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 […]
Attorney Violates Judges Murtaugh’s order to Turn Over Public Documents Lawrence City Attorney Charles Boddy has turned over half of the public documents requested by the Valley Patriot back in February of this year (and refiled in July). The documents that the city did release had the amounts paid to the Law Firm of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Cooper resigned last month and moved out of the city saying that she refused to keep her children in the Lawrence Public Schools given the lack of leadership and curriculum just days before school was to begin. (see story) Four Lawrence Residents from the Mount Vernon District in Lawrence put their names in for consideration: […]
Today Tom Duggan interviewed Jen Cooper of the Lawrence School Committee who resigned this week and moved out of Lawrence saying that the Lawrence Public Schools because of the shenanigans of the State Department of Education and Receiver Riley. Tom also played debate clips from the State Senate debate this week sponsored by the Valley […]
After a year of demanding public documents and information about how Deval Patrick and his Department of Education is planning to turn around the Lawrence Public Schools with zero results, one member of the Lawrence School Committee has chosen to take her children out of the Lawrence School System and has resigned from the school […]
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 […]
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: 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: 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 […]
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 […]
By: Peter Larocque – March, 2012 The way the Massachusetts Law that allowed Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to Takeover Lawrence’s Public Schools is being implemented could be Unconstitutional! According to this law, the Commissioner shall appoint a Receiver to a School District that has been declared chronically underperforming by the State Board of Elementary and […]
Hero in Our Midst By: Terry Crow Mercier – Fbruary, 2010 A hero is often considered to be someone in the forefront of a scenario and highly visible to a large audience. I want to tell you about a more behind the scenes kind of hero– the type of hero that so often goes […]