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David Daniel passed away on May 5, 2026. He was a prolific writer and a longtime contributor to this blog. He also touched the lives of many people. Remembrances from his friends Steve O’Connor, Jerry Bisantz, Jay Atkinson and Ed DeJesus have previously appeared on this site here and here.…
Read More »There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week so I will return to my biographical sketches of the mayors of Lowell. This is the fourth installment which covers the second group of mayors who served under the Plan E form of government from1984 to the present. For those who…
Read More »Time of the End of the Season Part VII By Bob Hodge Bob Hodge grew up in Lowell and went on to graduate from Lowell High (1973) and University of Lowell (1990). He was (and still is) one the greatest runners to come out of this region. He’s also a…
Read More »In the August issue of The Atlantic magazine, Carol Frost has a short poem about being alive titled “The Scrubbed and Simple Moon,” which is a big deal because the magazine typically publishes one poem per issue. Twelve poems a year. I’m sure the poetry editor gets thousands of compositions…
Read More »All Aboard! By Leo Racicot Our mother never learned how to drive. As she told it, the first time her Lowell High School driving instructor took her out on the road, she drove straight into a ditch and said, “Never again!” As a single girl, she worked at Abbott Worsted in Forge Village, a…
Read More »A weekly report on things I’ve read, heard and seen since last Wednesday. Article: “Could Massachusetts become the first state to repeal legalized marijuana?” by Bryan Hecht, Boston Globe, July 6, 2026. It looks like this November there will be a ballot question asking voters to repeal the ballot question…
Read More »Tour de France 2026 – Last Stage By Louise Peloquin On July 4th, the Tour de France took off from Barcelona for the first time, and offered spectators a magnificent view of cyclists whizzing by Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia. This brief is for readers who enjoy following the Tour…
Read More »Goddesses and Men By Stephen O’Connor When I was a child, my parents gave me an oversized storybook entitled Pegasus. On the cover, a brilliant white stallion charged heavenward on great feathered wings, bearing the young Bellerophon. I was smitten. My interest in classical mythology has never waned. One Christmas,…
Read More »The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin, is a totally captivating novel starting in 1950’s Pakistan, colored by the caste system that frames the past, present and even future for its people. The backdrop is the turbulence following Partition, the…
Read More »The Lowell City Council met on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. No single issue dominated the meeting although there were several interesting public policy discussions that I’ll review today. **** Underage drinking – A trio of motions addressed the presence of minors in establishments that serve alcohol. A steady stream of…
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