Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Do you have an allergy or know anyone who has a severe allergy to something like, for example, peanuts? The lives of people with this type of life-altering condition cause them to constantly be on alert regarding potential interactions with that allergen – to the point where some cannot even touch […]
December, 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, As your representatives, we legislators have little power to perform effectively on your behalf without maintaining your trust. That’s why I’m so grateful that the state legislature recently bolstered that trust by unanimously passing a bill I sponsored to increase transparency and accountability in our public elections. To date, […]
If you enjoy our news coverage please consider making a $1 donation Hello Valley Patriot Readers, It has been 25 years since the state’s education funding formula has been updated. A lack of reform has left school districts significantly underfunded, with insufficient support for special education, English-language learner programs, and school building construction and renovation, among other […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Recently, I was so pleased to host fellow senators from across the Commonwealth for a listening SenaTOUR of the Merrimack Valley. This was a prime opportunity to make the unique challenges facing our communities salient to legislators outside the region. I opened the SenaTOUR with a policy forum at CI Works, […]
By Diana DiZoglio – Sept. 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Distracted driving, the act of driving while engaging in other activities that divert the driver’s attention away from the road, has become an epidemic on our roadways. We’ve all seen the constant news headlines reporting car crashes and fatalities. Take, for instance, a recent early-morning […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, The devastating events of September 18, 2018, which destroyed homes and buildings in communities in North Andover, Lawrence and Andover will be long remembered. With negligible assistance from the Columbia Gas, residents turned to social media for help and called daily for relief from my office. Not only was restoration […]
Fellow Committee Member Says DiZoglio Should Resign Last month, we learned at an open meeting that whistle-blower Ian Gosselin – the business manager of the Methuen Public Schools – told School Committee member Nick DiZoglio in early 2018 that school finances were out of whack and that the budget numbers were fake. DiZoglio didn’t inform […]
In the Fiscal Year 2020 Senate Budget, State Senator Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) passed legislation to create a Merrimack River District Commission, an inclusive commission of local stakeholders — from sewage management professionals to environmentalists to elected officials — as well as representatives from state agencies, to assess the current health of the Merrimack and to […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Every day we hear a news report or read of a new statistic about the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. We all know people – loved ones, friends, neighbors or colleagues – who have been affected by addiction. Here in the Merrimack Valley, I remain committed to addressing the impacts of opioids […]
June, 2019 Hello Valley Patriot Readers, After a spirited week of debate, the Massachusetts State Senate has delivered a state budget for the 2020 Fiscal Year. The budget will now go to Conference Committee, where members of the House and Senate will collaborate on combining their respective proposals into a final budget by the start […]
Dear Valley Patriot Readers, As you read this, there is one conversation that is taking place in every city and town across the Commonwealth; it is a conversation that is of great importance and will impact every resident as community leaders contemplate budgets and residential tax rates. This hot topic is education funding. The current […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, The snow is just about gone, it’s now light out at 7 p.m., and the temperatures are getting warmer by the day. Spring is here, and before you know it, we’ll be outside swimming and boating in no time, whether it’s at a beach or on the banks of the Merrimack […]
Dear Valley Patriot Readers, Think for a moment of the last local business you visited. Maybe you stopped by the corner store to pick up milk, went to your local pizzeria for dinner, or picked up a new snow shovel before the last snowstorm at the Mom & Pop hardware shop. Whatever it was, your […]
Hello Valley Patriot Readers, Since the start of this legislative session, I have filed dozens of bills that seek to make Massachusetts a better place to live and work. On Thursday, I gave my first speech on the floor of the Senate about the need to eliminate taxpayer funded silencing agreements, known as non-disclosure agreements […]
Minicucci Explains Why She Voted NO Last month State Senator Diana DiZoglio, (D-Methuen) made significant changes to Senate rules banning non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding incidents of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination. The rule change, proposed by Senator DiZoglio, was passed unanimously during a formal session of the Senate. In addition to banning NDAs, the rule […]