Just One Story From the Flooding

I’ve been so busy covering flooding I really haven’t had a chance to blog about it. It’s been all out just for the paper, but the family I got to write about Tuesday night is worth some extra commentary.
I was already at this house two weeks ago. You can see their house in the third picture down in my entry from that day. It’s the gray ranch.
And back I went last night. River Road is non existent for the most part, as you can see in the video blow. The water damage has grown even worse, and there were the Chidseys, still hanging on.
One thing that always impresses me is the composure of some of the folks I get to meet while doing this job. Tony and Diane Chidsey weren’t just hanging on.
They stood in a little disbelief as a video of their retaining wall led the Channel 7 news at 6:30 p.m.
“I can’t believe that’s our house.”

Diane Chidsey took that photo with her phone.
Tony still kissed his kids as Diane took them to bed. He still told jokes about his dogs, two huskies.
He was still thinking about how to walk them with all the destruction around his house.
Here’s our video of the waters outside their house that Julia Malakie got yesterday.
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1570028818
As we move on past the flooding, their concerns will remain about the drainage on River Road being fixed, instead of the road just being repaved.
Their concerns will remain about a development up the hill may have changed the runoff patterns and created some of the troubles.
I’ll be pushing for the newspaper to give those concerns just as much attention as we did when the Chidseys were facing disaster.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time at the paper, is that these types of things will happen again.
“This is Massachusetts, not Arizona,” Tony Chidsey said. “We’re not going to have perfect weather for 10,000 years.”

Oh Hi There!

It sounds as if at least one car thief in Lowell got one hell of a surprise this morning after boosting a Grand Marquis from Saints Medical Center.
You see, Sandra, a former Lowell resident who moved to rural Vermont years ago, was back in town visiting and had to stop at Saints to get some paperwork.
In Vermont, she often leaves her keys in her car with no problem. She didn’t mean to do it this morning when she parked her car with her 4-ways on outside Saints and ran inside for literally just a few minutes.
But, this is Lowell, and you probably already guessed that her car was gone when she came back outside.
There’s a little more to the story, though, and Sandra thinks the thief probably realized it a few blocks away, when her 110 pound Rottweiler/Doberman mix woke up from the nap he was taking in the back seat.
“I knew he wouldn’t leave the car,” Sandra said of her dog, Zeus. “He was probably sleeping when the guy jumped in, and two blocks later the guy probably had Zeus growling at him from the back seat.”
That part can’t be confirmed, but what can be confirmed is that after a day of intense worry, (Sandra had to have another dog put down a week ago due to medical problems and was distraught over possibly losing Zeus too), the car turned up about 5:20 p.m.
Officer Robert Rayne found her car parked along Charles Street, just a few blocks away. It was undamaged, but her purse was missing.
After seeing the 110 pound protective dog in the back seat, Sandra things the thief “probably grabbed the pocketbook and jumped out of the car.”
She still has Zeus, though. Sandra seems okay with having her pocketbook and checkbook replaced.
Chalk this one up to happy endings, and a car thief who might need to change his pants.

30 Drag Racers – 1 Real Genius

One wiseguy got arrested for trying to run down a police officer Saturday night after officers cornered about 30 cars that had been drag racing in a commercial lot off Plain Street.
Officers went to Foundry Street about 10 or so and blocked the end of the street after getting a report of numerous vehicles drag racing.
A bunch of cars tried to speed off, only to have their drivers soon realize that Foundry Street was the only way out of the lot.
Police said roughly 30 vehicles soon lined up in a line in front of a cruiser, and officers ordered them all to turn off their engines.
One driver, an apparently irate Israel Carrillo, 22, of Lawrence, stopped briefly, revved his engine, and then put his car in drive. Police say he tried to run down Officer Mindy Dower, who had to dive to the right to avoid the car.
Police soon got Carrillo stopped, and he lucked out by being the only person at the scene to face charges.
He was booked for assault with a dangerous weapon (car). He will be arraigned this morning in Lowell District Court.
Drag racing has been a problem in the city in recent years, but police were apparently unable to find a reason to charge the other drivers since they were not on a public road.

Pizza Guy Robbed

Police were called to a Gorham Street gas station tonight about 9 p.m., after a pizza delivery driver went there to report that he had been robbed.
The driver told police he went to 170 Agawam Street a few minutes earlier.
That’s where a man pressed a pistol against the driver’s stomach and demanded his money, according to police radio broadcasts.
The man took the driver’s cell phone and cash, and fled toward Meadowcroft Street.
The suspect was described as a white male, about 6’2, wearing a multi-colored jacket.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or Crimestoppers at 978-459-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent to police via Text-a-Tip, by texting TIP411 (847411) with the subject “LPDTIP.”
Tipsters can remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Stabbing Investigation

As if a regular stabbing investigation isn’t challenging enough, tonight city and Dracut Police are investigating what happened to a 30-year-old man who showed up at Lowell General Hospital this afternoon with a potentially life-threatening stab wound.
Police were notified that the victim was at Lowell General about 6 p.m. He was quickly flown from there to a Boston Hospital, though, and as of Saturday night police were still waiting for updated information on his condition.
I’m told that police do not believe initial reports that the stab wound was self-inflicted.
Detectives are investigating how and where this happened.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or Crimestoppers at 978-459-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent to police via Text-a-Tip, by texting TIP411 (847411) with the subject “LPDTIP.”
Tipsters can remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.