Author Archive

Remembering 1968 By Leo Racicot Even now, almost sixty years later, when I hear the year 1968 mentioned, my mind instantly goes to April and June of that awful year. In April, the great Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., was gunned down by an assassin, James Earl Ray, on…

The Night I Met the Kinks in Lowell By Charlie Gargiulo One of the greatest memories of my life took place one Saturday night in May 1970 at the Commodore Ballroom, our personal live sixties music shrine, and Lowell’s spiritual counterpart to Liverpool’s old Cavern Club, after serving as our…

Quality Milk from Healthy Cows – (PIP #77) By Louise Peloquin      Third and last in a series on milk and milkmen, this article highlights Lowell’s concern about food quality, hygiene and livestock well-being. The Hood’s ad, published three days after the news story below, was strategically timed. (1)  L’Étoile –…

There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week due to the summer schedule but there are plenty of other things to write about. On Wednesday, UMass Lowell announced an agreement with the Futures Collegiate Baseball League to bring a new team to the University’s LeLacheur Park next season. Although…

Witness from a Terrace By Rev. Steve Edington This essay was first published as an Op-Ed in the July 28, 2025, New Hampshire Union Leader. The French novelist, essayist, diplomat, and playwright Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944) made this observation: “One of the privileges of the great is to witness catastrophes from…

PITCHERS’ DUEL By Terry Downes The pitcher hurled with all his force A fastball blazing true; The batter blinked in disbelief The speed with which he threw. So it went that sultry day The last week in July, No breath of air was moving there A hot sun scorched the…

An Acre Childhood: Sketches from Memory By Leo Racicot I’d like to be able to boast that I was born and lived my whole life in The Acre section of Lowell, like my sister, Diane. But that would be a lie. When I was born, my parents were living in…

Hood’s Milk – (PIP #76) By Louise Peloquin After last week’s snapshot of a Hood’s milkman in the 1960’s (1), here’s another peek into the past. L’Étoile, December 12, 1924 The milk for the growing child should not only be a regular ration three times a day but should also be…

The city council met on Tuesday night and addressed several topics worthy of comment, although no single issue dominated debate. School Funding – Recall that when the city manager proposed this year’s city budget, the school department cautioned that the amount of cash allocated to the schools was insufficient to…

Prince of Darkness, indeed. By Dave Perry Ozzy Osbourne was in many ways, the perfect everyman rock star, a complete fuckup gifted with a voice that launched heavy metal, a true love and appreciation for his fans and family and a sense of humor and persona that drew millions –…