Dan Phelps, The Lowell Sun
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Now let’s try a-cappelling
These carols I’m selling you,
Full of good cheer.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s the hap-happiest season of all.
No more long, boring meetings,
No more swine-flu bleatings,
[...]
The Lowell Sun Editorial
The Dracut School Department needs an experienced, steady hand to help navigate through the rocky fiscal waters, so committee members made a prudent move by selecting former Superintendent Elaine Espindle as interim chief.
Espindle led the schools for 10 years until she was pressured [...]
Pick up this morning’s Lowell Sun to read an editorial that supports the retaining of Elaine Espindle for the interim Superintendent position.
This is no surprise, as the Sun has had a long history of having great respect for Espindle, and was just as dissappointed with Mullin as [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — School officials want to oust Superintendent of Schools W. Spencer Mullin from his job as soon as possible — as long as it doesn’t cost the town money.
It’s been a month since Mullin made the surprise announcement that he plans [...]
Following a short discussion, where member Ron Mercier and Dr Mike McNamara preferred continuing the search process for an interim Superintendent via interviews and then a selection, the board voted 4 to1 with Mercier the only member voting against to select and start negotiations with former [...]
All focus is now on the Salvation Army radiothon this Saturday, and getting ready for Christmas.. and car trouble at this time of year is not helping.
Just a few notes on current events:
Mercier is right, so is Miles.
There’s a problem at the PD, and I don’t think [...]
Click on a dot, see the sources and trends.. pictures say a thousand words.
[...]After an editorial a few days ago by the Lowell Sun, basically telling the Dracut Police Union that its time to shape up and act like a professional team and that they are doing nobody any good, we have a report today on the continuing investigation.
In [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — Police Chief Kevin Richardson said he has no plans to set new police policy after heated discussions with union officials over the off-duty actions of his second-in-command this fall.
Richardson said he had considered the push for more rules, but ultimately decided against it.
“Everything is a [...]
Its come to my attention that we have a pair of tickets to Sunday’s game up for grabs tomorrow morning during our Saturday Morning Live Road show for the Salvation Army.
Try to make the biggest donation.. win the tickets..
Great fun for a true Patriots fan, and [...]
The only thing that will spur new job growth will be tax cuts.
It will happen.. they will call it something else, never use the words “tax cut”.. but that is what will start to bring us out of this recession.
New government jobs, and temporary spending bills do nothing but delay [...]
At the school complex tonite at 6:00 will be the lighting of the Christmas lights at the Lakeview Ave schools.
All afternoon, Santa will be at Harmony Hall, oversee the Rotary Club gingerbread house competition from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. being held by the Dracut Rotary to support the Food [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — Tension between Police Chief Kevin Richardson and police union leader Jerry Flynn will not be smoothed over by yesterday’s release of Richardson’s report into allegations that his off-duty deputy chief was intoxicated while responding to a domestic incident.
Richardson cleared Deputy Chief Dave Chartrand of [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — School officials are preparing to make deep budget cuts, and Parker Avenue Elementary School parents aren’t happy that the elementary school could end up on the chopping block.
Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin said he expects the state to cut its funding [...]
A meeting was held last evening (reported in the Lowell Sun) at the high school to ask input from the public regarding the possible closing of the Parker Avenue Elementary School.
Led by School Committee members Ron Mercier and Bonnie Elie, the subcommittee [...]
The Selectmen met for a quick 30 min meeting. No new business, little old.
A whole bunch of business, games and other licenses were renewed for another year (I would have thought there would of been some discussion regarding businesses that had served minors and been punished during the year).
It [...]
While I’ll probably be watching the Board of Selectmen’s meeting, either in person or via the Tivo, Dracut’s heart will be in Reading watching our team hopefully win in the playoff game.
The Boston Globe predicts a win for our boys:
Dracut over Reading - The Middies have [...]
The only planned meeting of the Board of Selectmen is Tuesday evening this week.
It was moved up because of the election next week.
The agenda includes approval of all the licenses in town, as well as another cell tower discussion.. looks like a lot of fun…
The meeting is posted at the [...]
Today we hear that much of the original data used to prove “climate change,” “global warming,” hoo haa has been lost.
The Times Online reports today:
SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming [...]
During a discussion with School Committee Chair Matt Sheehan on 980 WCAP, we discussed a number of items concerning the school district.
First, he was asked about the hiring process used for the new Principal. He said that he heard after a previous school [...]
