Representative Update: Legislation That I Am Filing

Representative Update:  Legislation That I Am Filing

By: Linda Dean Campbell – March , 2015 This session I am sponsoring and co-sponsoring approximately fifty pieces of Legislation targeting substance abuse prevention in the Merrimack Valley. Perhaps the most challenging legislation that I am filing is that drafted by the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association. After meeting with DA Blodgett to discuss his perspective on […]

Haverhill Mayor Fiorentini Elected President of Mass Mayors’ Association

Haverhill Mayor Fiorentini Elected  President of Mass Mayors’ Association

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini was unanimously elected President of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association (MMA) during the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) held in Boston on January 23 and 24, 2015. Mayor Fiorentini was elected by his fellow mayors to lead the Mayors’ Association, which meets regularly throughout the year so that […]

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL – Mayor Fiorentini Must Act Now on Police Station Mold (2-15)

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL – Mayor Fiorentini Must Act Now on Police Station Mold (2-15)

It seems hard to believe. Since before the Haverhill Police Station was even occupied, concerns were raised about mold and mildew due to substandard construction work. That was in 1999. Today, 16 years later, Haverhill police officers and the civilians who work in that building continue to work in an unsafe environment. We readily concede […]

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera Announces Selection for New Fire Chief

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera Announces Selection for New Fire Chief

Following a five-month nationwide, public, search process conducted by a team of nine community members, Mayor Daniel Rivera today announced his selection for Chief of the Lawrence Fire Department, and tomorrow will submit the candidacy of Haverhill Senior Deputy Fire Chief and United States Air Force Veteran Brian Moriarty to the Lawrence City Council for […]

Haverhill Man Arraigned on More than 100 Counts of Prescription, Credit Card, and ID Theft …

Haverhill Man Arraigned on More than 100 Counts of Prescription, Credit Card, and ID Theft …

Allegedly Engaged in Extensive Schemes Involving Fraudulent Prescriptions and Counterfeit Credit Cards; More Than 50 Identities Compromised  SALEM – A Haverhill man was arraigned on more than 100 counts of prescription and credit card fraud and identity theft, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today. Those schemes involved fraudulent prescriptions, thousands of oxycodone tablets, numerous counterfeit credit cards, […]

A Tale of Three Cities – Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen: Comparing Voter Registration Lists by the Numbers

A Tale of Three Cities – Lawrence, Haverhill  and Methuen: Comparing Voter Registration Lists by the Numbers

By: Kathy Runge – November, 2014 I’ve been writing programs to look for duplicate registrations on the voter registration list in Lawrence for a few years. This list can be searched using many criteria; in this article I have used three of my algorithms. These programs can’t really tell if two registrations correspond to the […]

Easy Win For DiZoglio in State Rep Race

Easy Win For DiZoglio in State Rep Race

By: Tom Duggan  – November, 2014 State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) handily defeated Rosemary Smedile (R-North Andover), on Election Day by 1,133 votes. Smedile is Chairman of the North Andover Board of Selectmen and does not come up for re-election until 2016. DiZoglio represents Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover and Lawrence. “I’m just glad it’s all […]

14th Essex District State Rep. Race Candidate Profile: State Rep. Diana DiZoglio

14th Essex District State Rep. Race Candidate Profile: State Rep. Diana DiZoglio

By: Tom Duggan – October, 2014 14th Essex District State Representative Diana DiZoglio is seeking her second term in the legislature. She says that what she is most proud of is co-sponsoring a bill to put photo ID on EBT (welfare) cards. “It’s really important to have photo ID on EBT cards because it helps […]

What Are They Putting in Haverhill’s Water? ~ Thinking Outside the Box with Dr. Ormsby

What Are They Putting in Haverhill’s Water? ~ Thinking Outside the Box with Dr. Ormsby

    By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – October, 2014 In our September issue, Michael Veves of Haverhill weighed in with a critique of my August article, entitled “Can You Resist the Devil’s Brew.” I typically let such attacks pass and permit the readers of The Valley Patriot to make their own assessments of the veracity […]

Three Alarm Inferno Keeps Firefighters from Four Communities Busy Through Early Morning

Three Alarm Inferno Keeps Firefighters from Four Communities Busy Through Early Morning

By: Tom Duggan PHOTOS: J. BERGERON PHOTO GALLERY Firefighters from Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Lowell have been battling a three alarm blaze at 118 Olive Avenue in Lawrence for more than four hours. Olive Avenue is at the top of Tower Hill which made it very difficult for firefighters to get water pressure onto […]

Haverhill High Graduation Rate is Highest in Eight Years at 75.3%

Haverhill High Graduation Rate is Highest in Eight Years at 75.3%

Superintendent James F. Scully announced last month that the four-year graduation rate of Haverhill High School has increased to the highest rate it has been since the state began calculating graduation rates in 2006. In 2013, Haverhill High School graduated more than 75.3% of the students that entered as ninth graders in 2009-2010. This is […]

Mayor Fiorentini and the Board of Health Remove Ban for Outdoor Activities for Schools and Recreation due to Cold Weather

  HAVERHILL- After careful assessment with the Board of Health, Mayor James J. Fiorentini with the recommendation of the Board of Health has removed the outdoor activities ban due to cold weather. At this time of year, the evening temperatures drop below 50 degrees and mosquitos are less active, die or hibernate for the winter. […]