West Newbury Fire Department, with the assistance of mutual aid partners, extinguished a two-alarm fire in a single-family home Thursday afternoon on Main Street. Fire Chief Michael Dwyer said West Newbury Public Safety Dispatch received a 911 call at about 1:57 p.m., reporting a house fire at 598 Main St. Upon arrival, West Newbury Police reported heavy smoke showing from the rear of the building. First-arriving firefighters from Newburyport began aggressively attacking the fire. A second alarm was transmitted to bring additional resources to the scene.
Members of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce will soon gather for the eighth Annual Business After Hours Dodgeball Tournament. What has become tradition—and legend—Chamber members and guests in teams of at least six members compete for bragging rights in the competition benefitting the Haverhill YMCA. The tournament takes place Wednesday, Dec. 2, starting at 5:30 p.m., at Haverhill YMCA, 81 Winter St., Haverhill. Registration is $60 per team, with additional donations welcome, at HaverhillChamber.com.
Rocks Village Memorial Association is planning its sixth annual holiday wreath decorating event, where patrons are provided with materials to create and take home their masterpieces. Participants will receive a 24-inch, double-sided Balsam wreath and choose a handmade fabric bow of their choice and an assortment of natural flora and holiday decorations. Registration is open for the holiday wreath decorating fundraiser to support ongoing preservation of the historic Hand Tub House in Rocks Village. Available times are Saturday, Nov. 21, at either 10 a.m. to noon or 1-3 p.m., at the Hand Tub House, 1 River Road, in Haverhill.
Residents of Methuen and Manchester, N.H., were recently indicted by a federal grand jury on drug charges. Albert Marino Fortuna Escalante, 30, of Methuen, and Bresley Beatriz Castillo Taveras, 27, of Manchester, N.H., face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, specifically fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. Court documents allege Fortuna Escalante trafficked more than 400 grams of fentanyl and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, while Castillo Taveras trafficked 40 grams or more of fentanyl. New Hampshire’s FBI Major Offender Task Force led the investigation with assistance provided by the Manchester and Methuen Police Departments, U.S. Marshals Service and Internal Revenue Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Anderson is prosecuting the case.
Haverhill’s first leaf pickup of the season takes place this Saturday. The collection also includes grass clippings, pumpkins, mums, gourds, corn stalks and hay bales bagged or in open barrels. Brush, branches, loose leaves, plastic bags and trash are not allowed. Bags and barrels must be under 40 pounds each. Curbside pickup takes place Saturday, Nov.
Haverhill is moving to cancel its contract with Flock Safety, which has recently become controversial, but still plans to roll out safety measures to regulate whatever system might replace it. Mayor Melinda E. Barrett’s office said Thursday the city asked the company, which has supplied automatic license plate readers to the city since 2023, to remove the cameras. While the mayor’s office said an internal review of how the cameras are used shows no misuse, “the city found that Flock’s technology itself does not provide enough necessary safeguards to protect residents’ privacy.”
“To balance public safety needs with the privacy rights of Haverhill residents, the city will continue conducting a thorough review of all law enforcement tools and guardrails in partnership with the Haverhill City Council,” a statement said. “Stronger protections against mass surveillance” is one of the reasons the Haverhill Chapter of the Merrimack Valley Project plans to demand removal of the cameras. As WHAV reported, the local advocacy group plans to assemble next Thursday on the steps of Haverhill City Hall ahead of a City Council subcommittee’s plan to consider guardrails on the technology.
Members of the Haverhill City’s Council’s Public Safety Committee, meeting next week to consider guardrails on the city’s use of Flock cameras, will be greeted by a group demanding the devices be removed and better privacy protections. The Haverhill Chapter of the Merrimack Valley Project plans a press conference Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m., on the steps of Haverhill City Hall, calling on the city to “remove its 18 Flock license plate reader cameras and adopt stronger protections against mass surveillance.” In a statement signed by spokesperson Bill Taylor, the group said responses to public records requests show “Haverhill police officers have conducted nearly 53,000 searches on the Flock database so far.”
“We value our freedom and don’t want to be tracked when we go to work, visit friends, access healthcare and attend religious services. Both the Haverhill Police Department and city leaders have either severely misjudged or outright ignored the prevailing public sentiment about this so far,” the statement reads, in part. As WHAV reported in August, city councilors told residents strict guidelines must be in place to prevent misuse of surveillance cameras and asked city Solicitor Lisa L. Mead to draft an ordinance regulating camera use.
Dr. Joshua St. Louis, a Haverhill native and primary care physician at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, is this year’s winner of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Health Award. St. Louis was presented the award two weeks ago in Boston. The honor recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to LGBTQ health.
