Cannabis

Cannabis Retailer Says Haverhill Dragging Its Feet on Host Pact; Delay Threatens State License

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This story has been updated to include a comment from Haverhill Mayor Melinda E.  Barrett. A Haverhill-based cannabis retailer says the city is delaying required renegotiation of its host community agreement which could cost the company its state license. Stem, which has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the city since 2021 over impact fees assessed against the business, alleges Haverhill has refused to renegotiate terms of the host community agreement since contacted in March. Owner Caroline Pineau said a new agreement, conforming with revised state law, is a requirement from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. Pineau provided emails addressed to the city March 14, June 21 and July 11, along with a March 14 letter indicating her intent to renegotiate her host agreement with the city.

Education

Haverhill School Board Member Says Useful Whittier Tech Talk Belongs ‘On the Road’

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Correction: The Whittier Tech open house is planned to take place on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

One Haverhill School Committee member said Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School’s recent report to the board belongs “on the road” to win over voters. In the aftermath of a failed approval vote earlier this year to build a replacement Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Haverhill School Committee Vice Chair Paul A. Magliocchetti said Whittier could overcome opposition during its next try. While Haverhill voters gave thumbs up last January to a proposed $445 million replacement Whittier Tech, it was rejected by the other 10 communities.  Magliocchetti suggested a solution. “Part of why that didn’t happen is because we couldn’t get those other communities on board,” he said.

Haverhill

Today is White Cane Safety Day as Recognized by Haverhill Mayor and City Council

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Today is White Cane Safety Day, an annual event to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of people with visual disabilities. The Haverhill City Council recently approved a proclamation to recognize White Cane Awareness Day to celebrate the achievements and independence of the city’s blind and visually impaired residents. The white cane is used by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Councilor Catherine P. Rogers read aloud the proclamation from Mayor Melinda E. Barrett. “The white cane, which every blind citizen of our state/city has the right to carry, demonstrates and symbolizes the ability to achieve a full and independent life and the capacity to work productively in competitive employment.”

The proclamation urges all citizens to observe the day and calls on city schools, colleges and universities to offer opportunities for training to blind and visually impaired persons.

Education

Haverhill School Leaders Share Thoughts on Upcoming MCAS Ballot Question

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Haverhill School Committee members recently gave their takes on a ballot question in November which would, if passed, remove the graduation requirement for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System—or MCAS. Several members, including such as Vice Chairman Paul A. Magliocchetti, Erica Diaz and Jill Story said they are voting yes on the initiative, which removes the test’s graduation requirement. Diaz said she is opposed to MCAS as a graduation standard because “I believe teaching to the test diminishes the creativity of our educators.” She added she believes using one method of testing “doesn’t seem equitable” and that “It’s bothered me for years.”

Magliocchetti also has reservations about the standardized test, which was created in 1993. “I have not been a fan of MCAS from the beginning. I am one of the few people up here that actually remembers when Dr. (John R.) Silber was helping to develop MCAS back in the early 90s when he was president of BU.”

He said he had some concerns on how the ballot question is written. “Just eliminating it I don’t think is a good thing, but at the same time I think if it does pass, if it does get a yes, it’s going to force our legislature to rethink what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.”

Member Thomas Grannemann disagreed with removing the graduation requirement, but called the exam “woefully inadequate in assessing the accomplishments of our students or the performance of our teachers.”

“While I understand the frustration with MCAS, I don’t really support eliminating it as a graduation requirement until we agree on what better methods are going to be there to replace it.

Education

Haverhill Leaders Learn Nearly Half of Students Getting High Willing to Quit or Reduce with Help

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MGH Survey Data Shows Substance Use, Mental Health Issues Among Haverhill Teens

New data show that more than half of high school students are at risk for depression and/or anxiety and approximately 20% of all students have had suicidal thoughts, according to information presented to Haverhill city councilors this week. A survey conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School Center for Addiction Medicine revealed that substance use and mental health concerns go hand in hand, but Dr. Randi Schuster of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine told councilors there is a chance to course correct. “Substance use for these kids is not happening in a vacuum,” she told the Council. “Very few kids that I am working with clinically say I am getting high because it’s fun, I love it. Most of the kids I am working with say they are using it for some instrumental purpose.”

According to a 2023 study in JAMA Pediatrics that surveyed 15,000 high school students in Massachusetts, approximately one in 10 students who have never used substances have had suicidal thoughts, while 60% of students who use substances daily experience suicidal thought in the last year.

Education

Superintendent Provides School Committee Update on Haverhill High School Fight This Week

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Superintendent Margaret Marotta briefed the School Committee Thursday night to allay rumors of weapons used at a recent fight at Haverhill High School. As only WHAV reported previously, Marotta confirmed that a fight took place at Haverhill High School on Wednesday and noted that reports of weapons were untrue. “I’ll call it a fight, although I think it was a one-sided fight,” she said. “Two students required medical care as a result. While it was reported on social media that there were weapons involved, there were no weapons involved, this was a fist fight,” she said. She said that though there were no weapons involved, the fight was “completely unacceptable.”

“The consequences have been significant.

Haverhill

City of Haverhill CFO Perkins Receives National Budget Award

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Haverhill City Auditor and Chief Financial Officer Angel A. Perkins this past Tuesday was cheered by city councilors after being presented with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the city’s current year budget. The award, presented by Chicago-based Government Finance Officers Association, represents “the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles in governmental budgeting, according to a news release from the organization. Mayor Melinda E. Barrett called Perkins the “wizard” behind the budget. “When left to her own devices, she kept us on the straight and narrow,” Barrett said. The budget was judged on how well it serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications guide.

Education

Haverhill City Council Discusses Alternative Vocational Programs for High School Students

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Councilor John A. Michitson said he believes, quoting his role model, “young people need models, not critics.”

His fellow city councilors heard his concerns Tuesday night about what is lacking today. “My true passion was to be a NCAA basketball coach and that started while I was in eighth grade at Nettle School and John Wooden was my role model,” he said. “In retrospect, I would have benefitted from multiple role models and career-connected learning in school to seek out that passion and other passions that I had over time.”

An electrical engineer, Michitson said he chose his field and community service due to his family upbringing and a high demand for engineering skills. He lamented, “Unfortunately, many students do not have advocates like my parents were for me.” Michitson said career-connected learning can help students find more interest in the classroom. “Both Whittier Vocational Tech and Haverhill High School have excellent career technical education programs that also prepare students for college.