July, 2019 In the process of posting breaking news on The Valley Patriot Facebook and Twitter pages we often encounter reader comments that evoke serious emotion, discussion, and debate. Earlier this month, we posted a story of the Lawrence Fire Dept. searching for a reported overdose victim off Manchester Street. First responders searched for the […]
By: State Senator Katy Ives – May, 2018 The State Senate included funding in the Fiscal Year 2018 supplemental budget for the Municipal Naloxone Bulk Purchase Trust Fund, which allows municipalities to purchase naloxone for municipal first responder agencies at a discounted rate. I filed an amendment to this supplemental budget that would allocate $150,000 […]
Duggan Holds Opioid Summit with Four Local Police Chiefs [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xz5o9L1ur0&h=280&w=380] TRANSCRIBED BY CHRISTINA JASKOT Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan debuted his new Paying Attention TV Podcast last month. The show is a TV adaptation of the Paying Attention Radio program that Duggan started on WCCM in 1999 and ended in 2015 at WCAP in Lowell […]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QOmbogzrLw&h=280&w=380] Methuen State Representative Diana DiZoglio says she is ready to draft and introduce legislation which would require drug addicts who are given the life saving drug NARCAN, to be committed for 15 – 30 days in a detox or treatment facility. DiZoglio made the revelation on Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan’s Paying […]
DEC. 20, 2016| 8:30pm The Lawrence City Council approved the use of NARCAN Tuesday night, allowing Lawrence Police to carry the medication that literally revives people who die from heroin overdoses if they are caught in time. The measure passed unanimously. Vice Chairman of the Lawrence City Council Marc Laplante said that his first inclination […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – Sept, 2016 During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln explained his reluctance to impose capital punishment upon homesick soldiers that deserted or upon young men who bolted from their posts and “ran like hell” when being fired upon for the first time. Quite simply, he said, “It is simply […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2016 From talking to police chiefs all over The Valley, it’s become increasingly clear that use of the new drug narcan is causing some unintended consequences. Narcan is a drug administered to someone who has died of a heroin overdose and brings them back to life. While most police chiefs […]
The Massachusetts House of Representatives took a number of important measures in addressing the ongoing opioid abuse crisis in the Commonwealth. The House passed comprehensive legislation that incorporated aspects of Governor Baker’s bill, the Senate opioid bill, input from the medical community, and input from families who have been affected by this scourge. The House […]
Photo Gallery Audio of the Swearing In Audio of Interview with Chief Fitzpatrick (9-24-15) Acting Lawrence Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick was sworn in as permanent chief by Mayor Dan Rivera Thursday night at the Fire Fighters Relief In. Chief Fitzpatrick told The Valley Patriot in a live internet broadcast of the event that his first […]
By: Christine Morabito – March 2014 Because of its proximity to Interstates 495, 95 and 93, the Merrimack Valley has been uniquely impacted by a shocking increase in heroin and prescription drug abuse. The drugs are reportedly entering Massachusetts by way of New York City and the Texas border. Making matters worse, the now inexpensive heroin […]