Move Afoot to Unseat Devers As Lawrence Council President

  By: Tom Duggan  –  November 18, 2003 (on Loan from Tom Duggan’s Private Records – Published originally on tommyduggan.com) According to some current and soon-to-be City Councilors there is a move afoot to replace Council President, Marcos Devers in January with Council Vice-President Patrick Blanchette. Some on the Council have complained that President Devers created […]

More Election Fraud in Lawrence – Councilor-Elect Indicted

More Election Fraud in Lawrence – Councilor-Elect Indicted

Updated 12-20-23 Lawrence District A Councilor-Elect, Fidelina Santiago was indicted on the charges of Illegal Voting or Attempt to Vote (4 counts), Conspiracy to Vote or Attempt to Vote Illegally (4 counts), Unlawful Interference with Voter (4 counts), and Obstruction of Voting (4 counts). Indictments were also returned for Jennifer Lopez on the charges of […]

Valley Patriot Newspaper Raises More than $53K at Scholarship Drive

Valley Patriot Newspaper Raises More than $53K at Scholarship Drive

  Every year, Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan holds an anniversary BASH to honor police officers, firefighters, veterans, and community activists, as well as to raise scholarship money for local high school seniors. “When we walked out of the room last year we had raised and given out $33,000 in scholarship money and that was […]

Welcome to our Five New Contributors To Educate Our Readers ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL (01-23)

Welcome to our Five New Contributors To Educate Our Readers ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL (01-23)

01-23 One thing we are most of proud of here at The Valley Patriot is that we provide our readers information directly from the newsmakers themselves without the filtered agenda of an editorial board. Since 2004 we have always afforded elected officials the opportunity to get their message out about what is happening in local […]

Spending Time in the Community

Spending Time in the Community

State Rep. Marcos Devers August Recap: After the busy end to legislative session in July, the office of State Representative Marcos Devers was able to fully focus on community presence in Lawrence during the past month. With no formal legislative session planned until 2023, August provided an opportunity to dedicate 100 percent of Representative Devers’ […]

Lawrence Turns a Corner While Methuen Flounders ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL (09/22)

Lawrence Turns a Corner While Methuen Flounders ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL (09/22)

Sept. 2022 Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena has significantly increased his influence on Beacon Hill with three huge wins on Primary day. DePena took office last November with an overwhelming victory at polls, promising to bring the different factions of the city together to move Lawrence forward. That happened on Primary day. DePena endorsed Lawrence City […]

Constituent and Community Services Above All Else

Constituent and Community Services Above All Else

July was an incredibly busy legislative month for Representative Devers. Because July 31st was the last day for formal legislative sessions for the 2021-2022 term, the House worked nonstop this month to pass several important pieces of legislation. In fact, the final session dealt with so much unfinished work that it continued well into the […]

Constituent and Community Services Above All Else

Constituent and Community Services Above All Else

By: State Rep. Marcos Devers – July, 2022 This June, State Representative Marcos Devers made a point to engage with the community. With the start of summer weather, Semana Hispana, and a host of other events, Representative Devers was very active in Lawrence this month, even as the House continued to meet. However, more importantly, […]

TOM DUGGAN’S NOTEBOOK (06-22) ~ Methuen’s Dysfunction, Haverhill Farmers Market, MORE!

TOM DUGGAN’S NOTEBOOK (06-22) ~ Methuen’s Dysfunction, Haverhill Farmers Market, MORE!

STATE PRIMARIES WILL DECIDE SEVERAL RACES Several races for State Representative in the Merrimack Valley will be decided in the September 6th primary as there are no Republicans running (so far) in those races. In the newly carved Lawrence/Methuen district it will be Methuen City Councilor Jim McCarty – who has no job and lives […]

How Much Money Are Local Candidates Raising/Spending

How Much Money Are Local Candidates Raising/Spending

CANDIDATE FINANCES The following is a list of local candidates for state representative and state senate, and how much money they have raised, spent, and how much they have on hand as of May 31st. Jim McCarty Candidate for State Rep (Methuen and Lawrence) Receipts year to date: $15,533.81 Expenses YTD: $9,434.71 Cash on Hand: […]

Methuen Democratic City Committee Straw Poll Shows Strengths & Weaknesses for Local Candidates

Methuen Democratic City Committee Straw Poll Shows Strengths & Weaknesses for Local Candidates

6-11-22 The Methuen Democratic City Committee held their annual straw poll Sunday showing where demorat insiders stand on each of the state and local Democrats running for office in the State’s September 6th primary. ITEMS OF NOTE: In the race for governor, Methuen Democrats chose a white woman over a woman “of color” by a […]

KEEPING PROMISES ~ $2M for Gr. Lawrence Family Health Center

KEEPING PROMISES ~ $2M for Gr. Lawrence Family Health Center

May, 2022 – Last month, Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePeña joined U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (MA-3), the Lawrence State Delegation, members of the Lawrence City Council, and GLFHC leaders to announce $2 million in federal funding secured by Trahan to expand primary health services offered to patients at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) located […]

Valley Patriot Readers Donate $4,860 for Special Needs Scholarship Winner Cassie Buonanno

Valley Patriot Readers Donate $4,860 for Special Needs Scholarship Winner Cassie Buonanno

This is the first year The Valley Patriot offered a Special Needs Scholarship as part of the annual BASH! Inspired by former Lawrence High School teacher Phil Glendye who brought the Special Olympics to Lawrence every year and organized the event at the Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium. Phil passed away in 2019 prompting Valley Patriot […]

Twins From Gr. Lawrence Tech Receive a Total of $4,570 for College from Valley Patriot Readers

Twins From Gr. Lawrence Tech Receive a Total of $4,570 for College from Valley Patriot Readers

This scholarship was started when (then) Greater Lawrence Tech School Board member Jessica Finocchiaro reminded Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan that he was an alum of the GLTS after the Valley Patriot had announced the first scholarship for Lawrence High School in 2012. Now a city councilor in Methuen, Finocchiaro was on hand for the […]