Haverhill

Podcast: Haverhill Fire Department Hockey Team Plays Saturday in Support of Veterans

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The Haverhill Fire Department hockey team is preparing for this Saturday’s charity game in support of veterans. Haverhill Deputy Fire Chief Gregory R. Roberts, a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, says the contest supports the Skate for 22 Foundation, which was founded to help veterans adjust to civilian life after getting out of the service

“As you know, about 22 veterans take their lives per day. So, they started an organization back in 2017 to try to bring a lot of the veteran community together into that locker room facility where they had the teamwork and comradery they had while they were serving our country, and try to get everybody to talk,” he explains. Roberts says the hockey rink, game, and locker room itself prove to be a very helpful setting. “We’re a different generation of veterans where we don’t typically go to the VFW or the AmVets.

Haverhill

Cellars Collapse, Wells Go Dry as Earthquake Prompts Haverhill Thanksgiving 300 Years Ago

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Almost 300 years ago—give or take a few days for calendar adjustments over the centuries—Haverhill suffered one of its most calamitous natural spectacles. By most accounts, the summer of 1727 had been unpleasant in the Merrimack Valley. It had been excessively hot, punctuated by heavy rainstorms with strong winds, frequently accompanied by thunder and lightning. As summer turned to autumn, it was assumed things would cool down to more bearable levels. Instead, on Sept.

Community Spotlight

Buttonwoods Museum Festival of Trees Opens Friday with Candlelight Tour of the John Ward House

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The Festival of Trees at Buttonwoods Museum kicks off the season Friday night with a first night viewing of the many trees and wreaths on display followed by a Candlelight Tour of the John Ward House. The annual fundraiser to help maintain the museum properties and pay for educational programs for all ages, opens at 5 p.m., at Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St., Haverhill. John Ward House tours takes place between 6 and 7:30 and the night concludes at 8. Called a “Holiday Jubilation,” it lasts two weeks through the second weekend in December. Admission for adults is $7 each; seniors, $5 each; children ages 6-17, $3 each; and children 5 and under are free.

Haverhill

Emergency Stove Fix Saves Thanksgiving Dinner for Haverhill’s Most Vulnerable

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There’s an extra special Thanksgiving taking place today among Haverhill’s most in need. It’s special because it might well have not happened if it weren’t for volunteers and donors who quickly resolve a stove and oven malfunction threatening today’s planned Thanksgiving meal for 75 to 80 people at Community Action’s Drop-In Center. One volunteer, Ward 3 City Councilor Devan M. Ferreira, was in the thick of it Tuesday when she received a timely call. “We were doing potatoes and stuffing and all that good stuff ahead of time. We had an appliance failure and moments later Councilor Basiliere was calling me to chat, which we do often.

Education

Haverhill’s Nettle School Students Could Soon Receive Benefits of a Comfort Dog Provided by Teacher

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Students and staff will soon welcome a new four-legged friend into the Dr. Paul C. Nettle School community. School Principal Eileen Doherty explained the value to School Committee members last week. She said “We also have the same mental health challenges that a lot of schools have. We have students struggling with anything from anxiety and depression to poor school attendance.” The comfort dog will also be used for separate programs to teach students responsibility and empathy, as well as to reduce stress among students and faculty. “I think if you look out there, I think there’s a lot of research that supports the idea of having a comfort animal in a school.

Crime

Federal Judge Sends Haverhill Man to Prison 9 Years for Selling Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Pills

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A 36-year-old Haverhill man was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison for distributing tens of thousands of pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Angel Joel Diaz, also known as “Guero,” was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns. Diaz pleaded guilty last April to distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and methadone. Police began investigating Diaz during January 2023 when an undercover officer contacted Diaz posing as a potential customer. Diaz provided the undercover officer with 208 pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, saying the pills were made with “fentanyl” and they were “knocking people down in New York.”

Again, on Jan.

Crime

Federal Judge Sends Haverhill Man to Prison 15 Months to Stealing Money Intended to Help Veterans

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A 49-year-old Haverhill man this week was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for taking $73,000 intended to help prevent veteran suicides. As WHAV previously reported, David Duren pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud. Duren, also known as Dawud Hakiem Duren, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante. According to U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young’s office, Duren was a program manager for a Nashua, N.H. nonprofit health care provider, overseeing a program paid by a $750,000 Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant.  At Duren’s recommendation, the nonprofit hired a company called “E3 Foundation,” purportedly led by a “Dr. Michael Rapp,” to provide services with the grant. Instead, Feds allege Duren controlled the foundation and posed as a physician on emails and calls.

Education

Kempinski, Who Brought Holocaust Education Program to Haverhill, Becomes Honorary Consul

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(Additional photograph below.)

Haverhill High School history teacher Theodore “Ted” Kempinski, who earlier this year brought a virtual, live tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to students, was formally appointed Friday as honorary consul of the Auschwitz Memorial in the United States. Kempinski made Haverhill High School the first American school to start cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to participate in online tours of the Auschwitz Memorial through the platform “Auschwitz. In Front of Your Eyes.” In his new role, he will primarily support the activities undertaken by the Diplomacy of Remembrance of the Museum in Massachusetts. “As a 25-year history secondary educator, I now commit a significant part of my life to improving Holocaust education relationships with organizations. As a teacher, I dedicated my career to empowering students at Haverhill High School.