Community Spotlight

Greater Haverhill Arts Association Plans Holiday Show Nov. 13-15

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The annual Greater Haverhill Arts Association Holiday Show opens this year in the heart of downtown Haverhill. The exhibition takes place Friday through Sunday, Nov. 13 through 15, in collaboration with Creative Haverhill in the Cogswell Artspace Incubator gallery at Creative Haverhill, 43 Washington St. Greater Haverhill Arts Association members are invited to exhibit up to two framed works and up to 24 additional, smaller and unframed items. Organizers suggest smaller, reasonably priced work, including prints, notecards, ornaments, calendars and magnets. Other criteria, fees and registration are online at haverhillartassociation.org.

Haverhill

Pre-Season Poll Puts Northern Essex Knights’ Basketball on Top

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Northern Essex Community College men’s basketball team was selected Monday as the number one team in the national pre-season poll as announced by the NJCAA Basketball Committee. The Knights, who captured the program’s first-ever national championship back in March, are coming off a 33-3 season and will have a fresh look for the 2026-27 under head coach Darren Stratton who enters his 24th season with a record of 384-213. With four starters from last year’s national championship game moving onto to the four-year scholarship level, the Knights say they will rely heavily on sophomores Jay’von Depina and Jacob Mercedes, who both played significant roles a season ago. Xavier Rivera, who was a member of the Knights program in in 2024-25, returns to the program after taking a year off. Expected to make an immediate impact on the court this season, the team adds, are newcomers Rolky BreaArias, Isaiah Bean Britain and Martin Drejaj who will all provide significant minutes in the frontcourt.

Education

Northern Essex Community College Scores $136K Workforce Training Grant

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Northern Essex Community College’s Certified Nursing Assistant and Pharmacy Technician programs are getting a boost thanks to a $136,142 state grant to support workforce training. Northern Essex was awarded the most among all 15 state community colleges that received Training Resources and Internships Network—or TRAIN—grants during this round. Gov. Maura Healey distributed $1.5 million in grants as part of Massachusetts STEM Week. “Every Massachusetts student deserves the opportunity to build a career and earn a good living,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “That’s why we made community college tuition and fee-free and why we’re continuing to invest in workforce training across the state.

Community Spotlight

Atkinson Congregational Church Gears Up for Christmas Services and Special Events

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Atkinson Congregational Church is set to host various services and events leading up to Christmas Eve and beyond. All activities involving worship, as well as the Christmas concert, will be held both in person and livestreamed from the church’s website. The first of four Sundays in the Advent season is taking place Nov. 29. At the 10:30 a.m. service, a brief Advent observance will take place.

Business Bulletin

Merrimack Health Lawrence Receives $1 Million for Improved Cardiac Cath Lab

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Merrimack Health Lawrence Hospital is reopening its Cardiac Catheterization Lab this week with updated imaging technology and service capabilities made possible by $1 million in federal Community Project Funding. Merrimack Health’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory was one of 15 projects across the 3rd District chosen by Congresswoman Lori Trahan and Sens. Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren for local economic development and regional infrastructure. The Cardiac Cath Lab is a specialized area where physicians diagnose and treat conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, including heart attacks. It is a called a critical service as one of the only Cath Labs serving our immediate communities.

Haverhill

Public Meetings This Week: Haverhill Board to Hear Nine-Condo Plan Downtown

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The public has opportunities to shape policy this week as various Haverhill boards meet. In the interest of transparency in government, WHAV provides this list of upcoming meetings every week on air and online. Plans to add nine condominium units above a commercial building near the entrance to downtown Haverhill will be heard Wednesday by the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals. H & C Rental of Haverhill seeks variances for parking and rear setback for the property at 135 Washington St. The company, managed by Chi Lan Nguyen, plans a mixed-use building with ground-floor commercial space and nine homes above.

Haverhill

Haverhill Nonprofits and Partners Win State Job-Training Grants

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Haverhill’s Community Action, working with Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, and L’Arche Boston North were among recipients of state Community Workforce Partnerships grants to help residents gain employment skills in industries with workforce needs. Community Action and Whittier Tech last week were awarded $165,000 to prepare unemployed and underemployed Haverhill residents for advanced manufacturing careers. L’Arche Boston North, which operates a training café, was awarded $200,000 to prepare adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for food service and related employment. The Community Group of Lawrence and partners were also awarded $200,000 to prepare primarily Spanish-speaking women in Lawrence to open licensed family child care businesses. They were among statewide recipients sharing in $6 million in grants.

Community Spotlight

All Saints Parish Christmas Holiday Fair Set for Nov. 14

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All Saints Parish plans a Christmas Holiday Fair next month with 15 to 20 local craft vendors, holiday music, hourly gift basket raffles and a visit from Santa Claus. Additional items include a wine basket, a Serenity basket, a Dooney & Bourke bag and wallet, and two tickets to a Bruins game with free parking. Children and teens are also able to choose Christmas gifts for their parents and loved ones with prices starting as low as $2. The Christmas Holiday Fair takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 120 Bellevue Ave., Haverhill.