This morning’s political Column had a piece about Kevin Murphy that referred to last week’s school committee meeting.
In a meeting that seemed a bit off, with members failing to get their points across (yet finally coming together), Murphy was trying to prompt the members, [...]
State Rep Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell, apparently doesn’t find The Sun particularly memorable. Murphy, who also serves as the attorney for the Dracut School Committee, was discussing the option of advertising for an interim school superintendent in local newspapers when his lapse in memory occurred.
“You said [...]
The Lowell Sun editorial today took on two topics, and came up with opinions that were right on target.
First, parents who believe their kids may be getting into trouble have the right, and responsibility, to investigate any way they can to protect their kids. If those [...]
A 12-year-old Littleton girl remains safe today thanks to her parents’ observations and willingness to investigate what they considered to be suspicious behavior.
After finding extra clothes and money in their daughter’s backpack, the parents decided to read her e-mail and, to their horror, discovered she had been corresponding with an [...]
The Salvation Army Captain in San Francisco had resolved, in December of 1891, to provide a free Christmas dinner to the area’s poor persons. But how would he pay for the food?
As he went about his daily tasks, the question stayed in his [...]
In making a choice for a process for hiring a new Superintendent, the board seems all over the place.
It seemed that chair Matt Sheehan and member Ron Mercier are more favorable towards having the board do it themselves, and not using the [...]
Last night, School Committee member Mike Miles made a motion to have members discuss the interim position with former Superintendent Elaine Espindle.
This was not to offer her the position, but to discuss whether she would be interested.
Member Bonnie Elie made a point that Espindle would be [...]
School Committee member Ron Mercier last night announced a meeting on December 2nd of the Parker Avenue Elementary school subcommittee formed to decide how to handle a possible closing of that school.
To be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Dracut High School, what will be the [...]
At tonite’s meeting, we should hear of the appointment of members to a subcommittee to review the hiring procedures used by Superintedent Mullin with regard to the last Principal, and any others that may occur.
This is in response to Dr McNamara’s request at the last meeting (summarized in this [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — How did Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin make his decision to hire the new principal for Englesby Intermediate School?
School Committee member Mike McNamara wants to know, after he said complaints surfaced from screening committee members who felt their voices weren’t heard.
“People put [...]
We all read in the Sun last week (and earlier on Brian’s Dracut Politics blog) about another housing proposal.
This project would involve some property off of Bridge street on the Richardson property.
This project, like the one before it, would either be contingent on state funding [...]
DRACUT — In the wake of a failed affordable-housing plan for seniors, some town officials are quietly lining up support behind a new proposal.
About a month after the Dracut Housing Authority called off plans to buy the 38 units at 1476 Mammoth Road known as Louisburg Square [...]
That didn’t take long.
Like I said a few days ago, I had heard they were close to selecting a replacement.
Looks like Gary, who has been running the annual Dracut Scholarship Foundation Telethon, will be taking over at DATV as Executive Director.
This is probably a good [...]
DRACUT — Well, that was fast.
Weeks after DATV executive director Steve Russo announced he was leaving his post, the local cable-access station that broadcasts town meetings has hired his replacement.
Dracut native Gary Meuse has been hired to head the station, according to Jack Lyons, chairman of DATV’s [...]
By Erin Smith, Lowell Sun
DRACUT — If you didn’t know Rebecca Duda teaches eighth-grade history, you would have assumed she was a rock star.
“Duda! Duda! Duda!” chanted her students after Duda received the Milken Educator Award in a surprise ceremony at Lakeview Junior High School Wednesday.
The [...]
Can you believe it? We just started covering the efforts of this teacher over the last few months. We were extremely impressed with her ability to bring history alive to her students, as well as her efforts to save the Claypit Cemetery.
I guess word somehow got out.. because she has [...]
Erin Smith is going full bore.
Dracut has been all over the paper lately, not only with the “summary” story listing every issue from the last six months that appeared in yesterday’s paper, but today we get to learn the results of two issues (one from that list, and another [...]
DRACUT — The man in charge of DATV, the town’s cable-access station that broadcasts local meetings and residents’ homegrown studio shows, recently announced he’s leaving his job in Dracut at the end of the month.
Here’s the problem: When [...]
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DRACUT — Embattled Dracut High Vice Principal Hank Golec is officially retiring in January.
Golec recently submitted his papers to retire as of Jan. 21 and Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin has [...]
