Lawrence News Archives

A lone gunman walked into a restaurant in downtown Lawrence Thursday night, opened fire and killed a patron inside, police said. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“The items were taken for evidence”

The Red Sox cap and jacket was a dead giveaway. Police said when they went to the home of Mark Klier, who was suspected of robbing the Walgreens on River Street, he answered the door wearing the cap and jacket. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“Except for that night, I never saw him mad, upset”

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF gmurray@telegram.com WORCESTER- Several hours before Billy C. Lindell was beaten to death, an angry Randy Jordan, his former roommate, complained to a liquor store ... via Worcester Telegram & Gazette

“We are grateful for the tremendous amount of support from individuals, nonprofit organizations, and corporations across Massachusetts”

In just a little over a week, the Red Cross raised nearly $90,000 to help the victims of the South Lawrence fire, enough to recoup everything the organization spent helping the victims and to give them money ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Former Lawrence School Committee member James Stokes will plead guilty to federal charges that he forged his military discharge and lied about being awarded a Purple Heart, a U.S. magistrate judge and ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“And that's when everybody started stomping on him”

Two co-defendants implicated Randy Jordan yesterday in the 2006 beating death of 24-year-old Billy Lindell during what the witnesses testified was a burglary gone bad. via Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Mayor Edward "Bud" Caulfield, no stranger to helping those in need, is back at it. via Lowell Sun

“Complaints have been issued against all parties”

A Hampshire Street mother and three teen-aged boys will all face criminal charges for their alleged roles in underage drinking parties the night before the death of Central Catholic High School senior Ryan ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“We are hoping to get together the different owners and see how the city can assist them”

City leaders want to work closely with property owners and insurance companies to have a fire-torn block of the city razed and cleaned up within the next 30 days. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“In an unprecedented move, we are reopening the Santa Fund to aid the Lawrence fire victims.”

Coats, pizza, coffee and sandwiches. Within hours, the people of the Merrimack Valley and beyond were helping the estimated 200 people affected by yesterday's fire. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

About 150 people are homeless after a fire swept through homes and businesses in Lawrence, Massachusetts on Jan. via WBKO-TV Bowling Green

“When you consider that 38 apartments were destroyed and other units are not livable now, there are probably up to 180 people who have been displaced from their homes”

The federal government has declared the city block that burned this week a disaster area, making businesses, homeowners and renters eligible for financial help. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Fourteen buildings were destroyed or damaged in yesterday's South Lawrence fire. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

When disaster strikes, the people of the Merrimack Valley are ready to help. Just as they did after the Mother's Day flood of 2006, Valley residents are opening their hearts and their wallets to help those who ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“It will be more unfair if people lose their lives because the people in this room don't have the courage to make a politically unpopular decision.”

Twenty firefighters will keep their jobs. Water and sewer rates will go up. Taxes have been pushed to the city's levy limit. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

A massive fire engulfed 16 buildings in downtown Lawrence, destroying businesses and residences and forcing pajama-clad families into bitter cold. via WLNE-TV Providence

“I went to the window, and it looked like hell outside”

Terry Crawley, 42, ran out onto Parker Street dressed in nothing but a terry-cloth bathrobe, matching navy blue socks and slippers. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“This building, for all intents and purposes, is not very secure”

Investigators want to interview every worker and contractor who entered the former Millennium nightclub building where the fire started that wiped out nearly an entire city block of mostly multifamily ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“Low-interest Federal disaster loans are available to renters, homeowners, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations whose property was damaged or destroyed by the fire.”

