December, 2013 Right to the bitter end, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua went down swinging as he told reporters on the day he conceded that if he were white, he would be on the cover of Forbes or Money magazine for his financial achievements as mayor. “Those who are not blind of conscience, as I always […]
We started off the year of 2013 losing our good friend and colleague, Ronnie Ford of Methuen. We missed him all year and it would be impossible to start a “year in review” without remembering Ronnie and his family. AUDITOR SUZANNE BUMP & ALL THOSE MISSING EBT CARDS Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump conducted an […]
By: Christine Morabito – In July of 2013 the Massachusetts legislature did something both historic and fiendishly clever. When voting to increase the gas tax (not historic) they also voted to index the tax to inflation, meaning the tax will continue to rise, and rise without lawmakers having to perform the unpleasant task of voting […]
By: Tom Duggan – December 15, 2013 Last month all three of Lawrence’s State Representatives voted in favor of Voter ID in Massachusetts. This is odd given that we are told day in, and day out by the Democrat leadership, and the so called “news” media that people who support Voter ID are, in fact, […]
Pavel Payano, Vice Chair of the Lawrence School Committee, has launched an exploratory committee for the Democratic nomination to succeed Senator Barry Finegold to the Second Essex and Middlesex District. Senator Finegold has announced his intention to run for State Treasurer in 2014. Payano has set his sights on becoming the first elected Latino Senator […]
By: Lonnie Brennan – October, 2013 “You up for a quiz?” my friend Tim gruffed as he shuffled egg bits around on his plate, once again, in a reflective mood as it had been months since we had caught up at the local breakfast nook called Theo’s (best omelets around) right off Central and […]
By: Paul Murano – October, 2013 There are two basic ways through which we have certitude about anything: faith and reason. In short, reason trusts the mind and faith trusts the word of another. While reason is the natural ability of all human beings to understand and discern the truth, faith trusts an authority as […]
By: State Senator Kathleen Ives – August, 2013 There has been some misinformation in the press about the Legislature’s recent vote to override Governor Deval Patrick’s veto of the Transportation Finance Bill. Some outlets are reporting that by fighting against the Governor on this veto, the legislature chose to raise the gas tax by 3 […]
By: State Rep. Diana Dizoglio If there is one thing that I have learned during my first term representing you on Beacon Hill, it’s that things don’t always appear as they seem and that the legislative process can be a real head scratcher. Witness recently when Governor Deval Patrick vetoed a transportation bill that significantly […]
By: Christine Morabito – August, 2013 In the words of the late Woody Guthrie, “Some men rob you with a six-gun – others rob you with a fountain pen.” The most powerful politicians in Massachusetts don’t work for us — they work for the labor unions. Our lawmakers sold their souls to organized labor, and […]
Valley Patriot August ’13 Editorial It’s simply sickening. An arbitrator has reinstated two of the parole officials responsible for the release of cop killer Dominic Cinelli. At this point we believe everyone who contributed to the release of Cinelli should be purged from the public payrolls. If that can’t be done these individuals need to […]
LISTEN TO HOUR ONE (RIGHT CLICK TO DOWNLOAD) Russia takes a hard line on gays and the gay community is outraged…. but are we supposed to respect other people’s cultures? Who are WE to say that their culture is wrong and OUR culture is right? I mean that is what we have been told by […]
By: Stephanie M. Davis – July, 2013 The FY2014 budget ball now sits in Governor Deval Patrick’s court. Having been finalized and reported out of its legislative conference committee on June 30th, the governor has 10 days to approve or veto it either partially or entirely or to amend it in portions. A veto can […]
Expansion Opens Information on Level 2 Offenders to the Public Under current Massachusetts law, the public only has access to information on Level 3 sex offenders. Such limited resources inspired State Representative James Arciero (D-Westford) to sponsor legislation, endorsed by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, geared to reforming the Commonwealth’s registry board. Arciero […]
Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives reports to the Valley Patriot that she has voted on the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget today in a 36-3 vote. The budget included numerous items that she advocated for, such as: $300,000 for Salisbury Beach Replenishment Salisbury beach is one of the Commonwealth’s most popular beaches and contributes greatly to our […]