Business Bulletin

BrightBridge Staff Take Part in Lazarus House, Sickle Cell Awareness Causes

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BrightBridge Credit Union staff supported two causes last weekend—the 2026 Walk for Hope Fall Festival, benefiting Lazarus House Ministries, and Walk for Sickle Cell Disease, benefiting the Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association. On Saturday, the credit union was a $2,500 Walking Partner Sponsor of the Walk for Hope Fall Festival, an annual fundraiser supporting the work of Lazarus House Ministries throughout the Merrimack Valley. The organization serves more than 2,000 individuals and families weekly with programs addressing homelessness, food insecurity, housing instability and other needs. “These events exemplify what community partnership is all about,” said BrightBridge Vice President of Workplace Member Growth and Financial Wellness Glenn Prezzano, adding, “Our team is honored to be a sponsor and to show our support through participation in events that directly support people served by these wonderful and impactful organizations.”

Members of BrightBridge’s Dorchester branch team also took part the same day at the Walk for Sickle Cell Disease in Boston. Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association uses the event to raise awareness of the disease and support for programs and services for individuals and families affected by the condition.

Crime

Alleged Bat Attack at Haverhill Lounge Brings Arrest, Report to Liquor Commission

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A 22-year-old Haverhill man faces assault and battery and other charges after allegedly hitting a man’s hand with a bat, threatening another and damaging a glass door at a downtown Haverhill restaurant and lounge early last Saturday morning. Frantzdley Jean was arrested by Haverhill Police and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and malicious destruction of property following an encounter just before 1:30 a.m., at Afro-Infused, 30 Emerson St., not far from Washington Square. Despite a telephone caller’s allegation there was a shooting, police determined no shots were fired, but they found an unconscious man with a lump on his head. The man, identified as Jean, told police “They hit me,” according to a police report. A witness told officers, Jean had been expelled from Afro-Infused and allegedly returned with a red bat and struck the door of the business.

Haverhill

New Rosemont Street Bridge Over Little River in Haverhill Opens to Traffic

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(Additional photograph below.)

Haverhill’s new Rosemont Street bridge with classical features opens to traffic Thursday after workers completed installation of guardrails Wednesday. As WHAV reported this week, City Engineer Lisa E. DeMeo said the bridge could open as soon as guardrails were attached. She noted, however, riverbank restoration underneath can continue without disturbing traffic, but eventual relocation of electric wires to overhead poles will require a future closing when National Grid work takes place. She explained the closing is required because the utility will have trucks in the street. The new $4.4 million Rosemont Street bridge, carrying traffic over Little River near Plaistow, N.H., conveys a traditional look with, what are called, “Texas Rails.” Besides replacing the 1934-era bridge, the project’s scope includes a widened “stream width that mimics the natural upstream and downstream reaches of the Little River;” a dry passage for wildlife, such as turtles, for example; and restored banks on both sides under the bridge.

Business Bulletin

Merrimack Valley Chamber Plans Annual State Representatives Lunch Oct. 5

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Area state representatives are asked to weigh in on current issues when the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce holds its Annual State Representatives Luncheon in October. The lunch kicks off with state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Among those invited to attend are Reps. Andy X. Vargas, Ryan M. Hamilton, Frank A. Moran, Tram Nguyen, Francisco E. Paulino, Adrianne P. Ramos, Estela A. Reyes and Dawne Shand. The annual forum takes place Monday, Oct.

Education

Machado, Murphy and Pelich Join NECC Foundation Board

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Jonathan Machado, Karen Murphy and Joseph Pelich recently joined the Northern Essex Community College Foundation Board, which helps the college and students with additional resources. Machado, of Melrose, is a senior vice president and commercial lending manager at Rockland Trust. As a board and executive committee member of Lawrence Community Works, he has also been actively involved with the Lawrence Partnership and the Lawrence Venture Loan Fund. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Finance from Bryant University and an MBA from Suffolk University. “I have always been impressed by the school’s commitment to its students and community.

Region

Methuen Ends Use of Flock Safety Cameras; Says City Councilor was Tracked

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Methuen said Wednesday it plans to immediately cover its existing Flock Safety cameras and arrange for removal after officials said they don’t have enough control over their use and following an allegation another department searched a city councilor’s license plate. In a joint statement Wednesday, Methuen Mayor David P. “D.J.” Beauregard Jr. and Acting Police Chief Jamie Moore said that while they found no evidence Methuen personnel misused the system, they concluded “Flock does not provide sufficient protections or local control of that data.”

“We are also aware of concerns recently raised by a Methuen city councilor about searches of the councilor’s license plate reportedly conducted by another police department. Those searches were not conducted by the Methuen Police Department,” Beauregard and Moore added, without providing details. They acknowledged the cameras, used as automated license plate readers, can help locate missing or abducted children and vulnerable missing persons, recover stolen vehicles, identify vehicles connected to serious crimes and respond to imminent threats. A statement refers, for example, to last December’s use of the cameras that were able to track a rental car used by the suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University to a storage facility just across the Methuen line in Salem, N.H.

However, Beauregard and Moore said they will “pursue an alternative system that preserves those important investigative capabilities while meeting Methuen’s standards for privacy, constitutional protections and local data control.”

The cameras have come under scrutiny.

Community Spotlight

Buttonwoods Museum Offers Haverhill in the Revolutionary War

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As part of Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails & Sails, Buttonwoods Museum is holding a reprise talk on Haverhill during the battles of Lexington and Concord. The talk explores how Haverhill’s citizens responded to the first shots of the American Revolutionary War and discusses who the citizens were, how they mobilized and the journey they made toward the fighting in Lexington and Concord. The talk takes place Thursday, Sept. 24, from 7- 8:30 p.m., at the Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St., Haverhill.

Health

YWCA Converts Former Massage Parlor into Space for Victims

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YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts, which serves Greater Lawrence, Haverhill and other Essex County communities, said it is opening a new domestic violence and sexual assault services office in Methuen where women can escape. The YWCA and Methuen said the basement at the 5 Wallace St. space was once used in an alleged human trafficking operation. It will now be used as a space for victims of sex crimes, domestic violence and human trafficking to meet with counselors and advocates and host workshops for survivors. “This community has an opportunity to look at this location differently,” said Maricelis Ortiz, CEO of the YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts.