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 […]
Valley Patriot 1st Amendment Lifetime Achievement Award The Valley Patriot bestowed its highest honor Friday to Michael R. Sweeney with the 1st Amendment Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award ceremony was held at the Firefighters Relief In. Presenting the award to Sweeney were 1st Amendment warriors and media personalities Michele McPhee and The Guy From Boston […]
December, 2013 Right to the bitter end, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua went down swinging as he told reporters on the day he conceded that if he were white, he would be on the cover of Forbes or Money magazine for his financial achievements as mayor. “Those who are not blind of conscience, as I always […]
Corruption, Law Breaking, And No Solutions for Troubled City PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By: TOM DUGGAN, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 Well, the Willie Lantigua administration celebrated it’s one year anniversary last month and a quick review of his first year in office has proven to be one of the most disastrous years for the […]
February 4rth, 2010 State Ethics Commission Mr. Scott Cole 1 Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 Dear Mr. Cole: I am filing a formal complaint against William Lantigua, Mayor of the City of Lawrence and State Representative for the Sixteenth Essex District – City of Lawrence. I firmly believe that Mayor/State Representative William Lantigua has violated […]
Sweeney uses award-winning Valley Patriot article to make his case Tom Duggan – January, 2010 It was a contentious meeting before the Lawrence City Council’s Personnel Subcommittee Tuesday night, when three city department heads (fired by Willie Lantigua) got a chance to appeal their terminations. The subcommittee first elected Roger Twomey as their chairman […]
PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE By: Michael Sweeney (December, 2007) Lawrence Planning Director “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” -President Abraham Lincoln Good call there by President Lincoln. Unfortunately, under the weak-armed rule of Patrick Blanchette, truth has been replaced in the city council chambers by slander and personal attacks. The truth is […]
PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By Tom Duggan – August 8, 2006 It was chaos last night at the Lawrence City Council’s Ordinance Committee meeting as chairman Nick Kolofoles lost control, sparred with fellow councilors, and refused to allow them to make motions that were contrary to his own stated agenda. At issue was […]
RED CROSS NIGHTMARE Winner of the New England Press Association Award for General News Excellence Tom Duggan -June, 2006 Flood victims from Lawrence, North Andover and Methuen who were staying at the Red Cross shelter in Methuen during the immediate aftermath of last month’s flood say that they were treated so badly by the National […]
By; Michael R. Sweeney – October, 2005 A moment of clarity. After all is said and done that is what election results, whether a primary or final, provides to those seeking public office and to the people who support them. Some candidates grow under that light and some crumble. This past primary night in […]
Tom Duggan 03-08-04 For the past three years members of the Lawrence School Committee have been billing the taxpayers for plush dining at the city’s most expensive restaurant: One Mill Street. Then School Committeemen Noah Shannon, Pedro Arce, Suzanne Piscitello, Nancy Kennedy and current member George Gonzalez all dined with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy and his […]
PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN Originally published on tommyduggan.com (3-3-02) Before there was a Valley Patriot (established in 2004) there was tommyduggan.com, a blog before there were blogs, a news webpage before there were news webpages. Long before there was an Eagle Tribune web page or a boston.com there was a tommyduggan.com. Valley Patriot […]