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Back in the late 1980s when I did a lot of criminal defense work, the “war on drugs” adopted minimum mandatory sentences as its tactic of choice. The most onerous and ill-considered was a mandatory minimum 5 year sentence for a second offense of distribution of heroin. In the abstract,…
Read More »The last time I remember rioting in the streets in the Middle East, it was 1979 and the people of Iran overthrew the Shah. Islamic fundamentalists seized control, the US Embassy was seized and its staff taken hostage, and the world became a much more dangerous place. Could the same…
Read More »By Tony Sampas: Above is dusk in the Acre; below is dusk in the Highlands.
Read More »Last fall, local environmental attorney Matt Donahue was forced to contemplate (and live) life without a car. He wrote about his experience here and here. As 2010 drew to a close, Matt assessed his experiment and shares his observations below: Well, here is my year-end review (through December 23rd). To…
Read More »Snowy views of the Francis Gate on the Pawtucket Canal, by Tony Sampas.
Read More »The weather this week has made it tough for all of us to get around. The MBTA Lowell line has not escaped. In anticipation of traveling to Boston by train earlier this week, I signed up for email alerts of “notifications” that are generated whenever a problem arises. It’s been…
Read More »One of our regular contributors, Eileen Loucraft, is married to the nephew of Chick Loucraft who passed away this week. Thanks to Eileen for sharing the following memories of Mr. Loucraft: Charles “Chick” Loucraft 1934-2011 How does one talk about someone that is so loved? I don’t think anyone has…
Read More »We’ve previously written about “Honor in the Valley of Tears”, the feature-length documentary about Lowell-native David McNerney and the 1967 battle in Vietnam in which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. The movie is powerful, inspirational, emotional and a pleasure to watch. It’s also available for purchase through Amazon.com,…
Read More »This post is a collaborative effort. It was inspired by Marie’s recent post on the origins of the Lowell Memorial Auditorium and the recent attention given to boxing in Lowell by the success of “The Fighter.” It features a photo by Tony Sampas, a grainy archival news clip, and a poem by Paul…
Read More »WCVB (Channel 5) reporter Kelley Tuthill was in Lowell yesterday to visit sites that appeared in the movie “The Fighter.” She was guided by Lowell Police Sgt (and real life star of the movie) Mickey O’Keefe, but in the segment that aired last night at 11 pm and this evening…
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