Education

Haverhill and Amesbury Students Join Massachusetts Agricultural Youth Council

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Two area students, including one from Haverhill, are the newest members of the Massachusetts Agricultural Youth Council. Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle on Tuesday announced Ray Budd of Haverhill and Natalee Peña of Amesbury, both attending Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School, as members of the Agricultural Youth Council, which is now in its second year. They are among 15 high school students to serve on the Council. The group will meet monthly to discuss agricultural issues, hear from guest speakers from the agricultural industry, learn about the legislative process and workforce development opportunities, attend special events and tours and enhance their professional skills. “While there are always challenges in farming and agriculture, I’m optimistic that our future looks bright with the amount of interest we’ve seen in our students who share the same values we all have in making sure we continue to grow and nurture a rich and diverse industry.

Business Bulletin

Former Patriots Lineman Matt Light, Sal Lupoli Welcome Camp Students

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(Additional photograph below.)

Matt Light, the former offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, was in Lawrence Tuesday to name four deserving eighth-graders to attend his two-week leadership and youth development camp this summer in his Ohio hometown. Light, three-time Super Bowl Champion, was in the city at the invitation of Salvatore N. Lupoli, principal of the Lupoli Companies, who has offered to serve as community liaison to Light’s foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2001 Light and his wife Susie. The four chosen for the program are Jayzell Jusino, Delvis Hidalgo, Emanuel Duarte and Jonathan Medrano, students who attend the Leonard Middle School. They will be assigned counselors to follow them through their junior year of high school and can return to each summer to Camp Vohokase, held at Chenoweth Trails in Greenville, Ohio. The foundation also sponsors youths from Brockton; Plant City, Fla.; and Darke County, Ohio.

Community Spotlight

YWCA Names 22 Tribute to Women Nominees; Honors Lunch Takes Place May 15

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The YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts has named the 22 women it will honor this year at its annual Tribute to Women awards lunch. Honorees are Marina Acosta, Mary-Jo Anderson, Deirdre Budzyna, Alison Burns, Waleska Caceres, Luz Frazier, Kim Hearst, Edith Joyce, Zoe Larsen, Cynthia Masai, Lorie Mendoza, Isis Ortiz-Belton, Dawn Palmer, Linette Perez, Peggy Pistone, Peggy Ready, Luz Rodriguez, Kretcha  M. Roldan, Wanda Santos, Kathy Sherman, Diane Shikrallah and Arleen Zorrilla. “We were overwhelmed with the number of nominees this year,” YWCA Executive Director Susan Staples said in a release. “Clearly, there is no shortage of talented and committed women in the Merrimack Valley.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Yvonne Castaneda, director of Community Based Initiatives School of Social Work at Boston College. Castaneda has worked closely with many of Lawrence’s businesses and nonprofits over the past few years.

Region

Methuen Launches Online ‘Financial Transparency Dashboard’ for Residents

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Methuen is launching, what it calls, a new Financial Transparency Dashboard to give residents an interactive and user-friendly way to explore the city’s finances. Methuen Mayor David P. “D.J” Beauregard, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Maggie Duprey and Chief Information Officer Luis Santiago said in a statement Monday the web tool underscores the city’s commitment to financial openness and accountability. “For the first time ever, Methuen taxpayers have the ability to track the city’s revenues and expenditures in real time and monitor how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Beauregard. The Financial Transparency Dashboard can be accessed online at Methuen.gov/transparency. Key features include detailed breakdowns of municipal spending and revenue allocation, read financial data from previous fiscal years to track trends and progress and availability of weekly updates as the portal is refreshed at the close of each business week.

Haverhill

Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Seeks Merrimack River Cleanup Proposals

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The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is seeking proposals to address pollution caused by combined sewage overflow events and non-point source runoff—called two major contributors to water contamination in the region. Sen. Bruce E. Tarr, minority leader, secured a legislative earmark in 2021 to pay for projects aimed at improving water quality in the lower Merrimack River. “Through regional and interstate collaboration, we have been making steady progress to improve the water quality of the Merrimack River and reduce the impacts of CSOs,” said the Gloucester Republican. “I am glad we were able to secure earmarked funding for that progress to continue, and now, armed with these funds, the MVPC is moving forward to put that money to work by seeking out and investing in new, innovative proposals to make a difference for the river.”

According to the 2021 legislation, “Not less than $300,000 shall be expended to the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission for water and sewer infrastructure including, but not limited to, back-up generators to ensure treatment of effluent prior to discharge into the river and skilling equipment to remove debris and contaminants from the river.”

The Planning Commission says overflows from 27 combined sewer outfalls into the Merrimack River have been identified as a major source of point-source pollution, contributing to the presence of harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Enterococci in the waterway. “We are excited to take another step forward in improving water quality in the Merrimack River,” said Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Jerrard Whitten.

Business Bulletin

Drs. Jazmati and Ofman, Cardiologists, Join Community Medical Associates Practice

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Cardiologists Besher Jazmati and Peter Ofman have joined Lawrence General and Holy Family Hospital’s Community Medical Associates practice in Lawrence. They bring their years of heart health expertise and experience to the Lawrence community from their Nashoba Valley practices. Jazmati received his medical degree from Aleppo University in Syria and furthered his training in internal medicine at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I. Jazmati also studied nuclear medicine at the Harvard Joint Program of Nuclear Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital. His cardiology background includes training at the renowned Lown Cardiovascular Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He has also worked in electrophysiology at Lahey Clinic in Burlington.

Education

Northern Essex Knights Defeat Dallas College Mountain View in Consolation Bracket

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The Northern Essex Community College Men’s Basketball team put on a scoring clinic in the second half to come from behind to defeat Dallas College Mountain View Thursday in the National Junior College Athletic Association DIII Championship tournament consolation bracket. The Knights finished their season on a high note with a 107-99 win, outscoring the Lions 65-44 in the second half after trailing 55-42 at halftime. Northern Essex freshman Xavier Rivera scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, hitting nine of 10 shots from the field. Rivera was 11 of 14 overall from the field. Haverhill’s Alejandro Delgado added eight of his 19 points in the half.

Business Bulletin

Reframe Systems of Andover Receives $277,000 State Grant for Clean Energy Demonstration

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An Andover company was awarded $277,000 Thursday from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to demonstrate solar integration at its factory. Reframe Systems was among clean energy and climatetech companies and researchers receiving InnovateMass grants, offering technical support for teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with strong commercial potential. Officials said it will make the demonstration within its robotic micro-factories that build modular net-zero homes quickly and efficiently. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency. CEO Emily Reichert said, “The climatetech industry is an economic development opportunity for every city and town in Massachusetts…By supporting entrepreneurs and innovators, we’re accelerating the deployment of technologies that will lower energy costs and create jobs right here in Massachusetts.”

InnovateMass was one of four programs of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center collectively granting $6.4 million to 25 clean energy and climatetech companies and researchers in 13 cities and towns across the state.