RichardHowe.com – Voices from Lowell & Beyond

Lowell Politics: July 12, 2026

There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week so I will return to my biographical sketches of the mayors of Lowell. This is the third installment which covers the first 18 mayors who served under the Plan E form of government (1945 to 1983).

For those who missed the first installment of this series, it was published on my website, richardhowe.com, on June 14, 2026. The second installment was published on June 28, 2026. The fourth installment, covering the second batch of Plan E mayors from 1984 to the present, should be published on July 26, 2026.

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Woodbury F. Howard was mayor in 1944-45. He was born in Lowell on April 3, 1905, and graduated from Lowell High School, Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He established a law practice in Lowell which he maintained throughout his life. He was a leading advocate for the adoption of Plan E in Lowell and was elected to the first council under that system. When that council took the oath of office on Monday, January 3, 1944, they elected Howard to be the city’s first Plan E mayor. He received five votes; Joseph Sweeney, who had served as acting mayor after the resignation of George Ashe, received three votes; and William Geary received one vote. Howard died on December 3, 1962, at age 57. At the time of his death, he lived at 24 Nesmith Street. He is buried in Edson Cemetery.

Leo A. Roy was mayor in 1946-47. He was born in Lowell on October 22, 1901. At the time of his death, he was the superintendent of maintenance for the Lowell Housing Authority’s North Common Village housing development. In 1936 he was elected as a ward councilor under the Plan B system and continued to be a councilor under Plan E, serving a total of sixteen years. In January 1946 he was elected mayor on the eighth ballot, receiving votes from J. Elzear Dionne, Vincent Hockmeyer, J. Russell Scott, Joseph J. Sweeney and himself. In earlier ballots, Sweeney had voted for William C. Geary who had his own vote plus that of Francis McMahon. Bart Callery voted for himself throughout the balloting. Roy died in Lowell on October 30, 1968, and is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. The city subsequently named the municipal parking garage at 100 Market Street after him as the Leo A. Roy Parking Facility.

George A. Ayotte was mayor in 1948-49. He was born in Lowell on April 20, 1907. He owned and operated several markets in the city and was an accomplished musician. He was elected to the school committee in 1946 and to the city council in 1948, serving on the council until 1959. On January 5, 1948, he was elected mayor on the fifteenth ballot with votes from Vincent Hockmeyer, Woodbury F. Howard, Leo A. Roy, Bartholomew J. Callery and himself. The closest challenger was Councilor Joseph J. Sweeney who had received four votes on several earlier ballots. Ayotte died in Lowell on August 13, 1998, at age 91. He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. The city dedicated the parking garage at 1 Post Office Square (adjacent to the Tsongas Arena) after him as the George A. Ayotte Municipal Parking Facility.

William C. Geary was mayor in 1950. He was born in Lowell on May 22, 1899. He served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat in France. After the war, he was appointed director of the city’s office of state aid. He was elected to the city council in 1944 and served until 1951. He was also elected to the state senate in 1946 and continued serving concurrently on the council. At the city council inauguration on January 3, 1950, Geary received four votes for mayor. After sixteen ballots, the council recessed the mayoral election to the next evening’s council meeting. Geary retained his four votes until another recess was called after a total of 250 ballots had been cast. The vote resumed the next evening, but the stalemate continued through 327 ballots. The next night, January 6, 1950, no mayor was elected so the council recessed again after 432 ballots. Finally, on January 7, 1950, George C. Eliades, who had become Geary’s chief competitor, switched his vote to Geary which gave him the necessary five votes. Just a year later, however, Geary announced that he was resigning as mayor although he was retaining his seat on the council and Eliades was elected mayor to complete that term. William C. Geary died in Lowell in February 1962, at age 62. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery. (His grandson, Michael Geary served as a city councilor in the 1990s and is currently city clerk.)

George C. Eliades was mayor in 1951. He was born to Greek parents in Smyrna (now known as Izmir, Turkey) in 1901 and attended school there, including college. He came to the United States in 1921 to attend Boston University Law School. After passing the Massachusetts Bar, he began practicing law in Lowell. He was elected to the Lowell City Council and, on January 10, 1951, was elected mayor by fellow councilors to fill the unexpired term of Mayor William Geary who had resigned as mayor that evening. Eliades was the first Greek American mayor of Lowell. He died in Lowell on February 16, 1962, at age 60. At the time of his death, he lived at 46 Pentucket Avenue. He is buried in Westlawn Cemetery.

