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Lowell Rooftops
The Acre in the foreground. Smokestacks and the Eliot Church steeple in the background. —by Tony Sampas
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A UK review of “The Fighter”
In advance of the upcoming release of “The Fighter” on DVD in the United Kingdom, two English tabloids sent reporters to Lowell about a month ago to write about the city that was central to the film’s story and production. Deb Belanger of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitor’s…
Read More »Flag retirement ceremony
The Global War Veterans of Greater Lowell held a “flag retirement” ceremony today at the Veteran’s Square section of the Westlawn Cemetery. Flags that had become unserviceable due to ordinary wear and tear were collected and then “retired.” The proper method to do that is to burn the flags in…
Read More »Battle of Bunker Hill: June 17, 1775
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The battle is noteworthy because it was the first major engagement between the colonial militia and the British troops. Eight weeks earlier, an intense fight had occurred at Lexington, Concord and on the route back to Boston, but while those…
Read More »Cardinal William Henry O’Connell (1859—1944)
“Number One” gets a cleaning as part of his park’s redo (by Tony Sampas)
Read More »Flag Retirement Ceremony Tomorrow
What do you do with an American flag that is faded, torn and no longer serviceable? The proper disposal method is to burn it in a dignified, respectful manner. But the idea of “burning the flag” has negative connotations in popular culture. so some might be hesitant to do so…
Read More »Compass Program – free summer activities for kids
If you know a student who will be entering Grade 9 in the Fall, have the student check out the Compass Program on the Lowell High website. Funded by a state grant, the Compass Program provides summer enrichment programs at the Stoklosa School throughout the month of July. All of…
Read More »Fixing Tickets
About a month ago a New York Times article laid out a complex new procedure the city’s police department had instituted for traffic ticket accountability. I don’t remember all of the details of the process (follow the link and read the story if the process is of interest) but I…
Read More »Rioting in . . . Vancouver?
[youtube]ulmEl8Kx6N8[/youtube] Before yesterday, if you had asked me in which city of North America was rioting least likely to take place, I might have answered “Vancouver.” As the above video makes clear, that’s not the case. As this article from the home-town Vancouver Sun and this one from the New…
Read More »Bruins win Stanley Cup
Congratulations to the Boston Bruins who defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in a game seven victory. It’s been an incredible decade for professional sports teams in Boston. Consider: New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2001, 2003 and 2004. Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and…
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