Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Consider Plan to Place City’s Powder House on National Register

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Haverhill city councilors tonight are being asked to endorse placing the city’s 1845-era powder house on the National Register of Historic Places. As WHAV reported in 2019, the Haverhill Historic Commission pondered the restoration potential of the Golden Hill circular structure. It was the last of four buildings designed to hold gunpowder to be erected in the community. In a letter last week to the City Council, Historic Commission Chairman Peter Carbone noted the small building was the subject of detailed research by David Lewis, a Boston University graduate student. His submittal of this voluminous history of the powder house enables its submission onto the National Register, making this distressed site eligible for Massachusetts Preservation Project funds and potentially other state and federal rehabilitation programs and benefits,” he said.

Haverhill

Haverhill Physician, Whose Son Died of Overdose, to Attend State of the Union with Trahan

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A Haverhill-based physician and substance use disorder advocate will accompany Congresswoman Lori Trahan tonight to the annual State of the Union address in Washington. Dr. James Baker, whose son Max died of an overdose after a prolonged fight with addiction, successfully worked with Trahan to require prescribers of highly addictive opioids to be trained with the baseline knowledge to spot and treat patients struggling with addiction. Trahan credits Baker for the passage of her Medication Access and Training Expansion—or MATE—Act. “After hearing Max’s story when I first took office, I knew we had to close the glaring gaps in our medical system that often prevent people fighting addiction from accessing lifesaving treatment,” said Trahan. In a statement, Baker said, “My son Max’s story is one that far too many families across our nation have experience—addiction, recovery and ultimately death if a relapse occurs, which for Max happened right after he had surgery.” He noted, “When I attend the State of the Union as Lori’s guest…I won’t be alone.

Education

Two Schools Shuttered Because of Burst Pipes Reopen with Call for Students to Dress Warmly

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The principal of one of two Haverhill schools closed to classes Monday because of frozen pipes, says Silver Hill School will be open Tuesday, but “some rooms may have less heat than they typically do.”

Principal Donna Martin, in an email to families, recommends children “dress in warm layers and be sure they have a jacket, hat and gloves.”

“Some classes may be moved to different spaces while finishing repairs and cleaning are completed. Not all these classrooms are identified yet because repairs are ongoing,” she explained. Besides indoor comfort, the principal said, staff hopes to permit students outside for recess. Martin thanked Silver Hill custodians and maintenance crew who worked yesterday “all day and will continue to work into the evening to get the school as ready as possible to open.”

The YMCA’s before and after school programs at Silver Hill will be open today on a typical schedule, but the fifth-grade band is canceled because the school may use the cafeteria if some classrooms are chilly. Massachusetts Department of Education regulations require rooms occupied by students shall be maintained at not less than 68 degrees.

Crime

Federal Judge Sentences Haverhill Woman to 28 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud, ID Theft

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A Haverhill woman was sentenced Friday in federal court for her role in a scheme to use stolen identities to fraudulently apply for and use bank accounts and credit cards. Neida Lopez, 45, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy Hillman to 28 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Lopez was also required to pay restitution of $20,000. Last May, Lopez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Lopez and others were charged in September 2020.

Haverhill

Robert E. DesMarais, Veteran, Former Haverhill City Councilor, Dies at 86

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Former Haverhill City Councilor Robert E. DesMarais died Thursday, Feb. 2, at age 86. DesMarais served in the U.S. Army in post-Armistice Korea and New York City and “carried a bag” as a salesman for Hallmark Cards for 30 years. He also served as a longtime member of the city’s Board of Registrars of Voters. He was a communicant and volunteer at Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford for many years besides serving until recently as the secretary of the Garrison Golf Club League at Crystal Springs Country Club.

Education

Haverhill’s State Legislators Hear City Wish List, Admit Problem With Paying for New Schools

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All four members of Haverhill’s legislative delegation last week came to hear city councilors’ wish list and also acknowledged shortcomings with the state formula for helping to pay for new schools. They were the city’s new senators—now two of them as a result of redistricting, Barry R. Finegold and Pavel M. Payano and state Reps. Andy X. Vargas and Ryan Hamilton, who succeeded Rep. Linda Dean Campbell. Finegold began by touting recent accomplishments. “I’m very proud recently of securing nine million for Haverhill for economic development.

Haverhill

UTEC Wins Grant for Restorative Justice Program Required by Criminal Justice Reform Act

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UTEC, which serves Haverhill, Lawrence and Lowell with anti-gang violence programs, last week was one of more than a dozen nonprofits statewide to be awarded a grant to provide, what the state calls, “restorative justice services in low-income communities.”

Lowell-based UTEC received the maximum $20,000 single-organization grant out of $380,000 allocated statewide by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. The money comes from this year’s Commonwealth Restorative Justice Community Grant Program. “These grants provide the opportunity to help communities and individuals along their path toward healing and accountability. I’m grateful for the important work that each of these grant recipients do to meet the diverse needs of communities through restorative justice, and for the lasting partnerships that these grants help to build,” said Healey. The state’s Criminal Justice Reform Act notes restorative justice is a voluntary program that “engages parties to a crime or members of the community in order to develop a plan of repair that addresses the needs of the parties and the community.”

Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy explained, “This grant program is designed to allow those who have experienced harm and those who have caused it to participate in a restorative process.