One excellent resource in the search for family history is the Registry of Deeds in the local courthouses.
Ours is an example of modern efficiency and technical excellence through the efforts of Dick Howe Jr.
He has moved a great deal of the registry deed and records online, in a simple [...]
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DRACUT — The chairman of the Board of Selectmen is questioning why police union officials waited more than a month to accuse Deputy Chief Dave Chartrand of being intoxicated when he responded to a [...]
Its hard to get away from this story, but what seems like a continuing rivalry between Dracut’s Deputy Chief Dave Chartrand and the Union Executive Jerry Flynn has a history that’s hard to forget. Headlining today’s Lowell Sun political gossip column was the Chartrand story.
The article [...]
Union’s potshot at deputy not its first
No Love is lost between Jerry Flynn, executive director of the New England Police Benevolent Association, and Dracut Deputy Police Chief David Chartrand, who Flynn accused last week of being under the influence of alcohol when he was off duty and showed up at [...]
DRACUT – In a new report, a patrolman says he came close to shooting off-duty Deputy Chief Dave Chartrand after both responded to a late-September domestic incident.
Officer Derek Scribner responded to a 911 call for a possible hostage situation involving a man [...]
I’ll continue the same theme that Brian did.
At the last call for a bone marrow drive in Dracut to help find a donor for Alexis Gorman, over 500 people came forward to be tested and added to the bone marrow database.
Soon after, a matching donor was found in [...]
Still feeling a little uneasy about Monday’s school committee meeting, and not sure of what the undertone was, I gave a call to Dr Mike McNamara to get some first hand input.
You see, from an observer’s point of view, it looked to me like he was putting forward a motion to [...]
Its a tough one to listen to. I heard about this coming last week.
This morning’s paper discusses an investigation over a September incident where Deputy Chief Chartrand removed a shotgun from a home following a domestic disturbance.
The question, however, was whether he should have been involved because of his [...]
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — Police Chief Kevin Richardson said yesterday he has opened a preliminary inquiry into whether his off-duty deputy chief had been drinking when he showed up to a 911 domestic call for a man with a shotgun and wound up almost getting shot by his own [...]
This morning’s Lowell Sun headline:Â “Charges fly in Dracut.” Seems a little over the top.
Bonnie Elie put forth a motion on a proposal to add a new permanent position to the high school administration.
She didn’t do it in secret, after having had behind the scenes meetings [...]
I had four meetings scheduled for tonite… so I had to choose. Funny thing was, two of them were in the same building.
At the Dracut Historic Society this evening, the society invited Dracut Teacher Rebecca Duda to make a presentation to their monthly meeting.
Her selection was Dracut African Americans in [...]
With the sudden retirement of Spencer Mullin, of whom none of us really got any chance to get to know (his fault, not ours), there is going to be a need for another Superintendent search.
The Sun today had an editorial recommending that the School Committee [...]
The Dracut School Committee was handed an unexpected challenge this week when Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin sent the chairman a single-sentence notification of his decision to retire, effective March 3.
Filling the top school post within the next four months would require [...]
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DRACUT — Shocked school officials said they were blindsided by Superintendent of Schools W. Spencer Mullin’s abrupt decision to resign yesterday.
Mullin, who has only been in his job for [...]
I’ve heard that the school committee has received a letter from Spencer Mullin that he is retiring.
It was short, and to the point.
More info as we get it.
Update: Statement from the Chairman of the School Committee, Matt Sheehan:
As [...]
The town meeting got off pretty much on time. The quorum was close, but we made it (I still would prefer a zero quorum).
The first couple articles quickly were deferred until June. One was about changing the “envelope” around the APR property Mrs Ogonowski lives within.. the [...]
I got word this weekend that the Internal Affairs investigation over at the Lowell Police department regarding Coach Jeff Moore’s work with the Dracut High School Football team was completed.
No problems were found, and any time he was at DHS was found to be done under proper circumstances.
What was that? [...]
Chairman Malliaros was still out on sick leave.. so we had Joe DiRocco chairing.
The meeting did review the articles for the upcoming Town Meeting.
TOWN MEETING MONDAY, 7:30 at the HIGH SCHOOL
There are only a few, and some are being tabled until June.
There is one fairly important one though. Back in [...]
What is a “Conflict of Interest”?
The definitions I find always refer to a situation where a person’s self-interest or interest in another party or organization could undermine their responsibility in making an impartial decision on another matter.
