Fire Chief O’Brien to Address Greater Haverhill Chamber’s Eggs & Issues Legislative Breakfast

Haverhill Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien takes questions and addresses members of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce next Wednesday morning. O’Brien is the July speaker at the Greater Haverhill Chamber’s monthly Eggs & Issues Legislative Breakfast, Wednesday, July 16, from 7:30-8:30 a.m., at Hampton Inn, 106 Bank Road, Haverhill. The cost is $15 each for Chamber members and $25 each for non-members and may be reserved online at HaverhillChamber.com.

Clinton Firm Wins Bid to Cap Old Haverhill Landfill; Athletic Fields Follow in 2026-2027

A Clinton construction company starts work later this summer to cap the final section of Haverhill’s former landfill—the last step before the city builds new athletic fields there. J. Bates & Son, the low bidder, was recently awarded the $14.4 million project to seal the so-called “north mound” of the former city dump. The south mound was capped several years ago and is now home to a solar energy farm. The state Department of Environmental Protection still must give its approval before work begins. Capping the Old Groveland Road Landfill will prevent rainwater from leaching chemicals out of the refuse and polluting the adjacent Merrimack River, according to Haverhill Public Works Director Robert E. Ward.

Seabrook Police Officer Giarrusso of Haverhill Returns to Court Aug. 14

John Giarrusso III, the Haverhill man charged with multiple counts of child pornography while working as a Seabrook, N.H., police officer, is due back in court Thursday, Aug. 14, after a hearing was postponed. Giarrusso had been scheduled for a status hearing in Haverhill District Court Tuesday, but it was rescheduled. Giarrusso, 48, was arrested by Haverhill Police Feb. 26 after the department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but was not arraigned in court until March 3.

Postponed: Summer Concert Series Returns to Bradford Common as ‘Thursday Nights Live’

Note: Tonight’s inaugural “Thursday Nights Live” concert on Bradford Common is postponed because of predictions of foul weather. The first concert was to feature EJ Ouellette with an opening set of Delta blues by Paul Prue and Peter Chase, but that has been rescheduled to Thursday, Aug. 21. Next Thursday, July 17, will feature, as planned, Frontwoods and the Chase/Campbell Band. The series will still include six concerts on consecutive Thursdays, from 6 to 8 p.m., beginning next Thursday, July 17 if weather permits

Team Haverhill is taking over from Prue who started the series 16 years ago.

CNA Stores’ Customers Donate $22,240 to Our Neighbors’ Table

Patrons of CNA Stores in Haverhill and Amesbury contributed $22,240 to the charity Our Neighbors’ Table in June—the largest single-month donation to date. Amesbury-based Our Neighbors’ Table supplies free food at its markets to all residents of Amesbury, Boxford, Byfield, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, South Hampton, N.H., and West Newbury. There is no income verification or requirement. Our Neighbors’ Table is exploring a matching donor opportunity which, if successful, would double the impact of donations to more than $44,000. Customers of CNA Stores, a cannabis retailer, are invited to donate to a different charity every month.

State Public Health Department Sets Hearing Date on Changes at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill Campus

The state Department of Public Health wants to know what the public thinks of plans to shutter medical-surgical services, close the intensive care unit and make the emergency department a free standing or “satellite” unit at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill campus. State officials scheduled the formal public hearing Wednesday, July 23, at 6 p.m. at Northern Essex Community College’s David Hartleb Technology Center in room 103AB, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill. As previously reported by WHAV, Lawrence General Hospital, which bought the local hospital for $28 million from bankrupt Steward Health Care last fall, is citing efficiency as the reason for closing the hospital’s 59 in-patient beds. When it announced the plan in May, hospital officials said only eight to 10 in-patient beds are used daily and that most patients who need further treatment are transferred to its two other hospitals in Lawrence and Methuen via ambulance. That practice will continue under the new proposal.

Public Meetings This Week: Haverhill Committee to Weigh Youth Activities and Mental Health Ideas

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. Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett’s task force overseeing the youth activities and mental health fund will meet in person and virtually this week to take the initial steps in awarding $750,000 to local groups and businesses promoting education, socialization, enrichment and recreation activities, employment skills training and other youth development opportunities. The program, now in its fourth year, was developed following the COVID-19 pandemic to address youth isolation, depression, inactivity and learning loss. Of the $750,000, the city is again setting aside $250,000 specifically for direct mental health counseling and services for young people.