Attached here is the clip from the Lowell Sun “Sun Santa” section of Warren Shaw performing their Christmas tunes.

I encourage everyone to make a quick donation over at the Sun Santa website.

Other local celebrities will be performing as well.. such as Town Manager Dennis Piendak and our own Lowell Sun reporter Dennis Shaughnessey.

Sun Santa is a great charity, providing for a great number of families in need. Please be generous this season.. and enjoy the attached video.

 

 Shaw Sings for Sun Santa [2:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Going around the blogosphere is a reaction to a Boston Globe article slamming the Lowell Sun.

The Sun has been getting into doing these special pullouts, like this morning’s about Police Chief Ed Davis.

It seems that the paper gets the subject of the pullout to buy into selling the ad space, and in Meehan’s case then donates back a portion of the income to a private charitable fund that he specifies.

So local businesses and poltical folk get calls to donate to this special “tribute” to Meehan, he gets a cut, and the paper looks like its too close to be objective on future reporting. I’m sure there’s lots of pressure to buy the ads.
Dan Kennedy at MediaNation has a good article on this, and of course the left wingers have been picking it up as another of their examples of lack of professionalism by the Sun.

I do like the new interactive features they are trying such as the blogs and videos, etc. I know the Sun is looking for new forms of revenue.. and these special pullouts/tributes probably are part of that effort.. but this one just makes them look too close for comfort.

A friend from Lowell has been watching the website with a focus on the Skate Park issue.

Seems that he lives over in Lowell off of Middlesex Street near the Hadley Field Skate Park (over near the Roark Bridge).

He was at the corner of Baldwin Street and Middlesex next to the park on his way home (about 11:30PM on Saturday the 6th) when he saw the activities going on over that the park.

Seems the kids there were a little cold, so they set themselves up with a small fire for warmth.

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 Hadley Field Skate Park Evening Events [1:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download