Author Archive

City Census Arrives – Answer It!

The city census, also known as the “annual street listing,” arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s a one page form that lists the names of people who the city believes are living in the residence along with some demographic information. You just make any necessary corrections (there were none needed…

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Lowell City Council Meeting: January 26, 2016

Motion by Councilor Mercier to have a granite marker placed on north side of Ouellette Bridge in honor of Joseph Ouellette. Robert Page speaks in favor. [Ouellette was a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action in during the Korean War]. Motion passes Motion by Councilors Samaras…

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Anniversary of Blizzard of ‘15

This morning’s balmy 27 degrees belies the weather situation a year ago today. Here’s what I wrote that morning: At 6:30 am on Monday, it’s 8 degrees and cloudy in Lowell.  By this time yesterday, the National Weather Service had already issued a blizzard watch for eastern Massachusetts and Rhode…

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“White Chip” at MRT

Saturday I saw “White Chip,” the current show at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre. I knew it was about addiction, that it was written by MRT Artistic Director Sean Daniels, and that it was autobiographical. As we left for the theater, it was cold, windy, and a few snowflakes were in…

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Lowell Week in Review: January 24, 2016

Lighting Lowell’s Canals and More At Tuesday’s meeting, the city council authorized the expenditure of $110,000 on LED lights to illuminate the Merrimack Canal along Lucy Larcom Park. Here’s some of what was said during the council meeting: Manager Murphy says Lucy Larcom Park has been underutilized. Winterfest will be…

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Lowell School Committee meeting: January 20, 2016

Amy Bisson covered Wednesday’s Lowell School Committee meeting. She opened her coverage with some procedural observations: Twenty-seven items were posted on this agenda which included an Executive Session to discuss contract negotiations and consideration of contract extensions for two Assistant Superintendents. Although most of the meeting was routine, there were…

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The Arts in Lowell

An article in this morning’s Boston Globe (“Boston trails other cities in arts funding”) along with the blog post I wrote last night about the history of Lowell’s Brush Gallery got me thinking about the arts in Lowell. I define “arts” broadly. It includes painters and performers but also public…

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History of The Brush Gallery

This past Saturday (January 16, 2016), I visited The Brush Art Gallery & Studios at 256 Market St. in Lowell for a panel discussion on “The Roots of ‘The Brush’ & Lowell’s Cultural Revival” which featured Paul Marion. Rosemary Noon, Fred Faust, and Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord who were all “present…

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