LAWRENCE | Only a day after the U.S. military announced it found the ID card of Alex Jimenez, the fate of the missing Lawrence soldier weighed heavily on the minds of those participating yesterday in the 29th annual Hispanic Week parade.
The 25-year-old Lawrence resident and another soldier, 19-year-old Pvt. Byron Fouty of Michigan, have been missing in Iraq since May 12 when their unit was ambushed.
A dozen members of Juventud Semana Hispana led the procession down city streets with a banner that read, "Pray for our 'Brave Hero' Spc. Alex Jimenez."
The youngsters were followed by parade marshals Angel Corado and Leonor Sanchez, and city dignitaries, all of whom had a yellow ribbon pinned to their lapels as a symbol of their hope for Jimenez's safe return.
The parade started in the parking lot of Polartec, traveled up Broadway and wound its way along Haverhill Street before ending at Campagnone Common, where the opening ceremony began with a moment of silence for Jimenez led by Francisco Urena, Lawrence's director of veterans services.
But along the parade route, the thumping sounds of music from cars, including merengue and salsa, sparked the crowd. They showed their support by waving small flags of their native countries and applauding.
Stephanie Munoz, the newly crowned Miss Hispanic Week, wore a white beaded gown with a tiara.
She was one of several beauty queens who proudly rode down the street in convertibles representing the different nations that make up Lawrence's Hispanic community. Luis Oppenheimer of Lawrence drove his 1978 yellow Corvette convertible as he has done for the past several years.
Samantha Abel, 15, representing Haiti, rode on the back of a blue Mustang.
"I've waited for this for a long time," said Samantha, who just finished her sophomore year at Notre Dame High School. "There are not a lot of Haitians here, and I wanted to show people about us. It felt good to see people happy and excited as we drove by."
Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence rode on the back of a flatbed truck waving flags from the United States, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The truck was decorated with palm trees and musical instruments.
Merrimack Valley
June 18, 2007
Hispanic Week parade pays tribute to missing soldier
- Merrimack Valley
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State officials asked to investigate Adams
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Democratic Party has asked state election officials to investigate whether state Rep. Paul Adams benefited from "a multi-step financial scheme" to mislead voters about how his 2010 campaign was financed.
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Love's Enduring Promise: By Peggy's side
Editor's Note: In the spirit of Valentine's Day, The Eagle-Tribune asked readers to tell us stories about their lasting relationships — how they worked through the challenges over the years and kept their love healthy and alive. The series begins today and continues through Tuesday, Feb. 14, highlighting compelling stories of Love's Enduring Promise.
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Despite new law, local towns say no to GIC
Joining the state's Group Insurance Commission is not the only option local communities are looking at in fighting the high cost of health care coverage for their employees.
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The deadline for cities and towns to join the state plan is March 1. - Mass. schools suspend thousands under 'zero-tolerance'
- Don't print that
- Pets of the week
- Community calendar
- Saturday, February 11, 2012
- Early morning, two-alarm fire on High Street, Haverhill drives family out of house
- Back on the home front
- Marine gets big welcome
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- Burglars hit fire damaged home
- Church celebrates renovations, anniversary
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- Friday, February 10, 2012
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State officials asked to investigate Adams
