Rather than a week in review, today we have a year in review. Here are some of the memorable events from 2015. Snow – The record amount of snow that fell in January and February was the biggest story of the year. For the winter of 2014-15, Lowell received 111…
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Rosemary and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the sold-out New Year’s Eve celebration organized by the ever-active Made in Lowell group led by Tobi Marx and his team. At least 350 people converged on the majestic stone “cathedral” that was once St Jean Baptiste church (also Nuestra…
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Seems official if there are web links to get free tickets being posted on Facebook. The Donald is due in Lowelltown. John Cassidy of The New Yorker magazine has a cutting take on candidate Trump, one of the increasing number of media sideswipes that have not been effective in slowing…
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Some items left over from last week . . . Lowell Cinema viewing experience At least some of the theaters at the Lowell Cinema (near Industrial Ave and Cross Point) have been reconfigured. The rows of lightly-padded stadium style seats have been replaced by widely-spaced, thickly padded recliners. Because there…
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Lowell as a Regional Christmas Attraction Kevin Harkins did an outstanding job capturing the allure of the mammoth Christmas tree smokestack at the Wannalancit Mills on his Harkins Photo Blog. John Power, a principal of Farley White Interests, the outfit that owns the Wannalancit Mills, had hoped to persuade others…
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Each week on Sunday morning I post a “week in review” article. Sometimes there are some items that don’t fit, either for space or thematic reasons. This article, called “leftovers,” is a random collection of observations from the weekend and the prior week. MBTA Commuter Rail Friday morning I had…
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Save the date if you are a fan of The Brush Art Gallery & Studios and the Lowell cultural renaissance. On Saturday, January 16, at 1 pm, the Brush Gallery is hosting a panel discussion about the roots of this amazing arts project that will begin its 35th year in…
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Will Tour Bus Parking Plan get bogged down? Back on December 9, 2015, representatives from the city’s Planning and Development Department appeared before the Conservation Commission on the proposed National Park tour bus parking area on LRTA property on YMCA Drive for a “determination of applicability” under the state’s Wetlands…
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Web image by anthony92931 courtesy of commons.wikimedia Along with Henri Marchand’s “fruitcake” essay and my “Oranges at Christmas” essay, the re-appearance of this poem has become part of the Christmas tradition for our blog. I wrote the first draft of this poem in 1976, and worked on it on-and-off for a long…
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This essay was first heard on the “Sunrise” radio program of WUML, 92.5 FM, at UMass Lowell around 2007. Executive producer Chris Dunlap assembled writers in the area for the daily essay feature, a popular component of the morning public affairs show. I’ve shared this essay with rh.com readers for several…
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