Menu
The Pick-Me-Up By Leo Racicot I’m sitting here wondering if the charming American custom of the afternoon pick-me-up still exists. I asked around and got a lot of blank stares. It’s safe to say the afternoon pick-me-up is cousin to the British tea time tradition, that hour of the day when the…
Read More »Event: Lowell in World War II Walking Tour: On Saturday, Bob Forrant and I led 30 people around downtown Lowell, sharing stories about the city during World War II. The main theme was how war production temporarily rescued the remaining Lowell mills and boosted employment and wages for Lowell residents…
Read More »The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. The Elements by prolific Irish writer John Boyne is an intense novel that takes you into the darkest places of human behavior and miraculously brings you into the light with a slender promise of hope. Broadly speaking, it is about…
Read More »Toil, Repeat, Rehash – (PIP #107) By Louise Peloquin Pop quizzes, tests and exams are punctuating student days as the school year comes to an end. This is a time to reflect upon how one can “learn well.” The learning tips provided in the following editorial are not outdated.…
Read More »Charlie Gargiulo, a good friend and the author if the wonderful memoir, Legends of Little Canada, sent an email the other day. He had just heard about the recent passing of fellow author David Daniel (who contributed many pieces to this site). The loss Charlie felt on learning of Dave’s…
Read More »The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. The year was 1976. It was nearing deadline time at the The Boston Phoenix. Editor Bill Miller, formerly of the Boston Globe, emerged into the newsroom from his small office. A hush fell as reporters turned to face…
Read More »An innocuous sounding item on Tuesday’s agenda generated the most significant discussion of the evening. This was “Sick Leave Usage and OT Update for FY2026” which included an eight-page document that provided historical data on sick leave usage. When this item was finally reached nearly two hours into the meeting,…
Read More »Lowell: A Jack Kerouac Destination City? Steve Edington Past President of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac On May 13, 2026, the Lowell Sun carried a front-page article about Representative Lori Trahan’s tour of the proposed Jack Kerouac Center for Lowell at the former St. Jean Baptiste Church. She was accompanied by Sylvia…
Read More »This blog post first appeared last year. It’s the text of remarks I delivered at the city of Lowell Memorial Day observance at Lowell City Hall on Saturday, May 31, 2025. History of Memorial Day By Richard Howe Good afternoon. My topic today is the history of Memorial Day. To…
Read More »Book Review: “Regret to Inform You” Review by Leo Racicot Book by Richard P. Howe Jr. History, when viewed from a distance, is often a matter of staggering numbers, of sweeping troop movements. But in Regret to Inform You: The Human Cost of WWII in Lowell, Mass. Historian Richard Howe…
Read More »