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There is much about politics for which Massachusetts is well-known. An infamous historical note rests with Governor Elbridge Gerry and his redistricting method known ever since as “Gerrymandering.” Cartoonists memorialized his efforts in a “Gerrymander” creature that resembled that of a salamander-like monster. From the archive: Infamous “Gerrymander” Made Massachusetts Law ~…
Read More »People are discussing what’s going to happen with transportation improvements on the Thorndike-Dutton streets corridor because of what they will mean for access to and from the Gallagher transit terminal, around South Common, over to Cambodia Town and Western Avenue Studios, through the Hamilton Canal District, and into the core…
Read More »In the Merrimack Valley ~ Rumors and Rumblings… Maybe people need a distraction from the weather, whatever the cause – rumors and rumblings are reverberating around the Merrimack Valley. Soft rumblings in the Town of TEWKSBURY… will Scott Wilson run for reelection for the Board of Selectmen? papers were pulled…
Read More »As I look out on a frozen landscape piled high with the snows of the more recent “Blizzard of 2015” and anticipate a long duration storm predicted to bring another 10-15 inches, I’m remembering along with MassMoments, the Blizzard of ’78. There is an historical record of the Blizzard of…
Read More »The new issue of the biannual events tabloid is out at UMass Lowell. To see what’s coming, check this link. Highlights include a benefit concert by pop star Melissa Manchester, an Oscar Wilde play, a reading by a poet recently nominated for a National Book Award, a production by the…
Read More »We all know how the Super Bowl turned out, and what a wild game the Patriots and Seahawks played. Waiting for the kickoff (six hours of pre-game chatter on TV), I could not help thinking about the history of the Patriots and what a journey the team has been…
Read More »Frequent contributor Jim Peters shares his thoughts on the Super Bowl: I am cheating. I am supposed to be working on a blog for April’s commemoration of Lowell’s sacrifices in the Civil War. Of course, as I have often written, we should name another building or bridge for Samuel Pollard…
Read More »Earlier today I received an email asking for help in identifying this political button. The query explained that the button is 2-1/4” across and that it was made by Universal Badge, probably in the late 1960s, early 1970s. Since the only “Kennedy” of that generation who served as a member…
Read More »In April 1998, UMass Lowell hosted what I believe was the first public forum to discuss what the web could or would do in the city. The event was billed as a town meeting and featured guest speakers, a panel discussion, a demonstration of a new online cultural magazine called…
Read More »I lived in Pawtucketville for several years, from the late 1970s to early ’80s. I often write in response to a place or to make sense of a place, and that neighborhood was no different. I lived on the top floor of an old triple-decker, a sea-green block on a…
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