Merrimack Valley Newsmakers

Residents have a rare opportunity to hear the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts Army National Guard perform in early July at Haverhill’s Riverside Park. Haverhill Veterans Services Officer Jeffrey C. Hollett, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, says a free concert takes place Thursday, July 7, thanks to the efforts of Veterans Northeast Outreach Center and the city. “The VENOC reached out...

Haverhill Veterans Services Officer Jeffrey C. Hollett now in his fourth week on the job, has been busy building relationships with are organizations helping and supporting veterans. A recent guest on WHAV’s morning show, Hollett says, working collaboratively is very important. “The game in Veterans Services today is really about building those relationships with as many resources that are availab...

Residents in two of the three towns making up the Pentucket Regional School District are being asked to consider overriding the state’s tax limiting law to pay for the school district’s nearly $50 million spending plan for next year Groveland and Merrimac voters will consider what’s called an “operational budget override,” while West Newbury officials believe the added amount can be accommodated i...

Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School Drama Club is preparing for its upcoming production of Disney’s Moana JR. in June, but the club must raise money first with donations and its fourth annual talent show this afternoon, April 8. J.G. Whittier music and drama teacher Bobby Gariepy appeared live over WHAV last week, talking about the talent show taking place at 3:30 p.m. in the John Greenleaf...

Members of the Haverhill Police Relief Association hockey team are sharpening their skates and preparing for their upcoming game with the Boston Bruins Alumni this Saturday. The game, whose proceeds help provide support for the officers of the Haverhill Police Department and their families, takes place this Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Rink, 137 Monument St., Haverhill. Sgt....

The Wall That Heals, three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, is coming to Massachusetts in September with local Vietnam veterans who died eligible to be honored as part of the In Memory Honor Roll in the mobile Education Center.  The Wall That Heals will be open Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 22-25, at the Veterans Administration Edith Norse Rogers Hospital in B...

A Haverhill native is participating in the Paralympics currently underway in Beijing, China. Twenty-five-year-old Griffin LaMarre is a goalie on the Team USA Sled Hockey Team. In a WHAV interview with his mother, Donna, it was revealed Griffin, born with hereditary spastic paraplegia, entered hockey only as a second choice. “We are a skiing family. We ski up at Sunday River, and they have the only...

Local businesses, recently surveyed by the Haverhill-based Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, are reporting confidence levels back to pre-pandemic levels, but note challenges to overcome. Community and Economic Development Planner Nate Robertson, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said there is still some wobbling. “We see that, though labor force participation is up, we have historic jo...

Haverhill High School students in the Early College program at Northern Essex Community College have an opportunity to earn associate degrees for free. Haverhill High School Principal Jason Meland, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, explains tuition is paid by the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation. The Newton, Mass.-based foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to launch the Promise Pro...

One positive result of the COVID-19 pandemic was a sharing of resources that culminated in the recent agreement between Lawrence General Hospital and Steward Health Care’s Holy Family Hospital and St. Elizabeth. Lawrence General President and CEO Deborah Wilson, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning show, said the pandemic helped bring about the collaboration. “One of the things about the pandemic, and...

Those requiring medical care and prefer being close to home in the Merrimack Valley are helped by a new agreement involving Lawrence General Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. Holy Family Hospital President Craig Jesiolowski, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said the agreement means the local hospitals will work together while remaining independent. He expl...

Haverhill and the entire Merrimack Valley is on the storm watch with an expected 18 inches of snow expected to fall between tonight and tomorrow night. On WHAV’s morning show, Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini talked about how the city is prepared for the storm. “Our crews are prepared. They’re working hard and I’m very, very proud of them. We had a pre-planning meeting the other day. We have anoth...

Pentucket Regional High School recently received national recognition for its field hockey program. Pentucket Regional Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, who was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, praised veteran coach Ruth Beaton. She led the team to a record of 19-2-1 and a berth in the State Tournament’s Final Four, which Bartholomew says, is the best record in Pentucket history. “She’s...

Haverhill children, from infants through age five, could soon be recipients of free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program will be conducted through Haverhill Promise, the Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Director Jenny Arndt was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program and said the Haverhill Education Foundation has agreed to underwrite the program the first year. Arndt said...

The Merrimack River Watershed Council wants to know whether and how residents use the Merrimack River for recreational purposes. The organization, working with Boston University School of Public Health, is in the midst of conducting a survey, which Susie Bresney, of the Watershed Council, says has two goals. “One is to do a health risk assessment, which the folks at BU are really heading. The idea...

Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 dominate the headlines, but the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts also remains busy tracking other women’s health issues. Director of Advancement Eunice Zeigler, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said the YW’s women’s health program, which has been operating for the past 20 years, quickly realized the pandemic was having an adverse on the treatment of...

One of the most popular indoor flowering plants this time of year is the poinsettia, and WHAV’s gardening expert recently gave advice for its care. Nationally known Melinda Myers, host of WHAV’s “Melinda’s Garden Moment,” made a special, live presentation last week on WHAV’s morning show. “If it’s wrapped in foil, you can leave it in foil, but then the edge is down so the light gets to the leaves...

Haverhill Public School students soon begin winter break, and one organization is already thinking about enriching activities children can undertake then. Haverhill Promise, the grade level reading program, wants books involved. Program Director Jenny Arndt, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said she’s hoping students from pre-kindergarten through third grade will continue reading during t...

A local organization that rescues horses, donkeys and mules and looks to find them “forever homes” plans to share its mission and needs during an open house this Saturday. West Newbury’s Northern Essex Equine Rescue – North, known as NEER-North for short, has been on a mission since 2008 helping horses and horse owners, in crisis. Founder Mary Martin, who was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning progr...

The holiday season provides many opportunities to help others and, at the Windrush Farm, that includes helping people and horses. The Windrush Farm Therapeutic Riding Center’s Executive Director Janet Nittmann, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said the North Andover-Boxford line center has a need for more “horse handlers.” “These are people who lead the horse when it’s necessary, and many...

The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce is bringing back something next week that many people remember from their school days. Dodgeball! It’s a Haverhill Chamber Business After Hours event taking place Wednesday, Dec. 1, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Plaistow YMCA, 175 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, N.H. Chamber President and CEO Irene Haley recently gave WHAV listeners the lowdown. “The event link on our...

Members of the Haverhill Lions Club were collecting glasses for improving eyesight around the world during the recent VFW Santa Parade, but now, one could say, they are turning their sights to helping stock food pantries with soup. Lions Club member Tony Pecci was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program. “We have several hundred cans of soup right now. We are collecting them to distribute to the...

Volunteers and sponsors are being sought for the local observance of Wreaths Across America, which remembers sacrifices veterans have made in wars since the American Revolution. Wreaths Across America takes place locally Saturday, Dec. 18, at Hilldale Cemetery in Haverhill. Organizer Tammy Dobrosielski says, however, he deadline, for sponsoring wreaths is Tuesday, Nov. 30 “The three tenets of Wrea...

Haverhill High students are taking advantage of a learning opportunity that’s perfectly timed with the holiday shopping season. They are learning about retail, while operating the Haverhill Hillies Shop is in the basement of Haverhill City Hall. Matt Scanlon, one of the faculty advisors, was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program. “I’m one of the special education supervisors for the school dist...

A familiar sound will be in the air soon. It’s the ringing of the Salvation Army Red Kettle bells as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach. Major Walter Rivers of the Salvation Army in Haverhill recently told WHAV’s morning listeners what to expect and when. “We’re planning a kickoff event Monday at noon at the Market Basket at Westgate Plaza. We hope that some of the public will come o...