City seal on DPW trucks
Last week I showed you some signage on Lawrence DPW truck with the bright, modern one that they are being replaced. Since that edition, I found out there’s a city ordinance stating the following:
2.170.040 – City seal to be displayed on doors of all but undercover or surveillance police vehicles.
Each municipally owned vehicle, except undercover or surveillance police vehicles, shall have permanently affixed to its driver side and front passenger doors the city seal and the words “City of Lawrence.”
(Ord. No. 44-2009, 10-20-09)
Carlos Jaquez is not too happy with me because he doesn’t like having to explain anything when I mingle into his business. He has to understand that I am just doing my job.
Let’s keep an eye out the next few days to see what happens.
Helping businesses affected by the explosions
The towns of Andover and North Andover have been working feverishly supporting their local businesses affected by the gas explosions. They have been sending press releases announcing when their gas service is restored, encouraging residents to visit their local merchants.
Have you seen any effort towards assisting Lawrence businesses or city officials speaking on their behalf?
During the press conference on December 12, Mayor Rivera thanked residents saying, “Thank you for not rioting, because you had absolutely every reason to have done, and for taking this in stride.”
I have to wonder how different things would have been if we demanded better response from Columbia Gas.
Gilda didn’t get her money
Part of the agreement with the City of Lawrence last summer assured Gilda Durán that she would get her settlement against the city by December 14, 2018. At closing of this edition, she had not received anything which means that she will have to take the mayor to court again – only that this time it will be for triple damages!
Danny doesn’t care if his penchant for hurting people costs the city more money. The settlement was a pittance compared to the millions he spends in legal fees and he could have paid long ago. I seriously believe that he takes satisfaction in demeaning people under his power and he enjoys thinking that she is struggling to pay her mortgage as a result.
Don’t bother reading below
When I was on the radio this past Monday with Carmen Chalas, I talked about something the public doesn’t understand and couldn’t care less so I warned them at the beginning.
Darlene Beal, the executive director of Haverhill Community Media sent out a message showing her concern about the future of Community Access Television. The attachment she sent was an article by Dan Kennedy of WGBH entitled Is Community Access TV On The FCC Chopping Block? You might find it on their website.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is about to cut funding for community cable television stations better known as the government channels. They offer every community three channels (Education/Schools, Government and Community) with all kinds of news about local issues, sports, government news, meetings, press conferences, school concerts, children’s activities, parents meetings and the most precious of all, the ability for anyone in the community interested in producing local television on any topic of their choice.
Darlene Beal’s plea was very accurate asking for support from her viewers:
“LET THE FCC KNOW THAT YOU VALUE HC MEDIA
HC Media has been proud to be the cable access provider for the City of Haverhill for 30 years. Since forming as a nonprofit in 1988, HC Media has offered video equipment, facility resources, and high quality production assistance free of charge to Haverhill residents. If FCC NPRM-05-311 passes, the many services HC Media continues to offer Haverhill will be at risk. Broadcasts of local news and information, access to video/editing equipment, extensive coverage of community events such as local sports, downtown festivals, high school graduations, the VFW Santa Parade, and so much more will all be on the chopping block.
Thank you for your support in protecting HC Media and local access programming.”
Anyone who values local information would want to immediately move to Haverhill. I know Darlene and their station as well as their programming. They have a superb facility, the best training, hundreds of volunteers and first class programming with variety and inclusiveness. I am also familiar with the way community access works in Methuen, Andover, North Andover, Chelmsford, Lowell and Salem, NH. They have similar systems, great variety of programs and public access.
For over ten years I was fighting to achieve in Lawrence the same level of quality programming and was totally ignored by the kingdom of Lawrence Community Access Television (LCAT), three mayors and all the city councilors serving throughout those years.
If those cuts go through as they assume it will happen in December, Verizon and Comcast will no longer contribute their share to Lawrence. No one seems to know how much LCAT receives every year because they operate in secret. Yes, we pay in our cable bills over $3.50 each month towards their salaries but they report to no one.
For example, LCAT must have an annual meeting in October which must be advertised in a local newspaper and apparently that is a State Secret. That meeting is supposed to be public but, if nobody knows when it will take place, who do you think was there?
Their budget, salaries and expenses are top secret, too.
Most people don’t even know these channels exist and if they attempt to watch them, the picture is so bad on the community channel offering programs from other cities all over Massachusetts with worse quality than the government channel. All winter long they repeat concerts from the Feast of the Three Saints and Bread and Roses from several years past.
That’s why I said people don’t understand or even care what happens at the FCC. Most cable payers are not aware they are paying for this non-service and if Verizon and Comcast stop paying their share to the government channels, we may end up paying more – for more of nothing! Who’s to blame? YOU!
Oh, what a difference! I want to move to Haverhill! But I am the only one bringing this up every now and then so I have to stick around.
Gas terror – the movie
The gas explosion disaster will likely result in a film similar to that of Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich or John Travolta in A Civil Action, both based on the same theme.
Who will be the chosen actors? Robert Sabino knows the City of Lawrence well and speaks the language.