When signing up for a website or cell phone app Massachusetts consumers in the future would be able to decide how much of their personal information they want to share under a data privacy and security bill being sponsored by state Sen. Pavel M. Payano.

Payano discussed the importance of the legislation being debated by the state Legislature during a recent interview during WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. The senator said even when consumers are careful, their personal data and even their precise GPS location can be shared and sold to third party vendors without their knowledge.

“We are not aware of the type of data we are constantly sharing with these apps. We think we might be sharing it with the app that connects you to a dog walker. But then app goes in and they sell the data to a bunch of third-party folks and God knows what they do with that data,” Payano said.

The legislation, which will be taken up next by the state House of Representatives, would give broad enforcement powers to the state attorney general, Payano said. The bill would put even tighter controls on data sharing by minors and would allow consumers to opt out of ads that target them based on their personal preferences.

“You’d be surprised how they are able to target these ads and manipulate you into choosing something that maybe you wouldn’t have chosen, or how a bad actor can get this information and then use that information maybe to hack you,” Payano said.

Payano also discussed the importance of the $234 million emergency medical package recently passed by the state Legislature. It is expected to bring much-needed relief to Merrimack Health, the new name for Lawrence General Hospital and its sister hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill, as well as the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center by supporting efforts to provide services to low-income patients.

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The newly renamed Merrimack Health Haverhill Hospital could soon be home to the healthcare system’s expanded state-of-the art sleep study center.

Diana L. Richardson, interim president and CEO of Merrimack Health, formerly Lawrence General and Holy Family Hospitals, a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast,” discussed what will stay the same at Haverhill’s hospital and what services are expanding.

As of Oct. 1, any patient who comes into the emergency department and needs to be admitted will be transported to another healthcare center— most likely to its sister Merrimack Health Methuen Hospital, formerly Holy Family Methuen, as the few in-patient beds in use will be shut down, Richardson explained. Services provided by the stand-alone emergency department, however, will not change, she said.

“The actual services are the same. You have an ambulance that needs to get you care in Haverhill, you come to our emergency room. You have a condition at home you want to come into the emergency room, we are there. Full service, lab, radiology, all the things you are used to today will not be any different come Oct. 1,” Richardson added.

Because so few in-patient beds were occupied in recent years, an average of nine a day, Richardson said this change will impact few of the hospital’s patients.

“Every hospital has different capabilities. Sometimes you need the really advanced services of some of our academic partners in Boston. So there could be times when you come into an emergency facility and your are transported there or transported to another facility in the region that has services that are only available in a few locations,” Richardson said.

Richardson added the local healthcare center has an upgraded wound management center and that hospital officials are considering making its Haverhill location the headquarters for a state-of-that-art sleep study center.

“So one thing we’ve already done is we’ve put in new hyperbaric chambers and really expanded our wound care service there. And the next service we’re looking at. . . there is a small sleep center there in Haverhill now. But we have the opportunity to really make it a showcase for our system and make it a much larger system-based sleep center that provides all services so we are going through that process now,” Richardson said.

Lawrence General Hospital, now Merrimack Health, purchased the two Holy Family campuses in Haverhill and Methuen from bankrupt Steward Health Care last year for $28 million with state assistance. In May the new owners announced plans to close Haverhill’s general in-patient beds and keep its emergency department as a free-standing service.

Haverhill has had a hospital since City Hospital opened in 1887. It was renamed Hale Hospital in 1898 and moved to Buttonwoods Avenue in 1901. The city acquired it in 1931 and built a modern hospital at its current location in 1984. By 2001 the hospital was insolvent so the city sold it to Essent Health Care but kept most of its debt. The city finally paid off all but pension liabilities in 2021.

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Area nonprofits are looking for helping hands and the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce is acting as matchmaker Tuesday.

The 2025 Volunteer Fair showcases a variety of nonprofit organizations dedicated to almost every imaginable cause. Potential volunteers are invited to peruse the needs, ask questions and consider hoe they may help. Chamber President and CEO Katie Cook, who appeared last month on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, explained how it works.

“What a volunteer fair is. It’s at the Riverside Church here in Haverhill and it’s Sept. 16, from 4 to 7, and you just come. We have about 30 nonprofits that are going to be there and have tables set up. And you can come. Please bring your children. and you go around to each of the tables, learn about the nonprofits, who they are and what they do and how you can volunteer your time,” Cook said

Riverside Church is located at 278 Groveland St., Haverhill.

Among those expected to participate are AgeSpan, Bread and Roses, Common Ground, Department of Children and Families, Debbie’s Treasure Chest, Emmaus, Essex County CASA, Family and Community Resource Center, Haverhill City Clerk’s office, Hill View Montessori Foundation, MakeIT Haverhill, NEET, NFI, Open Hand Pantry, Opportunity Works, Pregnancy Care Center, Saint Vincent de Paul Conference, Salvation Army, TEK Collaborative, Tufts Medical Care at Home and WHAV.

