By: Forest Rain – December, 2015 Israel is under attack. The hate that has been carefully instilled in the Arab population, in Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority controlled areas and throughout the State of Israel is bursting at the seams and individual Arabs, mostly young people, are committing attack after attack. You have to be taught to […]
By: Forest Rain – Nov. 2015 Imagine you at are work. A day like any day. Then your best friend’s 13-year-old son bursts in, looks in to your eyes and says “Save me! Please save me!” falling in to your arms, blood pouring down his neck and side. Imagine trying to stop the blood pouring […]
By: Forest Rain – September, 2014 Or Turning from Gaza, to Hezbollah in the North Parents around the world are familiar with the child’s fear of the dark, the fear of monsters under the bed or in the closet. In most cases this fear is irrational and can be banished by simply turning on the […]
By: Forest Rain in Tel Aviv August, 2014 Again we are hearing news of negotiations for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. The world media seems jubilant. I am not. I don’t want a ceasefire. I want peace. Real peace. A ceasefire means ceasing to fire. It makes no mention of putting down weapons, or […]
By: Philippe Thibault, Jan. 2024 The greatest philosophical questions in the world are often passed off as a gag line. What is the sound of one hand clapping? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a noise? There are academic discussions that can be made from these […]
6-23 Last month, attendees at North Andover Town Meeting overwhelmingly voted to ban the use of plastic bags for all businesses in town over 3,000 sq. feet. When we say it was overwhelming, we mean the measure won by more than 90%. Citizen after citizen (many still wearing masks three years after COVID) took to […]
By: State Rep. Linda Campbell We are very fortunate to have a strong and experienced team of legislators in the Merrimack Valley House delegation. With the support of my colleagues, I was proud to secure state funding in the House budget for several specific needs in the Merrimack Valley, including: • $50,000 for addiction recovery […]
“A Camping Trip with Automatic Weapons” By: John Cuddy “A camping trip with automatic weapons”, is how Hyde Park native and Boston Police Officer James LaCroix described his service in Bosnia with the US Navy Seabees as an Equipment Operator 3rd Class. James is not the only family member who served in the US Navy, […]
METHUEN REPORT CARDS With a new mayor and city council in Methuen taking the reins of power in January, The Valley Patriot has been keeping track of who is serving the people of Methuen and who is there to serve themselves. Below is our objective evaluation of each councilors for 2020. Our editors, staff and […]
By: John Cuddy – Dec. 2020 Retired New York City Police Officer, John Joseph Ratomski, tried to enlist in the Marine Corps the year after Pearl Harbor, in December of 1942. Joe, as he was known to his friends, was found to be color blind, and the Marines rejected him for this reason. The US […]
By John Cuddy – June, 2019 Lawrence’s Angus MacPherson, better known as Mac, was originally from South Boston with fond memories of growing up there and especially of hanging out with his four brothers and many close friends on the corner of E and 5th streets. Sensing that the war was coming to America, […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives May, 2017 The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is responsible for the stewardship of over 450,000 acres of land which include parks, beaches, forests, pools, skating rinks and campgrounds. DCR lost nearly 400 full-time positions (31% of its workforce) in the last seven years. As such, we need to […]
By: Linda Dean Campbell – Feb. 2017 Methuen has made some significant strides in recent years leveraging State investment in projects to renovate the High School, build the Methuen Rail Trail, and improve infrastructure as with the replacement project for the Rotary. It is very gratifying and exciting to be working with our city leaders […]
By: Dr. Frank MacMillan – June, 2016 It seems like each year brings a new infectious disease worry, last year it was Ebola virus, this year it is Zika virus. Don’t underestimate the economic impact though. There is speculative talk about cancelling or moving this summer’s Brazil Olympic Games. Years in planning and billions of […]
TOP 8 FACEBOOK PET PEEVES # 1 CLICK BAIT: You have seen it in your newsfeed on Facebook. The title will say something like: “Two year old climbs into box with rattlesnakes, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS STUNNING!” This is a cheap and annoying stunt to get you to click the link and it’s called […]