Steve Preston, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that low-interest disaster loans will be made available to Massachusetts residents and businesses affected by the fire on January ... via Earth Times

“We have a lot of heroin up there”

Drug dealers are using secluded neighborhoods along Route 97 to meet up with customers who drive here from Maine to buy heroin and cocaine, police said. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“I have no doubt that we will be able to rebuild and make things right for our partner families”

Horror set in as Felix Reyes turned on his television yesterday morning to a massive downtown fire. via Lowell Sun

A fire that started at a vacant night club quickly transformed into a massive nightmare in the town of Lawrence as more than 150 people were evacuated and 14 buildings were burned down to the ground. via Associated Content

“The fire started getting worse with the wind”

Jannette Ayala ran into the room where her children, 2-year-old Jeremiah and 1-year-old Naimam, were sleeping. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“State transitional assistance and housing staff will be working with local officials and nonprofits to try to meet the immediate needs of the families and individuals who have been displaced”

An inferno that devoured a downtown neighborhood has left the cash-strapped city with a potential $1 million bill, according to the mayor. via FireFightingNews.com

“There may be a person angry at me, or jealous of me”

Site posed 'extreme hazard' Lawrence fire officer warned early last year former nightclub was a public safety threat The city of Lawrence's fire prevention officer warned a year ago that a former nightclub ... via Boston Globe

“It was like something out of a horror movie”

Lawrence, Mass.:Smoke billows from the fire scene on Parker Street in Lawrence. Fourteen buildings were destroyed or damaged. via Coffeyville Journal

“If any one of her friends is not well, she is at the door with food”

The best advice Betty Eckerson got about cooking came from her mother, Estelle Spoerl. via NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

“I was able to turn the engine on, but we barely had gas”

Hoping to restore "as much normalcy as we can" to the tattered lives of some 40 families displaced by a seven-alarm inferno, city officials planned to bus schoolchildren from a shelter to their classes this ... via Boston Herald

“But there is so much destruction on that site, that may take some time”

Investigators interviewed witnesses and neighbors and combed the scene of the city's largest fire in more than a decade Tuesday, trying to determine what caused the massive blaze that quickly spread through 16 ... via Cw56.com

“Technically it wasn't allowed and we told him to remove it or we'd stop work”

A surprise city inspection of the Millennium nightclub Friday found a massive propane heater being used illegally at the building under renovation. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Melein Meas, 24, of 16 Prince St., Apt. 1, Lowell, was arrested without incident at 11:27 p.m. at the Red Roof Motel. via UnionLeader.com

No Major Injuries In 15-Building Fire by Staff No deaths or serious injuries were reported when a fire in an abandoned nightclub swept through at least 15 buildings in Lawrence, Mass., officials said Monday. via The Post Chronicle

At least 50 people awoke Tuesday in a Red Cross shelter after a massive blaze in an empty downtown nightclub quickly spread through 16 buildings, forcing them to flee their homes into the bitter cold.

Approximately 150 were left homeless after the fire swept through homes and businesses in the pre-dawn hours Monday. Only one minor injury was reported.

Mayor Michael J. Sullivan planned to meet Tuesday with agencies working to find temporary shelter and other resources for those displaced. Read more

“I stayed warm because I was close to the fire there was plenty of it to go around”

FIRE RAVAGES SOUTH LAWRENCE: Click here for all the stories, photos, videos and more LAWRENCE It was 2:30 a.m., and police Officer Robert Moody was patrolling on Parker Street. via GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

“You can't turn on your TV. I just thank God we're all alive.”

Award-winning court and crime reporter Laurel J. Sweet has been featured in the ABC miniseries "Boston 24/7" and the 9-11 documentary motion picture "Looking For My Brother." L AWRENCE - Snug in bed in their ... via Boston Herald

Two Lowell men face murder charges in the death of a woman found in a Dracut dumpster over the weekend. via WBZ-AM Allston

“People have angry words and it escalates, and before you know it there's a potential for homicide”

There are gloves, candy bars, cigarettes and soda on sale. There are also bloodstains in the parking lot. via Lowell Sun

“We had three units that were virtually complete”

Public Works crews are spreading sand on sloping streets, now virtual skating rinks. via Boston Herald

