Author Archive

Potions and Powders – (PIP # 58) By Louise Peloquin               Ailments of all sorts have always made people try remedies of all sorts. L’Etoile’s “medicinal briefs” not only informed the readership about popular remedies but also brought in a bit of advertising revenue. Below is…

The highlight of Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting was a presentation by City Manager Tom Golden titled “2024 Year in Review.” There is no written version that I can find online, but the LTC YouTube recording captures the full presentation starting 38 minutes into the video. After watching the comprehensive…

A Most Gracious Rebuttal to the Modest Proposal of Annexation By Rich Grady (anonymously) In the spirit of Jonathan Swift . . .  To our dear friends south of the border: It is in the spirit of Monty Hall and “Let’s Make a Deal” that we acknowledge your proposal for…

“Love loves to love love” (1) – (PIP #57) By Louise Peloquin Valentine’s Day celebrates love. Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear. – John Lennon Stories of love regularly spiced the columns of L’Etoile. A love-souvenir sampling below, ends with details…

On Tuesday the City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the use of “second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides” (SGARs) on city-owned properties. Eight residents spoke in support of the ordinance, and one spoke against it. A rodenticide is a pesticide intended to “prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate rodents that are declared to be…

Opinion: Destruction of Smith Baker Center is Short Sighted Suicide By Cameron DaCosta This piece is a guest contribution from UMass Lowell Class of 2022 alumnus Cameron DaCosta. The views and opinions expressed herein are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Richard Howe Jr. I want…

Why I Love Lowell By Jacqueline Malone I’ve lived in Lowell longer than any other place—ten years longer than I lived in my home state, Tennessee, for the first 21 years of my life. Both Tennessee and Lowell have their own strong ties to my heart. But I recently left…

Educational offerings  in Lowell –  (PIP #56) By Louise Peloquin     After last week’s peek into the past at Lowell High School (1), here are three articles on educational offerings. The first presents opportunities for Lowell workers. The second brings up the recurring “back to basics versus specialized course” debate. A surprising news item follows.…

The Lowell City Council met on Tuesday but as has been the case recently, nothing major stood out. There were several motions that I found deserving of comment which I’ll get to them shortly, but first some news about Mill No. 5. The long-awaited transfer of ownership of the upper…

Space, Time and God By Stephen O’Connor I’ve been cogitating over this whole “time” thing. Space, too. I heard a Nobel Prize winning physicist on the radio say that all the matter in the universe originally fit into a teacup full of super-dense material. This is a dubious theory, since…