COVID-19

Pandemic Pause Harm Some MCAS Scores; Haverhill High, Whittier Tech Show English Progress

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Haverhill and communities across the state are learning the pandemic indeed took its toll on student achievement, as measured by MCAS scores. Despite mirroring declining math trends statewide, however, 10th graders in Haverhill’s and Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School actually improved in English language scoring this year. “The MCAS tests administered in the spring provide Massachusetts educators and families with critical insight into where students did not progress academically, and the results clearly illustrate how the disrupted school year of remote and hybrid learning impacted students’ academic achievement,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said results show many more students statewide had gaps in their knowledge of math and, to a lesser extent, English language arts, compared to students in the same grades before the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer students also met or exceeded grade level expectations.

Crime

Haverhill Man, 31, Faces Gun and Drug Charges After State Police Traffic Stop

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A 31-year-old Haverhill man faces firearm, drug, alcohol and automobile-related charges after being pulled over early Monday morning near Brockton. Ramon Silvelo-Miles was arrested after State Police said they observed his Toyota Camry sedan nearly strike a construction detail setup on Route 24 southbound. Trooper Tyler Hopkins reported the scent of an alcoholic beverage when he approached the man, who also exhibited what was described as slurred speech. Police discovered 356 grams of crack cocaine, 15 grams of heroin, cash and a small 25 caliber pistol loaded with a round in the chamber and five rounds in the magazine. Police said Silvelo-Miles is a convicted felon and cannot possess a firearm or ammunition.

Election Central

Campaign Notes: Haverhill Candidates Plan Events, Spell Out Platforms This Week

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Haverhill candidates for City Council and School Committee are busy trying to earn voter support with a little more than a month to the final election. City Councilor Michael S. McGonagle is hosting a campaign fundraiser Thursday, Sept. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Garrison Golf Center, 654 Hilldale Ave., Haverhill. Donations may be made to the Committee to Elect Michael McGonagle, 39 Newton Ave., Haverhill. Joanna and Daniel Dix plan “Donuts with Candidates Kat and Miguel,” Saturday, Sept.

Haverhill

End of an Era as Second Funeral Home Goes Before Haverhill Council for Conversion to Condo Units

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A Salem, N.H., company that recently won permission to convert a Bradford funeral home into condominiums, seeks City Council approval tonight to make a similar conversion to a once affiliated home on Kenoza Avenue. Mazraany Construction proposes to convert the current Grondin-Carnevale Funeral Home, 125-129 Kenoza Ave., into seven housing units. If approved, the building’s decades-long history as a prominent Irish funeral home comes to a close. In 1954, four years after graduating from Haverhill High School, John J. Linnehan served as manager and director of his father’s C. Frank Linnehan and Son Funeral home. The younger Linnehan took over the business completely in 1973 and operated it until his death at age 75 in 2008.

Education

State Awards Grant to Haverhill High School to Help Train Students for In-Demand Jobs

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Haverhill High School was formally awarded $26,752 Monday to help students obtain early career experience and expertise. The grant, part of the state’s Innovation Pathway program, will be used to create an environmental and life sciences and manufacturing effort through MassHire Merrimack Valley. The grant, part of $452,000 distributed to 20 school districts by the Baker Administration, is designed to support schools that are committed to seeking official designation for the programs next spring from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “It is encouraging to see the strong continued interest in the Innovation Pathways program, designed explicitly to connect students to career pathways in fields like advanced manufacturing, health care and information technology,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “These programs will provide students with more opportunities for future success in high-demand fields at a time during which it is increasingly important to close workforce gaps throughout the Commonwealth.”

These early career programs provide high school students with a course of study focused on a particular field, while also offering them access to college-level courses and internship opportunities to gain work experience.

Haverhill

I-495 Construction Update: Day and Night Lane and Ramp Closings as Southbound Bridge Takes Shape

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There will be both day and overnight lane and ramp closings this week as the final layout of the new Interstate 495 southbound bridge takes shape. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said double, right lane closings take place through Friday, Sept. 24, from 10 p.m.-5 a.m., between exits 108, Route 97, and 106, Ward Hill Connector. The closing allows the movement of concrete trucks during pouring of the bridge deck. The exit 108 on-ramp from Route 97 to I-495 southbound, exit 107 off-ramp from I-495 southbound to Route 110/113 and exit 107 on-ramp from Route 110/113 to I-495 south all close from 10 p.m.-5 a.m., each night through Friday morning, Sept.

Haverhill

MVRTA Expects Work to Begin in Spring to Fix Haverhill Riverbank; Erosion Threatens Building

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Plans are in the works to shore up a 500-foot-long stretch of riverbank that threatens the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority’s garage and offices on Railroad Avenue. Consultant Daniel Bourdeau told the Haverhill Conservation Commission last Thursday that erosion is significant enough to cause damage to the building. He presented photographs, showing the bank has eroded, in some spots, up to the foundation of the parking garage. “When we first started the project, there had been some movement in the building, some cracking, so we teamed with a geostructural firm to do an assessment of the building and make some recommendations on stabilizing the building,” he said. Bourdeau, of Portsmouth, N.H., -based Geosyntec Consultants, told commissioners the company was hired by the Transit Authority and has been studying the problem for the last two years.