Crime

Boston Police Identify 33-Year-Old Haverhill Man as Murder Victim Found Monday in Dorchester

By |

A 33-year-old Haverhill man, pastor of Family of God church in Haverhill, was identified Thursday afternoon as the victim of a fatal shooting Monday in Boston. Boston Police said Daniel T. Mayers died of “apparent gunshot wounds” and is asking the public to come forward with any information. Boston officers were dispatched Monday, just before 5 p.m., to the area of 264 Columbia Road where there was a report of shots fired. Mayers was taken to a local area hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Family of God Church is located at 76 Merrimack St., Haverhill.

Haverhill

City Council Considers Truck Exclusion on Haverhill’s Poet’s Bridge on Whittier Road

By |

The Haverhill City Council agreed Tuesday to look into the possibility of a truck exclusion for the Poet’s Bridge on Whittier Road. Councilors Thomas J. Sullivan and Melissa E. Barrett said, while recently attending an event at the Whittier Birthplace, they were approached by residents of the area expressing concern about the number of 18 wheelers and other large trucks using the bridge. “Apparently when that bridge was fixed not too long ago, workers said that it’s fixed, but it should not be having 18 wheelers use it extensively. In recent years, there’s been a lot of cut-throughs from 108 to 110 so they’re just concerned that they will lose their access point,” Barrett said. Barrett said the loss would hurt not only the residents of the area but the Whittier homestead as well.

Election Central

Haverhill Opens Early Voting May 31 for Consentino School Election; Evening, Weekend Times Available

By |

Four days of early voting, in advance of Haverhill’s upcoming special election, begins next Wednesday. The City Clerk’s office says it plans early voting from Wednesday, May 31, to Saturday, June 3, at Haverhill City Hall, in the former basement offices of the Registry of Motor Vehicles, 4 Summer St. Hours are Wednesday and Friday, from 8 a.m.- 4p.m.; extended hours Thursday, from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.; and weekend hours Saturday, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. The standard election day is Tuesday, June 6, at regular polling locations. Voters are being asked whether they support a debt exclusion to finance the construction of a new school. The ballot question asks, “Shall the city of Haverhill be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two and one-half, so called, the amount s required to pay costs of constructing a new Dr. Albert B. Consentino Middle School located at 685 Washington St.

Community Spotlight

Local United Way Solicits Partnerships to Target Poverty in 12 Cities, Such as Haverhill, Lawrence

By |

United Way of Massachusetts Bay is looking to invest $8 million next year to ensure “financial wellbeing” among residents of, what it calls, a dozen “historically under-resourced” communities such as Haverhill and Lawrence. The nonprofit is seeking to form partnerships “focused on expanding avenues to financial wellbeing throughout the region” as part of its new strategic direction. “Our new Request for Partnership grows out of our commitment to our communities and people—all of them—as knowledgeable, resource-rich and vibrant,” said Bob Giannino, Ansin President and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay. “It also recognizes that significant disparities persist across race and ethnicity in our region on key indicators of financial well-being. Our goal is to help change entire systems by investing in resources and services, developing evidence of what works and what needs to change, and bringing solutions to scale.”

United Way said its grants will be targeted to “agency partners whose activities exemplify building more equitable communities, lifting the voices of people with lived experiences, leveraging data to inform solutions and collaborating for greater impact.

Business Bulletin

TD Bank Offers Anti-Fraud Tips at Greater Haverhill Chamber Leads Lunch June 7

By |

Greater Haverhill Chamber members network over a free “Leads Lunch” during the first Wednesday in June. TD Bank will be on hand to give tips and tricks on how businesses can avoid becoming a victim of fraud. Lunch is provided. Nonmembers may attend for $10 per person. The Leads Lunch takes place Wednesday, June 7, and every first Wednesday of the month, from noon-1 p.m., at UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, Harbor Place, 2 Merrimack St., third floor, in downtown Haverhill.

Haverhill

Trahan Pushes 5% Increase in Federal Money for Community Health Centers

By |

Congresswoman Lori Trahan Wednesday advocated for and moved through the Energy and Commerce Committee legislation providing more federal money for community health centers—including clinics in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen. The bill would extend the Community Health Center Fund for the next two years at $4.2 billion per year, a 5% increase from current levels. It would also extend the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program through 2029, beginning at $175 million in 2024 and increasing to $275 million in 2029. “Facilities like Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, Lowell Community Health Center and Community Health Connections are pillars in our community that hardworking families depend on to build a better life. They’re part of a network of community health centers in Massachusetts that provides critical care to over one million people each year,” said Trahan.

Community Spotlight

‘Cemetery Boys’ Book Up for Discussion at Buttonwoods’ Teen Book Club Tonight at Library

By |

Teens discuss the book “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas tonight during a book club sponsored by Buttonwoods Museum in partnership with the Haverhill Public Library. In the book, a trans boy is determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family by summonsing a ghost who refuses to leave. The book is free with registration. The book club is sponsored by a Cummings Foundation grant and part of “Revitalize Buttonwoods: Restore the Past, Shape the Future” initiative. The program takes place tonight, May 25, 6:30 p.m., at the Haverhill Public Library, 99 Main St., Haverhill.

Haverhill

Edwards Receives Plaudits from Haverhill Mayor, Council, Former License Commissioners

By |

(Additional photograph below.)

A changing of the guard was on display at the Haverhill City Council on Tuesday as Haverhill License Commission Chairman Joseph C. Edwards resigned after 22 years. He will be replaced by another long-time Haverhill public servant, former City Clerk Linda L. Koutoulas. In honoring Edwards, Mayor James J. Fiorentini said he had some doubts about reappointing him to the position at first. “My second appointment was a man who had campaigned hard for my opponent, but he asked to be reappointed to the License Commission so I looked into it and I found that he had done an outstanding job. During the 20 years that I’ve been mayor and two years prior to that, Joe Edwards has been an outstanding License Commission chairperson,” the mayor said.