schools and No Exit Plan or Timetable to Leave By: Tom Duggan – June, 2012 Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitch Chester stood on a stage at the South Lawrence East School last month flanked by Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua, City Councilor Dan Rivera, State Representative Paul Adams, Maura […]

Receiver Riley’s Millions

Receiver Riley’s Millions

Free Dental for all LPS Students and their Families   By: Tom Duggan, July, 2012 LAWRENCE – With the Lawrence Public School under the complete control of the State Department of Education there are a lot of changes coming to the school system, and a lot more money being spent.Where we are – State Commissioner […]