Henry Beaudry was mayor in 1952-53. He was born in Lowell on February 14, 1896, and operated Beaudry’s Restaurant at 470 Suffolk Street. He served on the school committee and on the city council. On January 7, 1952, he was elected mayor on the twenty-sixth ballot. He died in March 1969 and is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.

John Janas was mayor in 1954-55. He was born in Lowell on September 4, 1910, and graduated from Lowell High School. He was first elected to the school committee and then to the city council where he served for 14 years. When the city council gathered for inauguration day on January 4, 1954, only eight councilors were present. The ninth seat was in dispute and the subject of court proceedings that ultimately ended up in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The eight councilors tried repeatedly over several days to elect a mayor, but no one received the necessary five votes. Finally, after the SJC had issued its decision, the ninth councilor – Samuel Sampson – was seated and on the 208th ballot, Janas received five votes and was elected, making him the first Polish American mayor of Lowell. In 1962, he was elected as a state representative, an office he continued to hold until his death on December 5, 1969, at age 59. He is buried in St. Casimir’s Polish National Cemetery in Pelham, New Hampshire. The state ice skating rink built on Douglas Road in 1971 was named after him as the John J. Janas Memorial Ice Skating Rink. (In the 1990s, his granddaughter, Kathleen Janas, served a term on the Lowell School Committee.)

Samuel S. Pollard was mayor in 1956-57 and in 1958-59. He was born in Lowell on October 19, 1915. He was elected to the Plan B city council in 1941 but resigned to enlist in the U.S. Army at the start of World War II. He saw considerable combat during his 46 months in the service and was awarded two Purple Hearts, including one for being severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He was elected to the Plan E city council in 1951 and was repeatedly reelected. In January 1956 he was elected mayor on the first ballot with five votes. On the next inauguration day, January 6, 1958, no one received five votes. The deadlock continued through four separate gatherings, however, on January 21, 1958, on the 141st ballot, Pollard received six votes, making him the first person under Plan E to hold the office of mayor for consecutive terms. He died on November 18, 1980, at age 65. He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery in Tewksbury. The city of Lowell named its public library after him as the Samuel Pollard Memorial Library.

Raymond J. Lord was mayor in 1960-61. He was born in Lowell on September 18, 1912, and graduated from Lowell High School. In 1940, he was elected ward councilor under Plan B. In 1944, he was elected to the Plan E city council but resigned to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Returning to Lowell, he was elected to the council in 1945 but in 1947 was elected state representative where he served for eight years. He left the legislature when he was made an Assistant Commissioner of Public Safety. He also won a seat on the city council and was chosen unanimously to be mayor. He did not run for reelection in 1964. He died on February 6, 1972, at age 59 and is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. (The Lord Overpass is named after his father, Louis Lord, who preceded him as a ward councilor; and his son, Raymond Lord Jr. was a city councilor in the 1970s.)

Joseph M. Downes was mayor in 1962-63. He was born in Lowell on March 21, 1919, and graduated from Lowell High School where he was a star baseball player. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1946, he became a Lowell Police Officer and served with the department for 20 years. She served several terms on the city council, and on January 2, 1962, was elected mayor on a six to three vote. He died on November 16, 1993, at age 74, and is buried in Tewksbury Cemetery. The city of Lowell dedicated the parking garage at 75 John Street after him as the Joseph M. Downes Sr. Municipal Parking Facility.

