Haverhill

Group Seeks to Clear Air: No Special Treatment; Other Pot Shop, Condos Bid on Amesbury Road Site

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Mellow Fellows, one of two groups proposing a retail marijuana shop on Amesbury Road, says it received no special treatment and wasn’t the only one considering such a use for the property. The three owners of Mellow Fellows, proposing to open in the former Seafood Etc., 330 Amesbury Road, are launching an online information campaign this week in advance of filing a special permit application. Vice President E. Philip Brown, released a statement saying another marijuana retailer and a condominium developer were already eyeing the restaurant site. “There were only a couple zones left that were not claimed,” Brown says. “We had a difficult time finding landlords who could lease to us due to federal restrictions.

Crime

Haverhill Man Who Threatened to Kill 8-Year-Old During White Street Burglary Faces 10 Years in Prison

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Three months after threatening to kill an eight-year-old girl during a White Street burglary, 26-year-old Nathan Whittier has been indicted, facing 10 years in prison for the crime. A secret Essex County grand jury proceeding last week indicted the Warren Street man on a single felony count of unarmed burglary and assault, District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett’s spokeswoman Carrie Kimball told WHAV. He’ll be arraigned in Salem Superior Court in June, making the possible penalties for his crime much more severe than if his case continued at the district level. The punishment for unarmed burglary and assault “shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of not less than 10 years,” Kimball said. As WHAV first reported in February, Haverhill Police sought the public’s assistance to identify the masked man later determined to be Whittier after he entered the home through an unlocked first floor window just after 5 a.m. on Feb.

Education

Andover Appoints Nettle’s Corkery Principal of West Middle School

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After six years in Haverhill, Nettle Middle School’s Timothy Corkery is moving on. Andover Public Schools has appointed Corkery principal of that district’s West Middle School, Communications Director Nicole L. Kieser tells WHAV. He won the position over Tracy Davis Sands, from Kingston Tenn., and will succeed retiring West Middle School Principal Rebecca Franks, Kieser said. Corkery, a retired Navy commander named Nettle principal in 2013, has seen the Boardman Street school through a wealth of behavioral issues in recent months. In March, School Committee members called for Superintendent Margaret Marotta to take immediate action and install a School Resource Officer after parents cited a “leadership problem.”

The school also experienced two “non credible” bomb threats in April, police said.

Education

Hunking School Mourns Unexpected Passing of Teacher Paquette: ‘Loved and Respected by All’

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The Hunking Bobcats are in mourning. Over the weekend, Hunking School Principal Shannon Nolan confirmed the unexpected Saturday death of seventh and eighth grade teacher Michelle Paquette, letting families know the “difficult news” via email ahead of Monday’s opening bell. Counselors were available for students on Monday, said Nolan, who did not go into details about the teacher’s passing. “Michelle was loved and respected by all of our students. She came to school every day with a smile on her face and found a way to connect with her students and make school a safe, happy place for them,” Nolan said in her message to parents.

Education

Haverhill Renews Search for Asst. School Supt. After Being Unable to Reach Pact with Silva

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The sole candidate for Haverhill school’s new assistant superintendent is out, and the School Committee is hoping an up to $165,000 yearly salary will attract a new round of candidates before the end of the month. Talks with Maria Silva, the current business manager for Greater Lawrence Technical School, broke down during negotiations a week ago. A member of the subcommittee, Paul A. Magliocchetti, declined to identify specific areas of contention. “We couldn’t come to terms on a contract. We decided to repost it,” Magliocchetti told WHAV Friday.

Education

Haverhill High Senior O’Leary Receives HEA Scholarship; Plans to Study Law

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A graduating Haverhill High School senior was awarded at least $2,000 to help him study law this fall. Sean O’Leary was awarded the Haverhill Education Association scholarship during the union’s annual dinner last Wednesday. Eighteen-year-old O’Leary, who plans to attend UMass Amherst, told WHAV he received the good news two weeks ago. “I was pretty excited. I need money for college.

Election Central

Fiorentini Pulls Nomination Papers for Record Ninth Mayoral Term

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The race is officially on! Friday, May 17 was the day Haverhill’s longest-serving Mayor James J. Fiorentini chose to formally announce his intention to run for a record ninth term in the city’s top office, pulling nomination papers with City Clerk Linda L. Koutoulas, WHAV confirms.

Fiorentini’s Friday decision to throw his hat into the ring comes two weeks after the City of Haverhill first allowed locals to pull papers for municipal office. Since May 1, Fiorentini is the fourth candidate to announce plans to run for mayor. Haverhill police officer Daniel Trocki, Hector Montalvo, and Community Action employee Melanie Tamberino previously announced plans to run. Assuming all four candidates secure the necessary 50 signatures to appear on the ballot by July 1, a preliminary election takes place in September.

Crime

School Bus Driver Loses License After Student-Involved DUI Accident in Haverhill

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An Exeter, N.H. man tasked with transporting a Haverhill girl to and from school was arrested Thursday afternoon after police say he was driving while under the influence of drugs before getting into a rush hour accident on a busy stretch of River Street. Appearing before Haverhill District Court Judge Patricia Dowling at arraignment Friday, NRT Bus Company driver Shawn P. McCarthy was stripped of his license and ordered held on $1,000 bail after Haverhill Police arrested him in the wake of an accident that left a 13-year-old girl with non-life threatening injuries. Just before 5:30 on Thursday, Haverhill Officer Caitlin Beardsley-Brady responded to the Walgreen’s parking lot on River Street to find McCarthy’s NRT school van still running with the sliding door open and right tire falling off the rim. According to the officer, McCarthy, who had a small cut on his head, told her with slurred speech that he didn’t know where his young charge was and was just worried about his flat tire. Asked how the accident happened, McCarthy stared at Beardsley-Brady for several seconds before telling her he didn’t know.