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By the Merrimack, foot of Wilder Street
Photo by Tony Sampas
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City Council Succession and Vote Totals
With the resignation of Kevin Broderick and the ascension of John Leahy as his replacement, I started thinking of other instances when sitting councilors left before the end of a two-year term. Both my memory and my records on the Elections section of this site are a bit sketchy, so…
Read More »“Nobody Beats the Fizz: Lowell’s Engines of 21st Century Development” by Bob Forrant
UMass Lowell Professor Bob Forrant shared the following essay that explores the relationship between the city of Lowell, the University, and the National Park: Introduction For thirty-seven years I’ve lived and worked in Massachusetts industrial cities and for the last twenty-five I’ve thought a lot about how cities like Springfield,…
Read More »Kevin Broderick to resign from City Council?
Rob Mills (@Robert_Mills) tweeted this earlier this evening: City Councilor Kevin Broderick just confirmed to me that he plans to resign tomorrow night to spend more time with his wife and five kids That’s certainly big news in Lowell politics. Normally the tenth place finisher in the last council election…
Read More »A City plagued by trash
Walking around downtown early Saturday morning, I was impressed by the state of cleanliness in the sections I traversed. UML Professor and Centralville resident Bob Forrant had a far different experience on a lengthy weekend walk through several neighborhoods. Bob posted the following on “Innovative Cities: Lowell” Facebook page, which…
Read More »Civil War Lowell
A group of historically minded individuals from Andover who had previously participated in one of my tours of Lowell Cemetery, asked me to give a walking tour of “Civil War Lowell.” We met this past Saturday at the National Park Visitor Center on Market Street and spent 90 minutes walking…
Read More »Mayor Murphy endorses Elizabeth Warren for US Senate
[youtube]nMQxgv9I1uw[/youtube] Lowell Mayor Patrick Murphy endorsed Elizabeth Warren for the US Senate at a recent visit by both to Art Ramalho’s West End Gym. Because it’s an actual gym where boxers train (as did the Mayor and his brother, Dan, in their younger days), the background noise makes it difficult…
Read More »Wounded Warriors
I watch “Morning Joe” on MSNBC for a while most days to stay on top of the latest national political gossip. This week, I have seen several times an ad for the Wounded Warrior project narrated by a Country music singer. I’ve had this thought before, but seeing the ads…
Read More »Trends in Lowell Real Estate
Driving through Belvidere the other day, I noticed quite a few “For Sale” signs stuck in front lawns. The same is true in my own Highlands neighborhood. Drawing any inferences from those observations will take a while; it all depends on how long it takes until the “Sold” placard is…
Read More »The calm before the (student) storm
Enjoy the commute to work today. Everything changes next week. School in Lowell begins on Tuesday and the morning roads will be clogged with school buses and more cars as students are transported around the city. For year-round commuters, the drive to work will be longer and the urge to…
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