Ellen A. Sampson was mayor in 1964-65 and again in 1972-73. She was born in Greece on December 4, 1912, and came to the United States at a young age. She attended school in Cambridge and moved to Lowell in 1940. She was elected to the Lowell City Council in 1959, succeeding her late husband, Samuel Sampson, who died while on the council. On January 6, 1964, she became the first female mayor of Lowell, winning the office on a five to four vote. After losing reelection, she returned to the council in 1968. On Thursday, January 6, 1972, she was elected to her second term as mayor, winning the office on the 106th ballot. On inauguration day (Monday, January 3, 1972), Paul Tsongas and Phil Shea were the leading contenders, but neither could get the necessary 5th vote. After 15 ballots at the inauguration, the council voted to recess and resume the voting at the next evening’s regularly scheduled council meeting. During the 51 ballots cast that night (Tuesday, January 4, 1972), Shea, Tsongas and Richard Howe all received 4 votes on various ballots, but none could reach 5. Another recess was held and two nights later (Thursday, January 6, 1972) after 40 more ballots that night, Phil Shea announced he was withdrawing his candidacy and would vote for Sampson who was elected on the next ballot. On that decisive 106th ballot, Sampson received votes from Leo Farley, Charles Gallagher, Robert Kennedy, Shea and herself. Paul Tsongas received votes from Richard Howe, Gail Dunfey, Brendan Fleming and himself. The city of Lowell dedicated the stretch of Dutton Street from the Lord Overpass to Merrimack Street after her as the Ellen A. Sampson Connector.

Edward J. Early Jr. was mayor in 1966-67. He was born in Lowell on July 23, 1931, and graduated from Keith Academy and Boston College. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956, then was a social worker at the Tewksbury State Hospital while attending Suffolk Law School in the evenings. He practiced law until his retirement at age 80. He was elected to the city council and served there for eight years. On January 3, 1966, he was elected mayor on the first ballot by a six to three vote. In 1972, he was elected state representative where he served until 1977 when he was elected Northern Middlesex Register of Deeds. He held that office for 18 years until his retirement in 1995. He died in Lowell on September 4, 2023, at age 92. He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery. The city of Lowell dedicated the municipal parking garage at 135 Middlesex Street after him as the Edward J. Early Jr. Parking Facility.

Robert C. Maguire was mayor in 1968-69 and in 1980-81. He was born in Lowell on May 24, 1928, and attended Keith Academy and Providence College. He served with the U.S. Army in Europe during the Korean War. After the service, he worked for New England Power Service Company for many years. He was elected to the city council in 1965. In January 1968 he was elected mayor on the first ballot by a six to three vote. In January 1980, he was again elected mayor, this time on the third ballot. He served a total of 16 years on the city council. In 1983, he was named administrator of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. In 2007, the LRTA dedicated the central building at the Gallagher Transportation Terminal on Thorndike Street after him. He died on March 31, 2018, at age 89. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Richard P. Howe was mayor in 1970-71, 1988-89, 1990-91 and 1994-95. He was born in Lowell on December 30, 1932, and graduated from Keith Academy and Providence College. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, he became a teacher at Lowell High School and attended Suffolk University Law School in the evening. After passing the Massachusetts Bar, he began practicing law in Lowell and continued in that profession until his retirement in 2011. He was elected to the city council in 1965 and then reelected to twenty consecutive terms serving a total of 40 years. On January 5, 1970, he was elected mayor on the fifth ballot on a five to four vote; on January 4, 1988, he was elected mayor unanimously on the first ballot; on January 2, 1990, he was elected mayor on the first ballot by a six to three vote; and on January 3, 1994, he was elected to a fourth term as mayor on an eight to one vote. He died on September 25, 2015, at age 82. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Armand W. LeMay was mayor in 1974-75. He was elected to the city council in 1967 and served until 1987 when he did not seek reelection. In January 1974, he was elected mayor on the first ballot by a five to four vote. Most of his life he worked in construction and eventually was named Superintendent of State Buildings by Governor Michael Dukakis. LeMay, now in his 90s, still lives in Lowell. The city of Lowell dedicated a park at 123 University Avenue after him. (His son, Curtis LeMay, succeeded him on the Lowell City Council and later served on the Greater Lowell Vocational School Committee.)