To be a conflict, there has to be a decision being made, and two [...]
I took the opportunity to take a walk today out behind the Bowling Alley on Pawtucket Blvd in Lowell to see the results of the efforts last weekend to clean up the Claypit Cemetary site.
Claypit Cemetary
Dracut’s Oldest Burial Ground has become an ongoing [...]
If there’s one way to kill off future projects in town, its to keep destroying the relationship’s between the town and local developers.
Now, I’m not a great fan of the ongoing saga with Alan Kazanjian. Some out there stand up for him, others deride his every move.. but his selling [...]
There’s been a lot of political mudslinging in the wake of Dracut Housing Authority Commission’s decision to scrap plans for Dracut to buy a building at 1476 Mammoth road known as Louisburg Square. The now-defunct plan was to turn the 38 unit apartment complex into affordable housing for the elderly.
The [...]
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DRACUT — The state never planned to pay for bathroom renovations at a proposed affordable-housing complex for seniors, according to 2008 paperwork used to hire an architect for the controversial project known as [...]
I had been contacted by Rebecca Duda a while back, and want to once again commend the work that they are doing to protect the old Claypit cemetary.
Remembering our heritage is important. The old gravestones and cemetaries are a source of great interest and historical knowledge. The Claypit Cemetary [...]
A majority of the Dracut Housing Authority this week successfully shot down the controversial 38-unit affordable-housing project for seniors called Louisburg Square.
In winning the battle, however, did the majority lose the war?
Dracut hasn’t built any new units of affordable senior housing in about 25 years, [...]
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DRACUT — Did the elderly lose out on affordable housing because of political payback?
Selectmen Joe DiRocco and Robert Cox believe Housing Authority officials sabotaged the Louisburg Square project to [...]
That’s been the question since May..
Big headline article in this morning’s Sun.. “Housing denial called Revenge.”
DiRocco and Cox explain the issues from thier point of view. Martin did not get appointed to school board, others did not support Cuhna’s election. Was it all payback? They’ve thought so for months.
Jim O’loughlin [...]
I agree with Brian, hope your doing well and look forward to seeing you back at the board.
Good that you knew to get help immediately, hope others learn from your example.
This morning’s Sun has a small article about Selectman Malliaros’ recent health troubles.
[...]By Erin Smith, Lowell Sun
DRACUT — After four years of planning, the Dracut Housing Authority Commission called off plans to buy an affordable-housing complex for the elderly.
The commission voted 3-2 to kill the plan to purchase the 38-unit complex at 1476 Mammoth Road. The contentious project, [...]
The Dracut Housing Authority voted last night to abandon the Louisburg Square project, and instead start a process to work towards another project.
In an expcected vote of 3 to 2, with Tommy Salem and George Nangle voting against, the authority commission voted not to sign any agreement with the [...]
It couldn’t be held forever. Everyone knew that Selectmen John Zimini had found a job a while back, after being out of work for a while.
What was interesting, and created the interest, was his not willing to tell anyone where he was working.
Eventually, it would have had to come out. [...]
Wednesday’s vote by the planning board was against the locating of a large Walgreen’s store at the intersection of Mammoth Road and Lakeview Avenue.
Much of the neighborhood was against it, having heard from other towns how the neighborhood would change.
The owners of the properties that were to be sold [...]
if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px";DRACUT — A proposal to bring a Walgreens pharmacy to a busy part of town was shot down last [...]
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DRACUT — Town planners may have rejected a plan to bring Walgreens to Dracut, but residents who own the land are now planning to sell their lots so a strip mall can [...]
A reminder that the next Dracut Housing Authority meeting is next Monday at 6:00 p.m.
I checked around, and found that the Authority did get the communication from Town Manager Dennis Piendak two weeks ago, and copies of his letter were hand delivered to each of [...]
The Appraisal report for the Elderly Apartment Building at 1576 Mammoth Road (which we generally call Louisburg Square) came in today.
Town Manager Dennis Piendak, during his Manager’s report to the Board of Selectmen announced the reception of the report today, and summarized it as having [...]
I heard that John Zimini was having a fundraiser last week, sponsored by Colleen Garry and Tim Murray. I think Joe Dirocco showed me his invitation. (I feel so left out… lol)
A fundraiser in an off year? I have nothing against that. I encourage more of [...]
The Lowell Sun’s Political Column described the ongoing saga of Hank Golec’s crusade against the Dracut High School sports programs:
The joy that the Dracut High School Middies enjoyed last season when the team won the Division 1A Super Bowl has hardly been in the air this year [...]
