Author Archive

Cutting the Cord, Step One

I bought a TV antenna last week. I haven’t taken the cord cutting plunge completely, at least not yet. This is more of an experiment. We have two TVs in the house. The main TV in the family room is big but modest in terms of what’s out there now.…

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2022 Primary Results

Here is a quick look at the contested races on yesterday’s ballot in the state primary elections. I’ll update it with more detailed results tonight: 16th Middlesex Representative District: Rodney Elliott defeated Zoe Dzineku in the Democratic primary. The district includes parts of Lowell and Chelmsford. In Lowell, Elliott received…

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Boarding School Blues: Chapter 44

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 44 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 44 “Squiggles, snowmen and angels” The end of library duty threw Blanche back into the SFA routine. Visibly, she was not pleased. Andy gave her the once-over during the next day’s powwow in the pine grove. “I have no idea what…

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The Mills Weren’t Made of Marble

As is our Labor Day tradition, we’re reposting the lead editorial from the September 7, 1992 edition of The New York Times – A Labor Day piece about the then-recently opened Boott Cotton Mills Museum which is thirty years old this year. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum is open daily…

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Primary Preview

The Democratic and Republican Primary elections are this Tuesday. The day after Labor Day weekend is not the optimal time to hold an election but it must be held early in the month to meet the time requirements needed to print absentee ballots for the general election. Many states hold…

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Top Secret/SCI

History has always been my favorite subject. At a young age, I was especially interested in the history of World War II. Perhaps it was because in the early 1960s, so many of those around me had served in the military – someone who was 20 years old when Pearl…

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Back to School

With Lowell Public School teachers returning to work tomorrow and the students joining them on Wednesday, the rhythm of the city will change this week when we’re once again reminded how much the life of our community is centered on schools and education. With that in mind, here are the…

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Boarding School Blues: Chapter 43

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 43 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 43 “Why don’t they go and create something” Blanche was used to taking on responsibility. Whenever tension threatened the home front, Maman trumpeted “tu dois montrer l’exemple à tes frères et à ta soeur” (you must show the example to your…

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Chippy the First

Chippy the First By Charles Gargiulo Where did Chippy go? The little boy couldn’t understand. When he turned 4 years old last December, the best present he ever got was his pretty parakeet. He kept making noises like “chip, chip, chip,” so he named him Chippy. He didn’t have any…

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Living Madly: Chinese Checkers

Living Madly: Chinese Checkers By Emilie-Noelle Provost I’m not a fan of board games. I’ve always hated them, even when I was a kid. When I was about seven years old, my sister Nathalie and I received a Parcheesi game for Christmas. If you’re not familiar with it, Parcheesi is…

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