Leo J. Farley Jr. was mayor in 1976-77. He was born in Lowell on June 1, 1926. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and after the war worked as a guard at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord and as a Lowell city planner. He was elected to the city council in 1970 and served until 1977. In January 1976, he was elected mayor on the third ballot on a five to four vote. In 1977, he was elected state representative and served until 1979. He died in Lowell on July 14, 1984, at age 58. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Raymond F. Rourke was mayor in 1978-79. He was born in Lowell on October 10, 1917. He attended Keith Academy and Lowell Commercial College and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was also a Lowell firefighter for 20 years. He was elected state representative in 1956 and served in that office for 19 years. He resigned from the House in 1975 to become the state’s Deputy Secretary of Transportation, a position he held for ten years. He was elected to the Lowell City Council in 1977 and was elected mayor when that council was inaugurated in January 1978 on the third ballot. He served for eleven years on the city council. He died on May 24, 2004, at age 86. He is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery. The city named the bridge over the Merrimack River from Wood Street to Pawtucket Boulevard the Rourke Bridge after Ray and his son Timothy, who died in 1982 while serving as a state representative. Also, the Lowell Regional Transit Authority named its parking garage on Westford Street after him as the Raymond Rourke Parking Facility. (Susan Rourke was the spouse of Timothy Rourke and succeeded him as a state representative after this death. She would be the daughter-in-law of Ray. Also, current city councilor Daniel Rourke is not directly related to Ray.)

Brendon Fleming was mayor in 1982-83. He was born in Lowell on February 2, 1926. He graduated from Keith Academy and Boston College and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a member of the math faculty at UMass Lowell for more than 40 years, having begun teaching at Lowell Technological Institute in 1958. He was elected to the city council in 1969 and served until 1992. He died on May 28, 2016, at age 90, and is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.

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This week in my Seen & Heard column, I commented on several articles from the Boston Globe and New York Times with the titles, “Inside Trump’s Great American State Fair”; “NFL ‘Insider’ Whose Access Became the Story”; “Trump Rants Divide Court on Race Bias”; “Israelis Watch Ties With US Coming Loose”; and “Questions swirl around Duck Boat accident.”

‘Sonic Boom’ by Paul Marion

Here’s a story, a memory from my early days in Dracut, Mass. When I was growing up, high-speed aircraft often broke the sound barrier even over residential areas. The enormous boom results from a massive shock wave caused by the aircraft moving faster than the speed of sound. This is something that has been regulated out of our daily lives for a common sense reason–think shattered windows and security alarms going off. But what I’m recalling is a rare accident involving a military plane. — PM

Sonic Boom: A Local Aircraft Story (1958)

North American F-86A (P-86-A) Sabre jet, not the exact aircraft in the story (image courtesy of Smithsonian Institution)

The plane crashed. The pilot survived. I don’t know if I saw this or was told about it by my parents or remember the incident because I heard others describe it. In my mind I see myself in real time either standing in the front yard of my family home on outer Hildreth Street in Dracut with my father or with my mother looking out the west-facing picture window of our small ranch.

I was four years old on June 8, 1958, when an F86L jet fighter arrowed down out of the sky at 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday about a mile from my house. New Hampshire Air National Guard pilot Peter Gulick on a patrol flying out of Manchester, New Hampshire, was returning to Grenier Air Force Base when the engine on his swept-wing Sabre jet failed, “flamed out,” he said, forcing him to eject. A second jet on the same maneuver also went down due to mechanical issues and fuel trouble, this one in a forest many miles to the north. Both pilots were in the 133^rd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Grenier.

Ray Kelly was outside in the Navy Yard section of town when he saw the plane descend at a frightening rate above the J. P. Stevens Mill next to one of the Beaver Brook dams, veering north to the New Hampshire state line. Archie Wolf and Ronnie Cartier were at Fox’s Dairy on Bridge Street a couple of miles to the east in Dracut Center. After the plane went out of view somewhere beyond the Rifle Range and Colburn Avenue, Archie’s father drove the boys to the scene. They waited on the road while the dad joined cops and firefighters who ran into the woods to help.

The sound in the sky. In those years we were not surprised by the sudden rolling thunder of a jet plane breaking the sound barrier. An aircraft reaching a speed faster than sound tripped a massive sonic boom, shaking the clouds.

But this was a different noise. The enormous bang of the “expulsion chute explosives” would have made my neighbors look up if they had not already spotted the transonic aircraft hurtling nose-first toward the forest at the end of Hildreth Street. The parachute carrying First Lieutenant Gulick sailed over and then into the distant dark green woods. The pilot did his best to direct the plane away from houses. He may have been 2,000 feet up with the jet going 200 miles per hour when he bailed out. His chute caught in a pine tree twenty feet up.

