Author Archive

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…

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 The learning tips provided in the following editorial are not outdated.…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

Event: Lowell High Civics Day – On Monday, May 18, 2026, I attended the Lowell Public Schools Civics Fair at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. More than 300 middle and high school students participated. Organized in teams of four, each group identified and researched a public policy issue then devised an…

Motors and Maintenance – (PIP #106) By Louise Peloquin  Here are two articles with  “Peek into the Past” #105 topics. (1) The first announces an invention claimed to radically transform engine efficiency. The second covers a road maintenance question followed by an editorial on the issue. Inventions and infrastructure will…

The most important actions at Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting were brief and procedural with the council formally accepting the following items and scheduling them all for public hearings at upcoming meetings. These include: Accept timely submission of FY27 budget Appropriate the money to fund that budget To borrow $25…