Living Madly: Saudade By Emilie-Noelle Provost I’ve always believed that written or spoken words, with their ability to communicate our thoughts, wishes, discoveries, joys, and sorrows — sometimes across time and space — carry with them a bit of magic. On the printed page, whispered into a waiting ear, or…

Radios and Jukeboxes By Leo Racicot When I was a kid, The Golden Age of Radio was coming to its end. Still, we had two radios at home and listened regularly; our mother, aunt and grandmother had come of age during The Great Depression when radio was at its peak…

Lowell People, Part 2 – (PIP # 83) By Louise Peloquin      More Lowell people – boxers, museum directors, firefighters and a physician speaker. L’Étoile – September 10, 1924 HEBERT IS READY FOR HIS MATCH WITH WILLIE WOODS _____ Manager “Punch” Mailloux declares that his protégé will at least obtain…

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about the evolution of the news and information ecology in Lowell through my lifetime. My immersion in that system got an early start when my father, Richard P. Howe Sr., was elected to the Lowell City Council in 1965 when I was seven years…

This is the second of our Lowell Stories series, and the second by Melissa Franks. The first story was about Melissa’s dad, the late Bill Franks. We plan to make Lowell Stories a regular feature on this website. If you have a story to share, get in touch and we’ll…

Five Life-Altering Books By Leo Racicot  Aunt Marie used to say, “Leo liked to read straight out of the cradle. “She was only half-exaggerating; I’ve always loved to read and started reading at the age of 5 when I amazed my teacher, Mrs. Hare, and myself going through books at…

Kerouac’s Characters: Robert “Pete” Houde By Kurt Phaneuf  Though Robert Olivier “Pete” Houde’s life began quite modestly, by the time of his death in 1993 he had become a figure of some importance in Lowell history.  His American literature footprint is also significant; in addition to appearing in seven of…

The following post first appeared on this site on October 5, 2023. It is being republished today in honor of the upcoming Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival which will take place from October 9-13, 2025.  Leo with Louis at L’Etoile By Louise Peloquin October always conjures up visions of Jack Kerouac.…

With the city election just a month away, today I’ll share some thoughts about voter turnout in Lowell, or more accurately, the lack of it. In the last city election in November 2023, only 7,516 people voted. That’s 7,516 of the 75,516 registered to vote, which is fewer than 10…

Kerouac’s Characters: L. V. Rochette By Kurt Phaneuf  According to his granddaughter Lucille (Parthenais) Sullivan, Dr. Louis Vitalien “Victor” Rochette (1862-1930) delivered an estimated 10,000 babies for Lowell’s Franco-American mothers during his four-decade career.  Arguably his most famous delivery was Jack Kerouac, whose birth Rochette oversaw at Leo and Gabrielle’s…