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 on air and online. The Haverhill Central District Parking Commission will discuss adding 15-minute parking spaces on Merrimack Street and separate two-hour and 15-minute parking spaces in the Locke Street Parking Lot when it meets Tuesday. Commissioners are also expected to discuss an issue with parking spaces at the end of Merrimack Street near Main Street that are “causing issues.”
The meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 6 p.m., Haverhill City Hall, room 300, 4 Summer St., Haverhill.
Families are invited to enjoy a day of fun, learning and community in mid-August at Service Credit Union’s Youth Day, designed to help children and young adults build healthy financial habits through hands-on activities. Youth Day will feature a variety of activities that introduce children to saving, spending and smart money management in, what the credit union calls, “an engaging, age-appropriate way.” There will be interactive financial education games, branch tours, information on youth savings opportunities and refreshments. The Haverhill branch will also have raffles and giveaways, including a grand prize of a Skylight family calendar. “Financial confidence begins with education, and it’s never too early to start building healthy money habits,” said Jessica Belanger, Service Credit Union’s Haverhill branch manager. “Youth Day is a fun way for families to spend time together while giving children practical lessons they’ll carry with them for years to come.”
The free event takes place Saturday, Aug.15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Service Credit Union, 424 Lowell Ave., Haverhill.
Haverhill artist Mindy Mitrano will lead a workshop in papermaking for teens at the Haverhill Public Library. The hands-on craft class will be offered Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 1-2 p.m., in the Cavallaro Room at the library, 99 Main St., Haverhill. The event is open to youths ages 11-18. Mitrano will help participants turn recycled paper into new sheets in the shapes of flowers and leaves.
For the third consecutive year, Northern Essex Community College’s athletic department led all Region 21 schools as it accumulated 10 National Junior College Athletics Association All-Academic honorees. Individuals earn All-Academic status by earning a GPA of 3.60 or higher for the academic year while completing at least 24 credits, or by successfully completing degree requirements if less than 24 credits are required. First Team All-Academic honors are awarded to those who achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA, while second team honors are awarded to those who achieve a GPA of 3.80 to 3.99 and third team recognition goes to those who have earned a GPA of 3.60 to 3.79 for the academic year. The Knights had a pair recognized on the first team in Franchesca Karam of the women’s volleyball team and Rebecca Heathman from the women’s basketball team who both achieved a perfect 4.0 for their work in the classroom over the year. Heathman was also named the college’s Female Scholar Athlete of the year in May with overall GPA of 3.97.
Two with Haverhill connections are among the latest cohort of Transformative Development Initiative—or TDI—fellows who will work in Gateway cities for three years to help accelerate economic growth within designated downtown neighborhoods and commercial districts. Erin Padilla, who recently said she is stepping down as executive director at Creative Haverhill, will serve within the Cambodia Town Neighborhood in Lowell, while Rikelma Vargas, a dean at an alternative high school in Lawrence and wife of state Rep. Andy X. Vargas, will work in Peabody’s Foster Street Corridor. “MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative has helped Gateway Cities strengthen local businesses, revitalize commercial districts and create new economic opportunities,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s board of directors. “The fellows are at the heart of that work, bringing dedicated capacity to help local partners coordinate efforts, connect with resources and pursue opportunities for growth.”
Earlier this year, MassDevelopment established TDI districts in Lowell and Peabody as well as Chelsea, Fitchburg, Holyoke and Malden. TDI fellows, employees of MassDevelopment, will work in these cities beginning in August to provide, what is described as, “on-the-ground economic development organizing expertise and collaborative leadership.”
MassDevelopment said Padilla and Vargas “will have access to a range of tools to help accelerate development, including technical assistance, grants and more.
Haverhill’s Book Buddies program is recruiting volunteers for the next school year. Matt Webel, an organizer with the reading support program, appeared before Haverhill City Council Tuesday, noting 290 adults have already signed up for this September, but the program needs twice that many. Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Book Buddies matches one adult volunteer with a single third grader in one of seven Haverhill Public Schools. Adults purchase three books throughout the year for their buddies as well as a reading journal and then write personal notes to their assigned student. The books are then integrated into the classroom curriculum by the teachers, who have the students write thank you notes back.
The Haverhill Democratic City Committee plans to honor state Rep. Ryan M. Hamilton as its 2026 Distinguished Democrat on Aug. 29. Hamilton will be honored during the Committee’s Annual Roz McKeon Breakfast Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10-11:30 a.m., at Maria’s Restaurant, Galleria Banquet Room, 85 Essex St., Haverhill. U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey and 6th District Congressman Seth Moulton, both candidates for U.S. Senate, were invited to speak, along with other Democratic candidates on the Tuesday, Sept.
Lunn Decision Codified in Agreement Designed to Keep ICE Away from Newly Designated ‘Sensitive Places’
By Sam Drysdale
Legislative negotiators this week unveiled a compromise on the closely watched bill that would broaden protections against federal immigration enforcement, while preserving one key area of cooperation with federal authorities—the Department of Correction’s existing partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rep. Andy X. Vargas said keeping the (Department of Corrections) agreement was consistent with the original proposal developed by the Black and Latino Caucus after hearing concerns from immigrant communities. “We heard feedback that, hey, they were coming to look for some guy that we knew committed a serious crime, but in looking for him, they picked up all these other people that just happened to be in the vicinity,” Vargas said. Asked why the existing corrections department agreement remains intact, Rep. Daniel Cahill said lawmakers thought it reduced the likelihood that ICE would conduct enforcement operations in neighborhoods while searching for people already facing deportation after serving felony sentences. The conference committee was tasked with reconciling differences between bills the House and Senate approved this spring.
