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The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, when a British Army expedition marched from Boston to Concord in search of contraband munitions. Confronted by a local militia company on Lexington Green on the way to Concord, firing erupted. Although no one knows who fired the first shot, eight of…

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill which took place 30 miles south of here on June 17, 1775. We are fast approaching the semiquincentennial (or 250th anniversary) of this event so there will be more attention paid to it in the coming years. Before considering the…

Each year when June arrives in Lowell, three things will predictably happen: Anything left outside will be covered with a coat of yellowish-green pollen; school will end for the academic year; and city councilors will demand something be done about “the homeless.” That last item came up Tuesday night at…

Master of the Essential By David Daniel My father was forever busy, but what he busied himself with bears examination. Like there’d be a pressing need to fix a leaky faucet or replace a broken stair tread—always something wearing out in the small Cape Cod-style house where our family of…

Coffee shop musings: Contentment By Bob Hodge Neil Young “Comes a Time” album of that moment. On that turntable and console with the 8 track. It is an icy cold January morning 1979. I hop in my 69 Mustang and turn it over it shivers to a start—sweet. So many…

That Time of Year By Stephen O’Connor            I feel like some old engine          Done lost my drivin’ wheel.                                -David Wiffin Rob Rafferty always sat on Billy…

The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons Barron’s own blog. Should we be able to decide the nature of our passing when we are close to the end of our lives? Many people who are terminally ill and suffering want the legal option of self-administered doctor-prescribed medicine…

Protection for the challenged – (PIP #35) By Louise Peloquin       “Invalid” is no longer appropriate to designate the physically-challenged. However, fifty-seven years ago, it was not deemed offensive, insulting or derogatory. The June 4th peek into the past – “Voilà my solution” – dealt with work. This week’s provides…

The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons Barron’s own blog. Knife by Salman Rushdie is an account of the near-fatal attack on the well-known writer in 2022 by a lone knife-wielding terrorist who hated Rushdie for his writings, having read just two pages, and could only aver that Rushdie…

The Lowell City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday to consider the city’s FY2025 budget. Although the meeting lasted more than three hours, the council mostly just ratified the budget proposed by City Manager Tom Golden. In a way, this meeting was a legal formality since two things that…