Chopping wood 100 yards away from the impact site, Alex Bursey dropped his axe and followed a trail toward the spot where he had seen the parachute touch treetops. He was able to help the slightly hurt pilot out of the woods. The jet smashed into a natural sand pit near a clearing with marshes and a small pond—more like a water hole—a place where my friends and I played hockey when I was older. Civil and military authorities, including Air Police from two nearby bases, sealed off the widespread crash site as best as possible. Jean Turner of the Lowell Sun reported that police turned away hundreds of sightseers in cars who converged on the crash location, eager to get a look at the shattered plane.

I learned much later that the Sabre jet carried “top secret” computer equipment designed for intercepting enemy aircraft. On summer days with fishing rods or just to snoop around, my friends and I hiked to the crash site and often returned with metal fragments as big as a hand. Twenty years after the crash, the largest parts of the jet were dug up and sold to a salvage yard for the still-valuable aircraft aluminum. Leo Gamache remembers because he drove the truck carrying the broken wings.

—Paul Marion (c) 2023

Between the Covers

Between the Covers

By Leo Racicot

The Golden Age of magazines was still going strong when I was a kid. Popular publications like LIFE and LOOK Magazines still held their popularity with readers. As someone who’d been weaned from a young age on movies and movie-going, thanks to my father’s love of them, I especially liked LIFE; It was larger than most magazines of the time , had an almost cinematic quality. Its size was cinematic. Some of its subject matter and themes were lustrous, high-quality photos of movie sets, movie stars. It took a grand, larger-than -life approach to the movers and shakers of the day: presidents, presidential candidates, world leaders, even bringing depictions of so-called ordinary life into the living room: Midwestern farmers, New England Shaker communities, cotton growers of The Deep South. Readers need never leave their homes in order to see the world, Or, were inspired to visit the places and peoples they saw in these two magazines (LOOK offered the same vistas only on perhaps a smaller scale: LOOK was LIFE’s kid sister). National Geographic was also themed along these same lines and how many young folks of that time were made aware of the people and cultures of exotic places (Africa, Alaska, TheSoviet Union, The Far East) through the pages of this still-popular publication? I still love browsing through vintage copies of National Geographic, and if I’m at Savers or Brattle Book Shop, I head instantly to the used magazine racks to look for National Geographics to be had for mere pennies. National Geographic fed my imagination, opened me up to a world I didn’t know and probably would never see in-the-flesh. One particular article that has stayed with me all these years is a 1968 issue heralding the around-the-world solo journey of Robin Lee Graham, a young man of 16, who dared to take his sailboat, The Dove, from California and back, on a three-year circumnavigation. National Geographic followed him in what became a series of articles chronicling Robin’s entire trip through to his safe return home in 1970. On the way, he visited such places as Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, The Hebrides, The Solomons, South Africa and Australia. It was great fun and truly exciting following him on his sea odyssey and even now, if I spy one of those issues, I scoop it up, even though I already have it. The romance of his brave, intrepid adventures still has the power to move me.

As a boy scout, I really looked forward every month to Boys’ Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts. Its blend of fiction, non-fiction, articles on scouting and character development, its highlighting of popular science fiction writers of the day like Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov (I was fascinated hearing that Asimov had written over 500 books!), stories of seafaring and safari adventures and of the wonders of just plain being a boy captured me.

I liked Boys’ Life almost as much as I liked the comic books of the day. I thrilled to the adventures of Batman and Robin (Batman remains my favorite superhero) Also popular in those days was the Archie Gang: Archie, his best pal, Jughead, their on-again, off-again girlfriends, Betty and Veronica, cohorts Reggie Mantle and Moose Mason, evil Madame Satan (whom Anthony said had to be an ex-nun). I followed faithfully for years the Riverdale kids and their antics for years. And wasn’t it a hoot finding a beloved old back issues down at Harvey’s Bookland on Central Street?  I especially enjoyed scouring the ads found at the back of most comic books: ads for X-Ray glasses (so you could see like Superman), Joy Buzzers (You placed these in the palm of your hand and walked up to an unsuspecting victim to “shake hands”. Joe liked the Charles Atlas ads in hopes that one of the muscle-building products could bulk him up and I put in an order for the live sea-monkeys which, predictably, arrived dead.

