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 [...]
We contacted Dracut Football Coach Jeff Moore this morning, and spoke with him about the successful win on Thanksgiving morning, and then about the upcoming playoff game on Tuesday eveinging against Reading.
The winner of that game will go on to the Superbowl at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
Reading is undefeated so [...]
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 [...]
School-board member accused of handpicking Golec replacement
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com
DRACUT — School Committee members are accusing one of their own of quietly and illegally handpicking a replacement for embattled Dracut High School Vice Principal Hank Golec, who is facing allegations of breaching the school’s security system and misusing surveillance equipment.
Last [...]
State group: Dracut’s school chief one of many retiring
By Erin Smith, esmith@lowellsun.com DRACUT — School officials only have about six months to come up with a plan for next year’s school budget, and on Wednesday, Superintendent of Schools W. Spencer Mullin announced he plans to retire [...]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 [...]
The Lowell Sun Editorial today gives a “thumbs down” to Dracut for not being more forthcoming with information on the Hank Golec affair.
Dracut residents have a lot of questions regarding the lengthy absence of Dracut High School vice principal Hank Golec. They deserve some answers.
Golec has been [...]
A note at the Town website reminds us of the Veteran’s Day ceremony to be held on Wednesday morning at Veteran’s Park:
Veterans’ Day ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. at the Dracut Veterans’ Monument site located on Broadway Road (Rte.113 East.)
Coffee and doughnuts will [...]
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 [...]
On Monday, November 9th at the monthly meeting of the Dracut Historical Society, Rebecca Duda be presenting a lecture on African Americans in Dracut.
With Veterans’ Day just two days later, it seems appropriate that the presentation focus on the African Americans from Dracut who served in the American Revolution.
Dracut sent [...]
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 [...]
