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Lowell City Hall
Photo by Tony Sampas
Read More »‘Butler’s Book’ (1892)
Arguably Lowell’s most prominent historical figure, Benjamin F. Butler published his memoirs in 1892 under the title “Butler’s Book.” A. M. Thayer and Co., Printers, Binders, & Book Publishers of Boston, offered the autobiography to subscribers, not an unusual system in that day. The book is 1,154 pages long, counting…
Read More »Who will run for Middlesex DA
Gerry Leone just last night announced his intention not to seek re-election as Middlesex District Attorney in the 2014 state election and already the Twitter universe is abuzz with speculation about possible candidates to succeed him. I decided to jump into the pool, so here goes: State Senator Eileen Donoghue…
Read More »A history of Middlesex DA’s office as Gerry Leone announces departure
Last night Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced that he will not seek re-election in the 2014 state election nor will he seek any other elective office. Gerry is a long-time prosecutor and has done a great job as DA so his services to the people of Middlesex County (and…
Read More »Lowell video contest submissions due January 18
It’s a complete coincidence that on the very day this year’s nominees for the Academy Awards are announced that I finished by 15 second video submission for the 2013 City of Lowell Movie Contest. While it would be nice to win that $1,000 prize, I’m not in this for the…
Read More »‘Southeast Asian Refugees and Immigrants to the Mill City” (2007)
Edited by Tuyet-Lan Pho, Jeffrey N. Gerson, and Sylvia R. Cowan, “Southeast Asian Refugees and Immigrants to the Mill City: Changing Families, Communities, Institutiions—Thirty Years Afterward” was published by the University Press of New England in 2007. Among the contributors to this collection of essays is Leakhena Nou, a former…
Read More »Greater Lowell Area Democrats (GLAD) To Meet This Saturday January 12, 2013
Reminder for next GLAD Meeting This coming SATURDAY! First meeting of the New Year! Greater Lowell Area Democrats Regular Breakfast Meeting Saturday January 12, 2013 8:00 AM Independence Grill at the Radisson Hotel Rte. 110 in Chelmsford Please join us at this meeting of area Democrats. Marie Sweeney, GLAD Chair…
Read More »Visitor views of City Council meeting
Earlier this evening I visited a UMass Lowell intersession class on Community Psychology as I have for the past four years. It’s always a fun class because the dozen or so students, few of whom are ever from Lowell, have just attended their first-ever Lowell city council meeting the night…
Read More »‘The Canals of Lowell’ by Sara Swan Griffin (1928)
Sara Swan Griffin, author of “Quaint Bits of Lowell History,” published “Little Stories About Lowell: Romances and Facts of Earlier Days” in 1928. The book was produced by the Butterfield Printing Company. Following is an excerpt from the chapter “The Canals of Lowell.”—PM . “The Pawtucket Canal almost surrounds Pawtucket…
Read More »The Master Plan & the Council: A Tale of Two Cities
My level of civic engagement increased substantially this week. On Monday night, I attended a public meeting on the city’s draft Master Plan, Sustainable Lowell 2025, and last night I watched the city council meeting. Well, only the first two and a half hours of the city council meeting. After…
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