Lowell
Councilor unanimously approves FY16 budget
I tuned in after the meeting had commenced. Councilors are questioning Police Chief Taylor now. Councilors seem to concur that the proposed budget is a responsible one that is has no fat in it and therefore has nothing that demands to be cut. They observe that much of the items…
Read More »Lowell Week in Review: May 31, 2015
Years from now when someone is writing the history of Lowell in the twenty-first century, the week of May 23, 2015 will stand out. I’m serious. Consider the following issues that were all addressed by the City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting: Hamilton Canal District With last week’s news that…
Read More »Holy Trinity
Along Gorham Street
Maya Angelou at Smith Baker; Joe Donahue at Whistler (1989)
With increasing discussion about renovating the Smith Baker Center near Lowell City Hall, I went to the vault to get this essay written in the moment in 1989. Let’s hope we can revive the Smith Baker Center and offer the public inspiring events like Maya Angelou’s appearance there.—PM . A Day That…
Read More »Old Glory
Lowell Week in Review: May 24, 2015

Hamilton Canal District This past Wednesday I drove to Springfield to speak to the Real Estate section of the Hamden County Bar Association about technology and the registry of deeds. While the 40+ lawyers listened politely, the topic that created a buzz was the future Springfield casino. They pointed out…
Read More »Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. : Memorial Day, 1884
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. “In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire” [An address delivered for Memorial Day, May 30, 1884, at Keene, NH, before John Sedgwick Post No. 4, Grand Army of the Republic.] Not long ago I heard a young man ask why people still kept up…
Read More »Lowell Week in Review: May 17, 2015

It was another quiet council meeting this past Tuesday night which has been the norm since the snow melted. That might all change since the city’s FY16 budget should be out soon. City Manager Murphy has done a good job of addressing the priorities of the city councilors and he…
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