By Christine Morabito – August 2015 It is difficult to believe that a project which will permanently alter the environment, kill thousands of birds and bats, threaten marine life, trample the religious freedom of Native Americans, destroy the livelihood of fishermen and those in the tourist industry, risk oil spills, jeopardize public safety and public health, all […]
Last month the Massachusetts Legislature delayed a scheduled vote on a public records reform bill after getting pressure from the very politicians who will have to pay the price for concealing such public documents. The Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) initially opposed the public records reform bill, but after realizing there was too much momentum in […]
Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera said Wednesday that even though he opposes making Lawrence a sanctuary city, he will not veto the city council’s vote Tuesday to stop criminal illegal aliens from being deported when arrested by Lawrence Police. Rivera said in a long statement (below) that vetoing the council’s decision will only drag out the process of an […]
State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) says she believes those who put their lives on the line for our country in the United States military should not have to pay excise taxes. DiZoglio said on Thursday that under her proposed legislation active duty members of the military would be exempted from motor vehicle excise taxes while serving. […]
By: Dr.Bharani Padmanabhan – July, 2015 Governor Baker’s task force recently issued its much awaited report which advocated a comprehensive approach to dealing with the state’s heroin epidemic. This report has much to appreciate within but also a few points that remain worrisome. For example the recommendation to stop asking patients in hospitals if their pain […]
LAWRENCE – The Lawrence Fire Department will receive $1,181,222.00 from the federal government to be used to hire new firefighters and purchase new equipment and training. The grant comes to the city from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. “This is great news for the […]
By: Bill Cushing – July, 2015 The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16th and every year I like to review the past year in TV and give my list of performances and shows that I feel should be recognized by the Television Academy. Each year there are always performances that get overlooked […]
By: Joe D’Amore – July, 2015 Angels are descending on the city of Gloucester through an innovative program proposed by Police Chief Leonard Campanello to help people battling opiate addiction. These angels don’t have wings but they have some training, knowledge and an abundance of compassion to be at-the-ready for when an addicted person surrenders […]
By: John MacDonald – July, 2015 The closer we get to the Presidential election of 2016 it seems the issues that divide us are growing even deeper. Both Democrats and Republicans are running towards embracing divisive issues rather than leading us towards the issues that can unify us and that we all have in common. […]
By: Alex Talcott – July, 2015 READ PART I I’ve heard you allude to the possibility that Edward Snowden had an above-top-secret security clearance. Any comments on the theory or practice of security clearances? Well I hold a security clearance myself. …We have the best system in place right now to try to preserve our […]
By: Stephanie Jaskot – July, 2015 Making the best decisions for your family isn’t an easy thing to do. Questioning the ‘norms’ in America can cause you to be degraded and shut out by others who don’t share your views. What people fail to understand, is that when it comes to our children, parents will […]
July 29, 2015 LISTEN TO RYAN AND TOM 980WCAP’s Ryan Johnston interviewed Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan about his Public Records Bill H3665 on Beacon Hill and why the full vote on the bill did NOT take place today in the House of Representatives.
Former Lawrence School Committeeman Jim Vittorioso has passed away. Vittorioso was a teacher in the Lawrence public schools and at the Greater Lawrence Technical School. He served as a school committeeman under Dr. Gene Thayer’s reign as superintendent in the mid to late 80’s. He then returned to the school committee in the early 2000’s […]
Legislative panel oversees consumer protection, alcohol licensing policy BOSTON — Sen. Barbara L’Italien has been appointed the new Senate chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, succeeding the late Sen. Thomas Kennedy, who passed away last month. Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, announced the appointment Thursday following a formal session […]
By: Al Kaprielian – July, 2015 We are now in hurricane season, which runs from June 1st to November 30th in the northern hemisphere. Hurricanes form when the ITCZ (inter tropical convergence zone) moves north of the equator. The ITCZ is where different wind flows meet. Where the wind flows meet or come together, we […]