Business Bulletin

Downtown Haverhill MassHire Career Center Closes Friday in Advance of Move

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The downtown Haverhill office of MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center closes Friday in preparation for a future relocation. The office is operated by Northern Essex Community College and located within the College’s space at The Heights, 160 Merrimack St., Haverhill. “The goal is to have a space that is more accessible and visible for local job seekers, employees and employers,” college Director of Public Relations Melissa L. Bouse told WHAV. Meanwhile, those who need services may visit MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center in Lawrence at 420 Common St., Lawrence. Appointments may also be made by calling 978-722-7000.

Haverhill

Bradford’s Callen Cronin Earns Fourth in National Youth Golf Competition

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(Additional photograph below.)

Callen Cronin, of Bradford, won fourth place in his age division at a national youth golf competition for seven- to 15-year-olds. After making it through Drive, Chip and Putt’s three qualifying rounds, kids from across the country demonstrated fundamental golfing skills on the legendary Masters Tournament course in Augusta, Ga., including shooting putts at the 18th hole. As the name suggests, competitors shot two drives, chips and putts Sunday, April 7, before the professional tournament began April 11. “It’s only six shots for the day, but it’s not even where he finished, it’s the fact that he made it there,” said Kevin Murphy, owner of Bradford Country Club, where Cronin plays. He got to go to Augusta.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Veterans Office Offers Ways to Honor Service on Memorial Day

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Haverhill will honor its fallen service members as it does every year with flags placed on veterans’ graves in advance of Memorial Day, and a parade from Kenoza Avenue to Linwood Cemetery with a closing ceremony there on the holiday. Volunteers who would like to help place an American flag at veterans’ graves are welcome to join members of local veterans’ organizations and Scouts in the task. Veterans Services Officer Jeffrey C. Hollett can help direct volunteers to the locations where help is needed. He can be reached at 978-374-2351, ext. 3910, or in person in his office at the Haverhill Citizens Center, 10 Welcome St.

Haverhill

Lawrence General Hospital Medical Affairs Chief: Holy Family’s ‘Care is Clearly Declining’

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As state officials continue to encourage people to seek care at Steward Health Care’s eight hospitals in Massachusetts despite the company’s bankruptcy, a doctor from a neighboring hospital said the messaging doesn’t tell the whole story of what is actually happening on the ground. Since Steward filed for bankruptcy in Texas last week, Gov. Maura T. Healey and others have sought to make clear that the legal proceeding does not necessarily mean that anything has changed for patients, urging people to keep their appointments at Steward facilities and encouraging residents to seek emergency care at Steward hospitals without reservation. Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein told the Public Health Council on Wednesday that the state’s “consistent message to patients in the community has been and continues to be that all Steward hospitals in Massachusetts remain open, patients should keep up with their health care needs, maintain their appointments, screenings and tests.”

But the chief of medical affairs at Lawrence General Hospital, which is near to Steward’s Holy Family Hospital in Methuen and Haverhill, told the council that underneath the state’s rhetoric “is a reality, which is that in spite of these hospitals remaining open, their level of intensity of care is clearly declining.”

“And that’s a message that is not really advertised, but it is real. For the ones that are next door to them, we can see that vital support services—not just having emergency room physicians and nurses, but you need to have orthopedics, neurosurgery, you need to have all of these other things to be able to care for these patients. So, what we are finding is that they get in, they get evaluated, but then they get transferred out.

Education

Healey Appoints Former Sheriff Cousins, AgeSpan CEO Hatem-Roy to Northern Essex Trustees

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Former Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. and AgeSpan CEO Joan Hatem-Roy are the newest members of the Northern Essex Community College Board of Trustees. Gov. Maura T. Healey appointed each to five-year-terms.

Cousins, if Newburyport, served for more than two decades as the Essex County Sheriff in Middleton before retiring. He is also the former president of the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry, a former state representative and a former Newburyport city councilor. In his role as Sheriff, Cousins served as a key advisor to Northern Essex Community College as it partnered with the Sheriff’s Department to launch the Correctional Officers Training Academy, and as it developed its 26-week NECC Police Academy. Cousins is a former Northern Essex student previously served on the NECC Foundation Board.

Education

Councilor Michitson Calls For More Vocational Alternatives to Four-Year College in Haverhill

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With growing interest in alternatives to four-year college and not enough options, Haverhill City Councilor John A. Michitson called Tuesday night for collaboration between educational institutions offering vocational or career training. “The real goal, there, is to really try to determine the best path for each child, across boundaries. And if we become recognized for that, it will be a draw for industry because it’s their number one problem out there right now,” he said, referring to businesses struggling to find workers. Council Vice President Timothy J. Jordan noted how difficult it must be for students who end up at Haverhill High School, but wishing they could pursue a trade. “I just hate to think that the kids are wasting four years,” he said.

Education

As Haverhill Schools Battle Deficit, Payano Budget Amendment Offers ‘A Glimmer of Hope’

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A possible budget amendment by state Sen. Pavel M. Payano might ease painful cuts Haverhill Public Schools face next year. “We have a glimmer of hope,” School Committee member Paul A. Magliocchetti said at last week’s meeting. He and member Thomas Grannemann have lobbied lawmakers on Beacon Hill and organized other gateway cities grappling with deficits, as WHAV reported. Making up for high inflation the state did not account for in recent years, Payano proposed $100 million for gateway cities last week. If approved, the “extraordinary relief” would be distributed proportional to how much public school aid each of the 26 districts receives.

Beacon Hill News

Are State’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities Ready for Prime Time?

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by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon
May 14, 2024
THE SENATE’S BUDGET proposal for the coming fiscal year calls for directing $214 million to the state’s 15 regional transit authorities, including $40 million so they can eliminate fares on all of their bus routes and $10 million to promote routes connecting regions. It’s a bold plan, one that has been hailed as a big step forward for transit agencies that have historically lived in the shadow of the much larger MBTA. Senate leaders say the money is also a step toward greater equity in transportation. A new report portrays the RTAs as largely inward-looking organizations that lack connection with each other and are subject to muddled oversight from the state Department of Transportation. The result is a somewhat disjointed overall transit system that sometimes struggles to get people where they need to go and is over-reliant on funding from the communities being served.