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New Lowell High: Buyer’s Remorse? One of the many things that has amazed me about the new Lowell High issue has been the abscense of an in-depth discussion of whether tax payers will be willing to pay for it. City officials have often said we have the “excess levy capacity”…
Read More »We have a new poem from Tom Sexton today, which he sent from his home in Alaska. In this new composition Tom recreates an extended moment in his Lowell youth, reflecting on a kind of confusion most of us have experienced. The details are just right in this self-portrait of…
Read More »2017 Lowell Folk Festival This year’s Lowell Folk Festival kicks off Friday night with a parade at 6:30 pm and the opening ceremony at Boarding House Park at 7 pm. The Festival website provides a full schedule of performances and activities. Musical performers this year include an Afro-Venezuelan group from…
Read More »Thanks to Paul Marion for pinch hitting for me in this space last Sunday. I was away for a few days visiting Washington, DC, and vicinity. In a way, the trip became a hunt for Lowell connections in American history. I found many, which I will write about separately in…
Read More »I’m pinch-hitting for Dick this week while he is otherwise occupied. Instead of his usual round-up of major happenings and ongoing issues, I will share some observations about life in the city. It’s helpful to step back and look at the big picture. I had an opportunity to walk through…
Read More »I have a 15-year-old white T-shirt with teal blue lettering on the back that reads “Partners in Progress, UMass Lowell & the Community.” The Hanes Beefy-T has been washed maybe 700 times, but the fabric has not frayed and the words are not faded. There’s a slight tear under the…
Read More »Re-Use of Lowell High Buildings The road to the yellow brick condominiums on Kirk Street hit a few bumps at last week’s council meeting. For months we’ve heard about the upscale residences and their wealthy occupants that will occupy the current Lowell High buildings once the students and staff are…
Read More »History as It Happens: Citizen Bloggers in Lowell, Mass. If you have become caught up in the controversy swirling around the site selection process for a new Lowell High School and want to learn more about the politics of the past decade that have brought us to this point, make…
Read More »Observations on the Lowell High Debate By Fred Faust Dick Howe expressed the view that Lowell’s social and economic life lies in the values of being a city and not trying to be a suburban wannabe. The city versus the suburbs was a frequent debate point in last evening’s debate,…
Read More »Lowell City Council Meeting: June 20, 2017 Vote – Approve a preferred site for Lowell High School. 64 speakers registered to speak. [Resident speakers began at 6:45 pm. They seemed about evenly divided between Cawley and Downtown Option 3. The public input portion of the meeting ended at 10:58]. Mayor…
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