One of the things I liked best about going to see the doctor or the dentist was the wealth of fun magazines to be thumbed through in the waiting room: being a Catholic grade school student and being “a good little Catholic boy” — ahem –I liked finding the many Bible stories oriented magazines there — anything to take my mind off the dentist’s drill or Dr. Brady who used to shoot a fizzy medicine in my ear, calling it “ginger ale”. I had terrible, chronic ear aches throughout my childhood and I remember the day Dr. Brady surveyed the latest and told my mother, “If Leo has any more of these, he’ll be deaf”.  Miraculously, I never had another earache.

But I digress — who me?? DIgress??

In the late ’70s and ’80s, when I was first submitting essays for publication, it was magazines that bought my work: First Hand, Spiritual Life, Faith and Inspiration. Il loved the editorship of now legendary publishers and editors, Art Kleiner & Stewart Brand, both of Coevolution Quarterly and WInston Leyland over at Gay Sunshine Journal. These mags weren’t Time or Newsweek but it was a thrill seeing in print what I’d written.

To this day, I love the sight of a library’s magazine racks. Even if I don’t read them all (who could??), I like the look of them on their shelves, When I worked at O’Leary Library, I’d spent most of my break in the Periodicals Department thumbing through as many as I could. I like magazines almost as much as I like books, possibly for their visual enticements, their highway into a world I wouldn’t otherwise be able to see….

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Bible Stories for Boys and Girls

Boys Life Magazine

CoEvolution Quarterly Magazine

Harvey and his wife Rita, Harvey’s Bookland

Look Magazine

Life Magazine

Robin Lee Graham

Stewart Brand

The Archie Jughead Gang

Winston Leyland

Seen & Heard: Volume 27

A weekly report on things I’ve read, heard and seen since last Wednesday. 

Article: “Inside Trump’s Great American State Fair” by Jim Puzzanghera, et al, Boston Globe, June 29, 2026. The Great American State Fair is a 16-day event on the National Mall in Washington, DC that runs from June 25 to July 10, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. It is organized by Freedom 250, the outfit created by President Trump to run various semiquincentennial events (as opposed to America 250, the official, bipartisan entity created by Congress for the same purpose). For this article, the Globe dispatched a team of reporters to the fair to see what was going on. They observe that even though there is a booth from Massachusetts, no official state presence since Governor Maura Healey opted not to participate after seeing the price the state was expected to pay for the booth. But Massachusetts is not completely unrepresented – a Trump supporter from Greenfield hit up a local maple sugar plant for some sample then drove to DC and sits at the booth each day handing out maple syrup bottles. New Hampshire has an official presence but none of the other New England states are present. The reporters also describe some of the other state booths, especially for states with Republican governors, have more robust offerings. I thought the article was straightforward with no editorializing, but there was nothing I read that made me regret missing out on this. 

Article: “NFL ‘Insider’ Whose Access Became the Story” by Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson, New York Times, June 26, 2026. This was a fascinating article in many ways. Essentially, it was the Times investigating the sports journalist Dianna Russini – who worked for the New York Times. The thing being investigated was Russini’s relationship with Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots football team, who she’s covered in the media for years. Earlier this year, other media outlets published photos of Russini and Vrabel in intimate-looking situations. They are both married, though not to each other. The investigation was not prompted by moral issues but by questions of journalistic ethics, specifically, did the reporter’s personal relationship with the coach influence the coverage of said coach by said reporter. There’s a lot going on here. First is the gender dynamics. Had this been a male reporter socializing with the coach in a non-public way, I doubt the resulting angst would be comparable since in our misogynistic society, women are held to different standards than are men. Next is an internal feud at the Times. Russini actually worked for the Athletic which started as an edgy, web-based, all sports site that became hugely popular among sports fans but didn’t make much money. In January 2022, the Times bought the Athletic for $550 million and turned the Athletic into the paper’s sports department (shedding many sports reporters in the process). Many of those who came over from the Athletic are paid substantially more than are most Times reporters, but they are also said to be held to much looser ethical constraints. I’m ambivalent about most of this but what bothers me most is this whole “insider” philosophy, that there are people who cultivate sources to gain access and obtain news before anyone else. While I value getting news promptly, my sense is this whole system is just a game among insiders and we’re the dupes who pay subscriptions or watch ads to fund the insiders, their employers and their sources. The setup is inherently manipulative with the reporter being the one easily played by the source. This is one of the things that’s most soured my interest in sports recently. Whether it’s MAGA-loving Bob Kraft (owner of the Patriots), the underperforming Red Sox, rampant gambling, both legal and by insiders that I think gets a wink and a nod acknowledgement, and high cost of in person events that exclude many, sports has lost much of my affection and of my attention. 

