WHAV (https://whav.net/category/haverhill/)
Haverhill High School Hillies football plays Leominster High School to open the playoffs on the road Friday night. The Hillies, ranked number 10 in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I, are playing in the state tournament for the first time in 10 seasons. Haverhill’s record matches that of Leominster, ranked seventh, at 5-3. Leominster fell earlier in the season, on Sept. 25, to Methuen High School, 7-10, a team Haverhill defeated 40-34 on Oct.
Members of the Haverhill City’s Council’s Public Safety Committee, meeting next week to consider guardrails on the city’s use of Flock cameras, will be greeted by a group demanding the devices be removed and better privacy protections. The Haverhill Chapter of the Merrimack Valley Project plans a press conference Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m., on the steps of Haverhill City Hall, calling on the city to “remove its 18 Flock license plate reader cameras and adopt stronger protections against mass surveillance.” In a statement signed by spokesperson Bill Taylor, the group said responses to public records requests show “Haverhill police officers have conducted nearly 53,000 searches on the Flock database so far.”
“We value our freedom and don’t want to be tracked when we go to work, visit friends, access healthcare and attend religious services. Both the Haverhill Police Department and city leaders have either severely misjudged or outright ignored the prevailing public sentiment about this so far,” the statement reads, in part. As WHAV reported in August, city councilors told residents strict guidelines must be in place to prevent misuse of surveillance cameras and asked city Solicitor Lisa L. Mead to draft an ordinance regulating camera use.
Dr. Joshua St. Louis, a Haverhill native and primary care physician at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, is this year’s winner of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Health Award. St. Louis was presented the award two weeks ago in Boston. The honor recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to LGBTQ health.
Haverhill’s Michael Malvers was awarded the U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo Memorial Award Wednesday during the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Veterans Recognition Breakfast. Malvers, owner of Haverhill Steel & Salvage and One Ten Towing Co. Malvers, is a veteran of the U.S. Army and Massachusetts National Guard. He was recognized for his military service and continued dedication to the Merrimack Valley community.
The Haverhill public is being invited to take part in Walnut Square School’s “Grow Your Community, Grow Your School Library Contest.”
School Principal Jen Rubera explained the recent success of the elementary school’s pumpkin decorating contest inspired staff to bring its November anti-bullying challenge, “Grow Our Community by Letting Gratitude Grow!” to the entire Haverhill community. The contest invites local organizations, alumni, neighborhood businesses and community groups to decorate a small tabletop tree that includes a clean copy of the book providing inspiration for the tree’s theme. The combination forms the school’s “Gratitude Forest” and books will be raffled off to a student on the early release day before Thanksgiving break. Besides the raffle, a Community Favorite Award will be voted on by families, friends and followers. An added bonus, organizers said, is to grow the school’s library by accepting donations of a second copy of each book.
Haverhill voters not only joined their counterparts across the state in preserving the right to keep cannabis retailers legal, but approved a first-in-the-state, on-site cannabis lounge. Unofficial Haverhill election results show voters supported keeping cannabis legal 17,752 to 5,707, but also supported on-site consumption—Haverhill’s unique question 10—12,559 to 10,471. As WHAV reported in August, supporters gathered enough signatures to force the local ballot question. Stem, a cannabis retailer, has long proposed adding a consumption lounge at its 124 Washington St., location. “Haverhill voters have proven that they recognize the basic fairness of providing cannabis users the same options as those who go into restaurants or bars to consume alcohol.
The Haverhill License Commission decides Thursday whether to take action against an Emerson Street bar and restaurant where, police said, a bat attack took place in September. Commissioners plan to bring Afro-Infused Restaurant & Lounge, 30 Emerson St., before a show cause hearing for alleged overserving of alcohol and a discussion of a possible entertainment license violation. As WHAV reported in September, a 22-year-old Haverhill man was arrested for alleged assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and malicious destruction of property. A police report said Frantzdley Jean was expelled from the bar and returned, hitting a man’s hand with a bat, threatening another and damaging a glass door. License commissioners also plan show cause hearings for Crusttown, 150 Washington St., accused of advertising free and discounted alcoholic drinks, which is prohibited by law; AmVets, 576 Primrose St., for possible overserving and a Sept.
The board of Haverhill-based Museum of Printing last month promoted Miranda “Mindy” Mitrano to the post of museum director. Mitrano, a longtime volunteer at the museum, was named museum manager last February. “As the museum continues its transition into the next phase of its growth and development, Mindy has played a central role in ensuring day-to-day operations of the museum run smoothly and that the museum continues to grow,” said Jim Hamilton, chairman of the board of directors. “This promotion is recognition by the board of Mindy’s exceptional performance as manager, positioning her to take on even more responsibility as we work to ensure the future of the museum as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2029.”
Mitrano, of Haverhill, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Museum of Printing, supporting the people who make the museum’s work possible and helping put the board’s plans and policies into practice. “I am pleased to be able to expand my role and take on even more responsibility for making sure the Museum continues to be an interesting and educational destination for individuals and groups interested in the rich story of print and other forms of communications,” said Mitrano.
The Haverhill Council on Aging’s annual Craft Fair is less than two weeks away. The Council and its vendors invite the public to take part in holiday shopping. There will also be raffles and free admission. The Craft Fair takes place Sunday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Haverhill Citizens Center, 10 Welcome St., Haverhill.
