Valley Patriot columnists John MacDonald of Lowell and Kathy Runge from Lawrence were honored with The Valley Patriot’s Editor’s Choice Award. John MacDonald was presented his award by Lowell Mayor Rodney Elliott for his columns on police, public safety and using his column to rally our readers to a pro-police rally in Lowell last January. […]
2015 VALLEY PATRIOT AWARD WINNERS From the Valley Patriots 11th Anniversary BASH 3-20-15 State Auditor Suzanne Bump welcomed the crowd as the keynote speaker at The Valley Patriot newspaper’s 11th Anniversary BASH last Friday, to a more than sold out crowd at the Lawrence Firefighters Relief’s In. The annual BASH is held each year to thank the […]
By: John MacDonald – March 2015 Snow is everywhere. Storm after storm is in the forecast with no end in sight. The Vermont National Guard has been brought in to help save Lowell from Snowmaggedon 2015. For several days we will have had uniformed soldiers shoveling and hauling snow out of our fair city and […]
By: John Macdonald – February, 2015 Some of us are familiar with the numerous television shows, books and magazine articles of the culinary adventurist Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain is an articulate communicator that transports the viewer or reader, though the back streets and rarely seen parts of the world, while showcasing the culinary specialties that these […]
By: John MacDonald – January, 2015 Sometimes words just can’t describe the level of disgust a person can feel, but I will try. Two of New York City’s finest police officers were gunned down in cold blood on December 20th. After months of anti-law enforcement rhetoric by some of our political leadership, their advisors and […]
Part 1 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Dga4iAg14&feature=youtu.be&w=380&h=320] Part 2 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9oj04_vnWM&feature=youtu.be&w=380&h=320] PHOTOS
By: John MacDonald – November, 2014 It would be easy for Republicans to gloat about the nationwide beating they gave the President and his party. I’m sure some of them will, but I would warn them not to. The dramatic political shift that occurred on November 4, 2014 in this country was loud, but I’m […]
By: John Macdonald – October, 2104 When it comes to politics are we tired yet of making history? Are we tired of voting for candidates, because they are the first of something? What do I mean? Are we done voting for candidates based on what they might represent versus what they stand for? Are we […]
By: John MacDonald – September, 2014 So often we hear the word “independence” related to politics. Independence is viewed as a valued hallmark of what most of us desire in a politician and ourselves, but do we really know what it would mean to have someone independent in politics? Do we know what electing someone […]
By: John MacDonald – June, 2014 It’s a Sunday and it’s sunny. A beautiful day. The family woke up this morning in Rhode Island at our camp after a fun night at Gillette Stadium, watching country music legend George Strait play. We then spent our day running back home and then off to my oldest […]
By: John Macdonald – May, 2014 Over the last month in Lowell, the seeds of a transition into the world of commonsense seem to be finally taking root. Several issues have cropped up that liken the City of Lowell to the stock market. It’s as if Lowell is going through a bit of a market […]
By: John MacDonald – April, 2014 As I sat on a barstool at my local VFW fifteen or so years ago I watched an older veteran pouring over his emotions, adventures overseas and through numerous bottles of beer with another fellow veteran. The moment I witnessed, seemed distant, but familiar as I listened to the […]
By: John MacDonald – March, 2014 Anyone who knows even a little about economic development realizes that a downtown represents what is interpreted as the city or town’s window to the world… anywhere. The hustle and bustle, cleanliness and visual appeal of the downtown is the lasting impression people from outside communities absorb. Very few […]
Valley Patriot Editorial March, 2014 – As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we are happy to announce some exciting additions to our Valley Patriot lineup, starting with former Eagle Tribune publisher Al Getler. Yes, that’s what we said … Al Getler. Given that publisher Tom Duggan has been somewhat abrasive in his criticism of Getler’s […]