Article: “Trump Rants Divide Court on Race Bias” by Adam Liptak, New York Times, June 28, 2026. By a 6 to 3 vote, the US Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s power to dissolve the Temporary Protected (Legal) Status of 350,000 Haitian refugees who have been living in the United States which will likely lead to their imminent deportation (after being snatched off the street by ICE). Those challenging Trump’s decision alleged it was based on his racial animus which would make it illegal. They cited his claim (with no evidence) that Haitian people living in Ohio were eating the pet dogs and cats of their neighbors; that Haitians “probably have AIDS”; that Haitian immigration is “like a death wish for our country;” that Haiti is “a shithole country”; and that Haitians “are poisoning the blood of our nation.” Writing for the majority, Justice Alito said none of this was overt racism and that the President likely had reasons unrelated to race for his decision. In dissent, Justice Kagan said Trump’s comments were “shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes.” Chief Justice Roberts and his conservative colleagues long ago lost any legitimacy in my eyes. Fortunately, decisions like this will, when viewed by future historians, will enliven the debate about whether this court or the one that decided the Dred Scott case in 1857. 

Article: “Israelis Watch Ties With US Coming Loose” by David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, June 28, 2026. This story came after three Congressional candidates in the New York Democratic primary all of whom were critical of Israel and its policy in Gaza, won their races with two beating incumbents who were longtime supporters of Israel. This article is mostly about the anxiety that people in Israel feel about the wavering support the country has from America, both from the government, since many think that President Trump’s agreement with Iran stabbed Israel in the back; but also by individual Americans whose support for Israel has dropped considerably. My personal turning point came in 2015 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to address Congress by its Republican leadership and his remarks he harshly condemned the agreement that President Obama had negotiated with Iran. It was Netanyahu’s prerogative to criticize the agreement (although as subsequent events have demonstrated, it was a pretty good deal), but for him to come into Congress and blatantly disrespect the President from that podium was outrageous (although not as outrageous as the Republicans who had brought him there). I fully understand the horrors of the Holocaust and the evil of antisemitism, but that should not mean that we all have to fully back Israel’s policies, right or wrong. I suppose I feel about Israel the way many in the rest of the world feel about the United States these days. The country has a horrible leader and the people bear some responsibility for that, but that does not erase the affection I have for the country and its people. 

Article: “Questions swirl around Duck Boat accident” by Brian MacQuarrie, et al, Boston Globe, June 30, 2026. If you ever are in downtown Boston in the nice weather, you can’t miss the “Duck Boats” filled with tourists cruising through the city’s streets. It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist experiences in town. Besides a narrated driving tour through the city, riders get a cruise on the Charles River while still in the vehicle. This weekend, one of the Duck Boats stalled while in the water and another attempted to tow the disabled one up the launching ramp which is near the Museum of Science. As the two vehicles ascended the ramp, the tow rope broke and the disabled vehicle rolled back down the ramp then fell onto its side, injuring 11 passengers. Fortunately, it did not turn over into the water. Although the Boston vehicles are replicas built specifically for tourism, the original Duck Boats were built for the US Army in World War II as an amphibious utility truck. Back in the late 1960s, I read a Young Adult history of the D-Day invasion. Twenty-four of the Ducks were used in the first wave to bring 105mm howitzers ashore to provide direct fire support to the infantry, except all 24 sank in the heavy swells before reaching the beach. That story always comes to mind whenever I see a brightly painted civilian version chugging up Tremont Street, filled with people making “quacking” noises, two dozen of the 600,000 each year who pay $60 to take a ride.