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Articles by Melanie Gilbert
City Departments Moving to Market St. By Next Summer
Street view of 40 Market St. (Courtesy City of Lowell) by Melanie Gilbert LOWELL – The city is moving forward with renovating 40 Market St., formerly the Align Credit Union, budgeting up to $650,000 to hire a qualified consultant to design the interior fit-out for the property as well as any other incidental costs. “The City Hall Annex site at 40 Market Street will act as a one-stop permitting location for the public,” the bid document released Nov. 11 said.
ScrubaDub Car Wash Eyes Pawtucketville Location
A rendering of the proposed ScrubaDub Car Wash at 585 Pawtcuket Boulevard in Lowell. (Courtesy Poynat) by Melanie Gilbert LOWELL – Business growth in Lowell continues its hair-on-fire pace as a regional player is eyeing the city for an expansion of its state-of-the-art car care services facility. ScrubaDub Car Wash, through its commercial realty arm AIM Realty Medford LLC, signed a $1.3 million purchase and sale agreement with the AAA Northeast, for the property located at 585 Pawtucket Boulevard.
10-Story Building Proposed off Lord Overpass
A rendering of the 10-story building proposed for 5.1 Thorndike St., sthe site adjacent ot the former Molly Kay’s Pub on Middle Place. (Courtesy Galvin and Sullivan Architects Inc.) by Melanie Gilbert LOWELL – There’s nowhere to go but up in Lowell, and a real estate developer has proposed a 10-story, market-rate apartment building adjacent to the site of the old Molly Kay’s Pub off Middlesex Street.
Fitchburg Company Lays off 62 Employees
The front door to Powered by From the Ground Up, a brand of Our Home, a New Jersey-based snack company. FTGU’s plant at 759 Water St. in Fitchburg will cease operations on December 15, 2026. by Melanie Gilbert Snack food company Powered by From the Ground Up, LLC will permanently close the doors at its Water Street location resulting in the layoff of 62 employees.
Fitchburg Company Lays off 62 Employees
The front door to Powered by From the Ground Up, a brand of Our Home, a New Jersey-based snack company. FTGU’s plant at 759 Water St. in Fitchburg will cease operations on December 15, 2026. by Melanie Gilbert Snack food company Powered by From the Ground Up, LLC will permanently close the doors at its Water Street location resulting in the layoff of 62 employees.
Popeyes and Chipotle Coming to Lowell Original
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant scheduled to open in 2027 at the site of the former VFW Lodge and parking lot on Plain Street in Lowell. (Photo courtesy Melanie Gilbert for Inside Lowell) by Melanie Gilbert LOWELL – The former VFW Lodge and parking lot on Plain Street is the site of an under-construction Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and a proposed Chipotle Mexican Grill. A third parcel is an as yet unidentified restaurant.
Markley Seeks Special Permit to Put its Name in Lights
The Markley Lowell facility as seen on Nov. 5, 2026, from Prince Street in the city’s Sacred Heart neighborhood. (Photo courtesy Melanie Gilbert for InsideLowell) by Melanie Gilbert LOWELL – There will be an addition to the city’s skyline if the Zoning Board approves an application by the Markley Group, LLC to install an illuminated sign on the side of its main building at 2 Prince Ave. The public hearing to discuss the special permit will be held Nov. 9.
Residents say 'no' to data centers in Lowell
LOWELL — The Lowell residents who attended the city's second meeting on data centers were virtually unanimous in their feedback to restrict future growth of the facilities in every district in the city. “The only way to protect our community from the environmental impacts that we know are caused by these data centers, particularly when these data centers are put in environmental justice neighborhoods, is to prohibit them … ,” the participants at Table No. 4 said during their presentation.
Lowell padlocks Hot Spot's door
LOWELL — The doors are padlocked with a heavy chain at the site of Hot Pot District LLC, doing business as Hot Spot, an Asian restaurant on Middlesex Street in Downtown Lowell. Mail is strewn all over the debris-cluttered vestibule of the vacant storefront, and empty banquettes with menus still on the table suggest a place that is frozen in time.
Mass. firehouses close as sick leave drives OT costs toward $5M
By Melanie Gilbert The Sun LOWELL, Mass. — It’s getting hot in the city’s Fire Department as ongoing excessive sick leave usage is leading to staffing shortages that resulted in the closure of two stations on Sunday. The so-called brownouts at the Gorham and Branch Street stations happened two weeks after the City Council scolded the department for its eye-popping overtime numbers, and one week after Fire Chief Phillip Charron retired.
