Author Archive

Bon appétit! – (PIP # 84) By Louise Peloquin      For over 70 years, L’Etoile offered readers a varied menu of international, national and local news while keeping everyday needs in mind. Helpful household hints appeared regularly as PIP’s # 13 and 21 have demonstrated. (1) L’Etoile – September 3,…

Junk Mail By Jack McDonough When I was growing up in Dover, N.H., in the middle of the 20th century, our mailman was Tom Bell. In those World War II years, we actually knew the name of the person who slipped mail through the slot in our front door –…

The Lowell City Council met on Tuesday night. Mayor Dan Rourke was absent and Councilors Wayne Jenness and Corey Robinson participated via Zoom. The brief agenda yielded a 58-minute-long meeting that handled business expeditiously and without controversy. Rather than dig into this week’s meeting, today I’ll revisit an item from…

Here are some photos of the Hannah Duston Memorial in Boscawen, New Hampshire.

Living Madly: Saudade By Emilie-Noelle Provost I’ve always believed that written or spoken words, with their ability to communicate our thoughts, wishes, discoveries, joys, and sorrows — sometimes across time and space — carry with them a bit of magic. On the printed page, whispered into a waiting ear, or…

Radios and Jukeboxes By Leo Racicot When I was a kid, The Golden Age of Radio was coming to its end. Still, we had two radios at home and listened regularly; our mother, aunt and grandmother had come of age during The Great Depression when radio was at its peak…

Lowell People, Part 2 – (PIP # 83) By Louise Peloquin      More Lowell people – boxers, museum directors, firefighters and a physician speaker. L’Étoile – September 10, 1924 HEBERT IS READY FOR HIS MATCH WITH WILLIE WOODS _____ Manager “Punch” Mailloux declares that his protégé will at least obtain…

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about the evolution of the news and information ecology in Lowell through my lifetime. My immersion in that system got an early start when my father, Richard P. Howe Sr., was elected to the Lowell City Council in 1965 when I was seven years…

This is the second of our Lowell Stories series, and the second by Melissa Franks. The first story was about Melissa’s dad, the late Bill Franks. We plan to make Lowell Stories a regular feature on this website. If you have a story to share, get in touch and we’ll…

Five Life-Altering Books By Leo Racicot  Aunt Marie used to say, “Leo liked to read straight out of the cradle. “She was only half-exaggerating; I’ve always loved to read and started reading at the age of 5 when I amazed my teacher, Mrs. Hare, and myself going through books at…