By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell ~ Jan. 2019 During the 2017-2018 legislative session, my colleagues and I worked together in a bipartisan way to address pressing issues facing Massachusetts residents, from the opioid epidemic to economic development to natural gas infrastructure safety. The State Legislature passed major laws to strengthen our communities and improve both […]
EDITOR’S NOTE – This month, Methuen resident Diana DiZoglio was sworn in as a State Senator in Boston, replacing Senator Katy Ives of Newburyport. Ives chose not to run for reelection last year to spend more time with her family. We want to thank Senator Ives for her six years in the senate and for […]
By: Rich Russell – January, 2019 On December 20, 2018, as Mayor Dan Rivera was having his annual Christmas party, a tragic event happened. The Lawrence Police Department ENCRYPTED all of their radio traffic including their routine dispatch transmissions. A new radio system was part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program. The upgrade was mentioned […]
By: Ken Willette – January, 2019 I think following some trolls on social media can be hazardous to your mental health. There, I said it, are you triggered now? Instead of focusing on the major problems in our society, many of these so-called social justice warriors are concentrating their energies on the proverbial trees rather […]
Just days after being sworn in as a state senator, financial literacy legislation sponsored by State Senator Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) has been signed into law. Under DiZoglio’s bill, An Act relative to financial literacy programs in schools, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is directed to develop standards and objectives on personal […]
By: Marlene Bistany – Dec.2018 METHUEN – This is a story that should never need writing. It’s a story about apathy, irresponsibility, and disrespect. It’s a story about the bitter treatment of animals and the inadequate systems that fail in its due diligence to the community. But most of all, it’s a story about a pure […]
By: Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Dec. 2018 Governor Baker recently signed into law a bill filed by Senator Harriette Chandler and myself that will enhance non-partisan civics education in our public schools. This legislation exposes students to the founding documents of our country, the fundamentals of our legal system, the roles and responsibilities of […]
State Representative Frank A. Moran (D—Lawrence, Andover, Methuen) today announced that a state grant program the representative filed in this year’s state budget has resulted in over three quarters of a million dollars in increased funding to hire more police officers in the City of Lawrence. This year was the sixth that Representative Moran has filed this […]
HEROES AND BOZOS OF 2018 While we normally reserve the word “hero” for our brave veterans, police officers, and firefighters, the use of the word hero in this yearly notebook feature “HEROES and BOZOS” is to denote community heroes who go above and beyond to make our lives better. BOZO – METHUEN SCHOOL COMMITTEEMAN […]
If there is one thing that Michael Gorman and his volunteers at TMF (The Movement Family) have proved over the last six months, it’s that helping the homeless and making people’s lives better only takes one thing: effort. For six months TMF offered food, clothing, detox services, transitional housing, and other counseling services to the […]
By D.J. Deeb – Nov. 2018 Methuen City Councilor Steve Saba has shown true leadership in dealing with the outrageous Methuen Police Superior Contracts these last few months. In leading the charge, along with fellow City Councilor Jim McCarty, Councilor Saba proposed a reorganization that would have eliminated the Captain positions and maintained a necessary […]
ColuMBIA GAS, CHANGING EDUCATION FUNDING ARE TOP PRIORITIES By: Tom Duggan, November, 2018 North Andover native Christina Minicucci – a Democrat – defeated Republican Ryan Losco earlier this month to replace outgoing State Rep. Diana DiZoglio representing Methuen, North Andover, Haverhill, and Lawrence. We caught up to Minicucci the day after the election to find […]
By: Robin Desmet – Oct. 2018 The day the gas lines exploded is one that will not quickly be forgotten by residents in the Merrimack Valley. It was a day filled with confusion, fear, and tragedy. Nobody knew what was happening or why it was happening. Was it terrorism? Sabotage? Negligence? First responders from towns […]
By: Linda DeanCampbell – Oct.2018 We must accelerate work to prevent gas-related disasters from happening in our state in the future. Many of the underground pipes that deliver our natural gas are old and made of metals that corrode over time. As a result, it is reported that the pipeline network across our state […]
State Representative Diana Dizoglio and Register of Deeds M. Paul Iannuccillo each sent a letter to North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor concerning the gas repair work done by utility contractor, Feeney Bothers in the town of North Andover, after Feeney was thrown out of both Lawrence and Andover citing safety concerns. Manager Maylor did […]