Lowell, MA, Officials Sound Alarm Over Growing Sick Time Usage
LOWELL — It’s getting hot in the city’s Fire Department as ongoing excessive sick leave usage is leading to staffing shortages that resulted in the closure of two stations on Sunday. The so-called brownouts at the Gorham and Branch Street stations happened two weeks after the City Council scolded the department for its eye-popping overtime numbers, and one week after Fire Chief Phillip Charron retired. A monthly report was compiled by City Manager Tom Golden’s team for the Sept.
Draper breaks ground on Lowell's LINC to future
LOWELL — The technology company Draper held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology (IMPACT) Center in Downtown Lowell Tuesday. What is now an empty lot in the Hamilton Canal District along Dutton Street will be transformed into an 111,000-square-foot building, part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor project of UMass Lowell.
Fire department costs are busting Lowell's budget
LOWELL — It's getting hot in the city's Fire Department as ongoing excessive sick leave usage is leading to staffing shortages that resulted in the closure of two stations on Sunday. The so-called brownouts at the Gorham and Branch Street stations happened two weeks after the City Council scolded the department for its eye-popping overtime numbers, and one week after Fire Chief Phillip Charron retired. A monthly report was compiled by City Manager Tom Golden's team for the Sept.
Flock vs. Lowell: Surveillance company defends product
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — Flock Group, Inc. is not only watching license plates in Lowell, but it is also watching the City Council meetings. The Atlanta, Ga.-based, billion-dollar tech company sent a letter to Mayor Erik Gitschier with the subject of “Correction of the Record re Flock,” which referenced Tuesday night’s meeting.
Markley Lowell expands footprint despite opposition
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — Markley Group LLC scored another win in its efforts to reshape the city of Lowell, when the Planning Board approved definitive subdivision plans for the data center’s newly acquired and existing property in the city. The land-use body did so reluctantly and under duress given that failure to approve the plans during the Aug. 17 meeting would have violated timelines within zoning laws and risked default approval without any attached conditions.
Large homeless camp 'humanely' cleared in Chelmsford
CHELMSFORD — One of the largest homeless encampments in the area was cleared of debris last week, filling six industrial-sized disposal containers. But prior to that trash-removal process, multiple state and local agencies worked together to support and relocate the people squatting on the state-owned land, located behind the Walmart store on Drum Hill Road. The parcel runs adjacent to both sides of Route 3, and is a Massachusetts Department of Transportation state right-of-way.
Sea Dog Brewing Co.'s future in Lowell in doubt
LOWELL — The future of the Sea Dog Brewing Co. in the city is in doubt after the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission denied its liquor license application. A visit to the Cabot Street location Wednesday showed that interior signage and merchandise had been removed, even as a delivery contact sign was still posted on the front door. Jill Moses appeared before the Lowell License Commission during its December meeting as the owner and the applicant for local license approval.
Chelmsford man arraigned for alleged assault on Lowell police officer
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — A Chelmsford man was arraigned in Lowell District Court Monday on multiple charges following a brawl outside a Downtown Lowell entertainment venue, during which a police officer was knocked unconscious. In Judge John Coffey’s courtroom, 20-year-old Malakai Linton was charged with three criminal counts, including disorderly conduct, affray and assault and battery on a police officer.
Early outcomes promising for Polytechnic’s microelectronics teacher fellowship program
As originally reported by WLFI's Drew Cosgray and Christopher Locken, six local teachers are bringing advanced microelectronics education to their classrooms as part of a federally funded program led by a Purdue Polytechnic professor. Lafayette news station WLFI recently featured educators from the Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) who were selected for the Noyce Microelectronics Master Teacher Fellowship Program.
Markley Group president expands operations in Lowell
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — Jeffrey Markley, the president of the Markley Group LLC, which owns and operates data centers in Boston and Lowell, has purchased more properties in Lowell, totaling more than 422,000 square feet of space for almost $5.6 million.
Global company brings $2B investment to Lowell
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — It’s more money than the Merrimack Valley has ever seen, and it’s coming to Lowell. On Friday, the city of Lowell announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Solar International Core Canada Ltd., which will invest up to $2 billion in the city’s JAM Urban Renewal Plan Area as part of the city’s Frontrunner City program.
Special Olympics looks at Lowell for 2027 Summer Games
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — Officials with Special Olympics Massachusetts spoke to the Lowell Disability Commission in January about the bid process for the 2027 Summer Games that are typically held in June.