Fire crews in Lawrence are on the scene of a multi-alarm blaze near the intersection of Parker and Market streets. via TheBostonChannel

“Lowell police and State Police from our office continue to actively investigate the circumstances of this shooting that occurred in the early morning hours”

A 36-year-old Lowell man died after being shot multiple times at approximately 2 a.m. today outside the 7/Eleven store on the corner of Westford and Chelmsford streets, according to the district attorney's ... via Lowell Sun

“I think they're good because they make the week go by earlier”

A handful of students in a cooking class at North Andover High School insisted that beginning their summer vacation late is a price they're willing to pay for getting time off now because of snowstorms. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“The vehicle was attacked, several gunman, actually, we don't know how many gunmen, approached the vehicle . . . and fired multiple shots into the vehicle”

The three victims in a Mercury Grand Marquis livery car - one of whom was killed - were being driven from Carrington's burial at St. via Boston Herald

The union representing former workers at the Lawrence water treatment plant has asked for a state investigation and filed charges with the state Division of Labor Relations over the city's new contract with the ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“They are targeting small portable electronics with a high resale value which are almost impossible to trace”

It's the perfect device for people prone to getting lost or unable to read the small print on a street map. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“It's great. I tell people it's painless, it's easy, and you get 45 minute minutes off”

Tuesday 22News hosted the annual Red Cross Mayor's Challenge blood drive. The Springfield Red Cross transformed the 22News production studio into an all-day donor center. via WWLP

“He did confirm that he was working that night”

Lawrence police last night seized a snowplow and a truck owned by a Methuen man as part of an investigation into the unsolved death of a woman in a hit-and-run accident a week before Christmas. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Apartment set afire to destroy evidence WORCESTER- One of six people charged in the 2006 beating death of 24-year-old Billy Lindell, whose Chandler Street apartment was set ablaze in what police said was an ... via Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Newly-elected Lawrence School Committee member James Stokes resigned from the committee Friday amid allegations that he faked military discharge papers claiming he served in the U.S. Marines for 20 years. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“I readily acknowledge that my choice of language was unprofessional. I have apologized to the complainant ...”

Posted by The Republican Newsroom January 09, 2008 21:10PM By KEN ROSS and STEPHANIE BARRY Staff writers HOLYOKE - Holyoke Gas & Electric's newest commissioner, Raymond H. Feyre, vowed today to continue to ... via MassLive.com

“Councilor, all due respect, I'm speaking for my department”

Two firehouses and 20 firefighters are on the line if the City Council does not approve a higher tax rate and allow sewer and water rate increases, fire Chief Peter Takvorian said last night. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Posted by The Republican Newsroom January 07, 2008 17:32PM The following is the text of Holyoke Mayor Michael J. Sullivan's inaugural speech: I would like to thank City Clerk Susan Egan for attending to her ... via MassLive.com

A North Andover father of three whose rap sheet shows a decade long history of arrests for heroin possession and drug trafficking was fatally shot outside his apartment yesterday morning between trips driving ... via Boston Herald

A shooting this morning in North Andover has sent someone to the hospital, police said. via Boston Globe

“There has certainly been some shoddy practices down in the treasurers office, I think the reports illuminate that.”

The state this month issued a scathing report on how the city of Holyoke conducts its business. via WWLP

“There are various veterans that are extremely disappointed with the way that somebody has claimed to be a Vietnam veteran, especially a number of veterans who came back that were among us, who were not welcomed home”

Jim Stokes isn't the only person in the country accused of faking his military record. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Nearly six years ago, Leo Lopez and Elsa Moure put their 6-year-old son in a Lexus and staged an accident, police said. via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

“It's horrible. It's a disgrace, in a way. There's so many Marines that died to uphold this honor.”

"Why should foreign troops come in? We can take care of this, I can take care of this, you can take care of this." Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto in her final speech, dismissing the notion that Pakistan needed ... via EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA