Haverhill

Penacook Place Families Meet Wednesday with Questions About Proposed Sale

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Families of residents at Haverhill’s Penacook Place have a chance Wednesday night to express concerns about the proposed sale of the nursing home to Azure Healthcare when a Family Meeting takes place. As WHAV previously reported, Azure Healthcare appears to have ties with Eliyahu Mirlis, CEO of RegalCare, which faces state revocation of a dozen nursing home licenses following a Boston Globe Spotlight review of the company’s cost-cutting. Wednesday’s meeting is being organized by Justine Palermo, whose mother is a Penacook Place resident. She urged residents of Penacook and their families to attend. “Families are invited to share concerns, discuss the potential impact of the sale and explore ways to advocate for the continued quality of care of their loved ones,” reads a flyer she prepared.

Haverhill

Haverhill Mourns, Remembers and Honors Late Police Capt. Fogarty

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(Additional photograph below.)

Family, officials, uniformed officers and the public mourned and honored Haverhill Police Capt. Andrea D. Fogarty Friday. Fogarty, a 27-year veteran of the force, died Oct. 22 of cancer. A Mass of Christian Burial took place late Friday morning from All Saints Church, led by Rev. Fernando Ayala, with concelebrants Very Rev. John Delaney, Haverhill Police chaplain; Rev. David Pineda; Rev. Christopher Wallace; and the Very Rev. George “Chip” Hines. Words of Remembrance were offered by David Martel and Haverhill Police Chief Wayne J. Tracy.

Education

Northern Essex Community College Wins $20K Grant to Create CTE Teacher Apprenticeship

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Northern Essex Community College last week won a $20,000 state grant to develop a career technical education teacher apprenticeship. The College was selected as one of 31 organizations to train and place a total of nearly 300 apprentices and pre-apprentices across the state under the Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce, or GROW for short. “Registered apprenticeship is a proven workforce development strategy that benefits both workers and employers by combining paid, on-the-job training with classroom instruction and opportunities for career advancement,” said Labor Secretary Lauren E. Jones. “Through our GROW grants, we’re expanding apprenticeship opportunities beyond the traditional building trades and into high-demand sectors like health care, manufacturing, clean energy and life sciences.”

Nearby, Community Day Care Center of Lawrence was awarded $32,500 to train and place 10 pre-apprenticeships in early childhood education. Urban College of Boston, which serves local students through its online program, was awarded $50,000 to develop Boston Care Corps for elder care.

Haverhill

Holmes Looks to ‘Continue Jeff’s Legacy’ at the Helm of Knight’s Baseball

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Mitchell Holmes is looking to continue the legacy left by Jeffrey Mejia, as the new head coach of Knight’s baseball. Holmes comes with three years of playing experience in college baseball at SUNY Cobbleskill. He said he was “A horrendous baseball player,” noting, his true passion is for coaching. He purposefully graduated college a year early to start his coaching career with some travel teams in the New England area. Holmes’ experience coaching also includes the previous two seasons as the lead assistant coach at Babson College, where he oversaw hitting and catching and helped lead the recruiting efforts for the Beavers.

Election Central

Podcast: Both Sides Appeal to Voters on Haverhill’s Cannabis Lounge Question 10

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While voters in most Massachusetts cities and towns see nine questions on their ballots, Haverhill residents see 10—an extra one that could allow onsite cannabis consumption at a downtown lounge. Those who haven’t already voted early or by mail will see the 10th question when they go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3. In recent weeks, both a proponent of the idea and an opponent took their arguments live on WHAV. Caroline Pineau, owner of cannabis retailer Stem, 124 Washington St., and physician John L. Maddox made their cases on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Hear Plans for Downtown Statue of Poet, Abolitionist Whittier

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Haverhill city councilors this week received their first glimpse of a plan to erect a downtown statue of Haverhill’s favorite son, abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Raymond F. Comeau, a former president of the Trustees of the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead, gave councilors a broad outline of why the public would benefit from Whittier’s recognition. “The list of Whittier’s virtues is long, and it includes honesty, humility, courage, perseverance, righteousness and self-reliance. This is why his contemporaries elected him to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and elicited his aid in the founding of the national Republican Party; and why Harvard invited him to serve two terms as an overseer and awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree,” Comeau explained. Comeau was joined by two other former presidents of Whittier’s Haverhill birthplace, Arthur H. Veasey III and Tim Coco.

Business Bulletin

Haverhill Coalition Plans Downtown Business Focus Groups

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A coalition of city and regional leaders and business groups plan two focus group sessions to, in organizers’ words, “open up the discussion to build momentum in our downtown.”

Downtown business focus groups take place Wednesday, Nov. 4, at noon, at the offices of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, 29 Washington St., and, 4 p.m., at The Hill Downtown Tavern, 35 Washington St. Discussions are under the auspices of Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett and the Economic Development Task Force and involve the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, Greater Haverhill Foundation and Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Those wishing to learn more or reserve a seat at one of the focus group sessions are asked to call Haverhill’s Economic Development and Planning office at 978-374-2330.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Pride Plans Pride of the Patch Halloween Afternoon

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Haverhill Pride is spending Saturday afternoon at Crescent Farms for Pride of the Patch. The Halloween fundraiser, in support the 2027 Pride Parade and Celebration and year-round queer programming, features a 7.5-acre corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, a costume contest and music from DJ PJ. Pride of the Patch takes place Saturday, Oct. 31, from noon to 5 p.m., at Crescent Farms, 140 Willow Ave., Haverhill. The schedule calls for exploring the farm, taking hayrides, navigating the corn maze and pumpkin picking, noon to 2 p.m.; costume contest check-in and lineup, 2:30-3 p.m.; costume contest, 4 p.m.; and raffle drawings and wrap-up, 4-5 p.m.

Admission is $40 per person and tickets are available online via givebutter.com.