Rising HIV cases worry public health officials
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... LOWELL — Almost 10 years ago, state and local health officials saw a rise in the number of HIV cases in the communities of Lowell and Lawrence due to drug users sharing dirty needles. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health told Lowell’s Board of Health during its Wednesday night meeting that they are concerned that history may be repeating itself as the numbers of HIV cases again rise in this region of the state.
Massachusetts Residents Protest Data Farm Expansion
The hearing was held at the request of the Markley Group , which is proposing to upgrade its “critical infrastructure” related to its data processing center located at 2 Prince Ave. and 1 Markley Way in the Sacred Heart neighborhood. Chair Tom Linnehan expressed concerns with whether the company was complying with previous site plan approvals.
‘War is hell’
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Lowell, Mass., Considers Cybersecurity Amid Attack Recovery
And unlike the last term, this council is taking a page out of the School Committee's governing playbook and referring more items back to the front office for clarification or revision and to subcommittees for consideration. Two ordinances, amending the fee schedule for residential parking signs and amending the parking rates, were sent back to Golden's office.
Massachusetts Pilot Program Gets People to Work for $2
The MassHire board identified transportation as the number one barrier to employment in the eight-member region, and the pilot is designed to provide low-cost, point-to-point, micro-transit options to employees at a $2 per ride price.
Lowell to Spend $1M on LifeLock After Cyber Attack
(TNS) — Five weeks after the ransomware group "Play" claimed responsibility for the cyber attack that has disrupted municipal operations since April 24, services are being slowly restored to the city's network. Additionally, both Superintendent of Schools Joel Boyd and City Manager Tom Golden have allocated more than $1 million combined funding from their respective budgets to purchase LifeLock protection for all current city and school employees impacted by the cyber breach.
Published Data Shows Breadth of Lowell, Mass., Hack
(TNS) — Documents given to The Sun appear to show that the data allegedly stolen from the April 24 hack of Lowell's municipal network includes personal and personnel data such as medical billing records and employee disciplinary cases. The ransomware group Play, which has claimed responsibility for the cyber crime, released 5 gigabytes of data from that theft and posted it to the dark web on May 11.
Hackers Post Data to Dark Web After Massachusetts Cyber Attack
The dark web is a part of the Internet that isn't indexed by mainstream search engines and requires special browsers like Tor, permissions, software and system configurations to access. It is used to keep Internet activity anonymous and is fertile ground for illegal or criminal enterprises like Play.
Feds investigating cyberattack of Lowell’s municipal network
LOWELL — As the cyberattack of Lowell’s municipal network enters its third week, the city confirmed that the online group “Play” has claimed responsibility for the breached network that has disrupted operations since April 24. The Sun also confirmed that the FBI and other federal agencies are involved in the forensic investigation of the attack.
Leaked document: City has authority to remove homeless Original
LOWELL — In a draft document leaked to The Sun, the City of Lowell Homeless Encampment Health and Safety Protocol gives the City of Lowell authority to sweep homeless encampments without notice. The document was sent to 30-plus service providers by Director of Homelessness Initiatives Maura Fitzpatrick, in an email with a subject line of “Confidential.” That clause, under “Section V.
'Period poverty' addressed during Maura Healey-Kim Driscoll tour
LOWELL — It wasn’t a rock concert, but the energy felt electric when incoming Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll entered the cafeteria of Lowell High School Wednesday afternoon. It was their last stop on “Team Up Massachusetts,” a community service-oriented tour that included LHS’s Catie’s Closet. The crowd surged forward and enveloped the pair, phones were held aloft to snap photos, while others stood on tables and chairs to get a better look at the incoming leadership to Beacon Hill.
Massive water main break forces evacuation of 192-unit complex for seniors
LOWELL — A major water main burst just before 3:30 p.m. Monday, spewing thousands of gallons of water into several neighborhood streets in The Acre, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents. “We received a report of a water main break in the area of Father Morissette Boulevard by Suffolk Street,” said Lowell Police Department Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc.
FBI searches Concord River in Billerica
BILLERICA — Something is believed to be in the water in Billerica, and the FBI is on the case. The Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team that deploys out of the New York FBI office is assisting with a Boston-based investigation involving the Concord River. The search is a planned operation, according to Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost, and is taking place in the area of the River Street Bridge. “We coordinated with the FBI on this search,” Frost said.
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