This Sunday’s Lowell Sun political column took a swipe at School Committee Chair Matt Sheehan:
Dracut School Committee Chairman Matthew Sheehan seems to have his own answering service.
A reporter left a message on Sheehan’s phone last week. Superintendent W. [...]
I understand that Leo Vezina of Lucky Oil, and former Dracut Police Officer Tony Archinski have been appointed to the Committee on Government Rules and Regulations.
I guess this brings balance to the force.
[...]Mixed grades, thats the result of Superintendent Spencer Mullin’s annual review, as reported by the Sun
There were no major crises this year, beyond the budget battle.
What we mostly saw was an administration that seemed so focussed on the budget that all other communications fell [...]
In today’s Lowell Sun, Dracut’s Finance Chair Gary Marsella writes a long letter explaining the finance committees Town Meeting warrant article.
More on this as I get to it..
[...]The Lowell Sun, Letter to the Editor
There has been much discussion in the town of Dracut during the past few months on the issue of the Louisburg Square project. Comments made by some elected officials seem to have confused and even belittled the [...]
I got a note from Brian Bond as well (you’ve probably seen it already on Brian’s Dracut Politics site). I was away most of the weekend, so was just catching up on my mail.
He is inviting people to the “Ground Breaking Ceremony” on Tuesday evening, the [...]
I stopped by to see the opening of the new Shaw Farm store.
Today is the “soft” opening.. while later there will be a formal grand opening.
Fresh local produce, baked goods, gifts, a coffee shop, and lots of fresh milk and ice cream.
Go Check it out.
[...]I spoke with the School Committee chair the other day about the Golec situation, who said as much as he did in this morning’s paper.
Its all with the lawyers now. Not much more can be said until their done.
As to the School Committee meeting, they did go over “partially” [...]
The reports started coming in Saturday Evening.
My google alerts and other news alerts I have set up started informing me that Dracut residents were reporting seeing a UFO in the southern sky late on Saturday evening.
From MyUfo Blog:
Okay, this is tough to say but [...]
Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.
William Shakespeare
I’ve always made it a point to teach the children to be on time. Five minutes early for a meeting. Get to work before the checkin time. Arrive 15 minutes early for the appointment. Punctuality is a virtue.
[...]
By Dennis Shaughnessey, Lowell Sun
DRACUT — The Dracut Housing Authority Commission voted unanimously last night to “move forward” with a 38-unit, affordable, elderly housing project at 1476 Mammoth Road, but not before hearing a clear definition of the term.
Responding to [...]
Two nights, two more meetings from two boards, and it still looks like the Louisburg Square project is going nowhere.
Sure, coming out of last week’s joint meeting of the Selectmen and Housing Authority, it all looked optimistic.
All the concerns came out, plans were made to resolve those concerns, as the [...]
Senator Panagiotakos held with his conscience and voted not to give Gov Patrick the ability to appoint an immediate successor for Sen Ted Kennedy.
I understand Methuen Sen Steve Baddour did the same. I understand that our own Sue Tucker did the [...]
In the local section this morning, the top headline is the completion of the investigation into the “surveillance” done by Hank Golec at the high school.
The article reports that the probe is done, and that the school committee members will be informed on Monday as to its results.
Over in [...]
It seemed that was the question on everybody’s lips last week as news that longtime Dracut High School baseball coach and Vice Principal Hank Golec was the target of an investigation by school officials.
Golec is suspected of secretly taping head football coach Jeff Moore holding practices over the summer in [...]
I understand from our sources that Hank Golec has left the job at the High School as Vice Principal in response to this investigation over the video equipment.
Brian has reported on this over at Dracut Politics.
We spoke to this on the Saturday Morning Live program [...]
DRACUT — Town officials will make one last-ditch effort tonight to salvage the controversial Louisburg Square project.
The special joint meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Harmony Hall on Lakeview Avenue, comes a month after [...]
This i a group that has been proven to be partisan (while accepting non-profit status), whose founders were guilty of embezzlement, who were caught faking voter registrations in the last presidential elections, and now shown to be more than willing to teach people how to break the tax laws.
And Niki [...]
I think South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson should wear that Congressional rebuke as a badge of honor.
Now all the lefties are somehow labeling his pointing out that President Obama was lying as racist.
I guess the argument is won. Once one side has to revert to [...]
