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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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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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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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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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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January 18, 2016 – Monday Martin Luther King Day – no sales January 19, 2016 – Tuesday 3 Ames Place for $117,000. Prior sale in 1979 68 Billerica St for $200,000. Prior sale in 2015 for $120,000 136 Andrews St for $269,900. New condo January 20, 2016 – Wednesday 52…
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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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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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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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Firearms Policy – Manager Murphy explains that the last time this was before the council, the council asked the manager to meet with the people critical of the current firearms policy. He says they had two main objections: the first was that the requirement was more stringent than in other…
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