Another way the Chamber seeks to help nonprofits is by helping them avoid scheduling competing events. Cook said the Chamber launched a unified city calendar of events.

“I know a lot of time people are like, ‘I want to host an event in November, some Saturday in November. I wonder if anything else is going on,” Cook explained.

The calendar can be found on the chamber’s website at HaverhillChamber.com.

“Our public events calendar is ready to rock and roll. So we are super excited. So anyone who is interested in putting in an event. If you are not a Chamber member can reach out to me directly,” Cook said.

Cook’s email address is President@HaverhillChamber.com.

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Voters in two Haverhill wards cast ballots Tuesday to narrow the field of City Council candidates in those neighborhoods.

Three candidates are squaring off for two spots on the final ballot for Ward 6 city councilor in the general election in November.

Incumbent Michael S. McGonagle and one of his challengers, Timothy F. Carroll Jr., appeared on WHAV’s morning show and answered questions about specific issues in Ward 6. The third candidate, Oliver Aguilo, did not respond to telephone, email and social media requests for an interview.

McGonagle and Carroll are Haverhill natives. Carroll is a Haverhill firefighter and former president of firefighters union local 1011. McGonagle is retired.

Answers are presented in the order candidates appear on the ballot.

Ward 6 faces traffic disruptions due to the Rosemont Street and Snows Brook bridge replacements? Do you plan to take steps to influence detours, ease congestion or something similar?

“The reality of that is that is it is only going to get worse with those bridge changes coming up. So I think a lot of signage, I think a lot of working with the traffic and safety department,” McGonagle said.

Carroll responded, “So, living up in that area, it is very difficult to detour around anything going on up there. The only thing I can say right now is that you got to be patient up there when they are doing roadwork up in that area. It’s traffic from noontime to 7 p.m. on 125. You can’t get up there without sitting in traffic.”

For many years there has been talk of a Route 125 bypass directly into Plaistow, N.H., to avoid the bottleneck at the New Hampshire line. Do you see traffic as a concern especially as it might influence emergency vehicles?

McGonagle replied, “I think from a public safety standpoint, these are all the considerations that will be talked about on a weekly basis as these projects move forward.”

“The thing you can do on Route 125 is you can widen it to two lanes. That’s about the only option you have. You would have to take some of the sidewalks away and some of the property going down 125 away which then you would have to fight with the homeowners going down on 125,” Carroll said.

Ward 6 has an industrial section, Hilldale Avenue, near the New Hampshire border. It’s been described as a wild west with mixed uses and few amenities for bicyclists. What improvements, if any, would you push along that corridor?

“Should that road at some point be looked at? I believe it should. I just don’t know where that money would come from right now and, with the bridge work going on now, I think the best thing we can do is monitor the speed,” McGonagle said.

Carroll said, “We need more businesses in the community. That’s where the money comes from. That’s where we are going to keep the taxes down on our residents if we get more industrial space and more companies coming in and spending tax dollars and getting the revenues from those tax dollars.”

What is Ward 6’s best feature?

“What I love about Ward 6 is its well-established neighborhoods,” said McGonagle.

Carroll mentioned the businesses, saying, “All the restaurants on 125. I am right there. I can walk to several so I’ll use that as the answer,” Carroll said.

Interviews with Ward 4 candidates, Kenneth Quimby, Guy Cooper and incumbent Melissa Lewandowski are heard during the next WHAV newscast.

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Three candidates are facing off in Ward 4 for two spots on the ballot in the general election Nov. 4. Incumbent Melissa J. Lewandowski is being challenged by Guy E. Cooper and Kenneth E. Quimby Jr. Lewandowski and Quimby are lifelong Haverhill residents. Cooper moved to Haverhill as a child and graduated from Haverhill High School. He is retired Haverhill police office. Quimby works for Bethany Homes in Haverhill and Lewandowski is an attorney who represents children in neglect and abuse cases in juvenile and probate court.

Each candidate appeared on WHAV’s morning show and answered five questions about issues specific to their ward, Ward 4. Answers are presented in the order candidates appear on the ballot.

Ward 4 is home to Holy Family Hospital Haverhill. What services would you like retained or brought back? What services would you add? Would you convert part of the complex for housing?

First, Quimby responds, “As far as the housing there, I would vote no. We need to keep that hospital. I was one of the persons that went to Boston, brought petitions to Gov. Healey to fight to keep it open. But I am disheartened. I am really still upset about it. When Lawrence General bought them, I thought it was going to be a full -capacity hospital. We need to have that hospital full.”

Cooper gave this response, “Well, I can certainly say that I would like to see Haverhill, being such a big city, I’d like to see that hospital up and running a little bit more fuller than what it is. The services a little bit more. It’s a great location. We have a lot of cities and towns. And I really think Haverhill needs to keep a hospital there. For part housing for that? I think we really need to take a long look at our infrastructure and what we can sustain at this time before we start adding,” he said.

Lewandowski said, “Ideally, I would like to see geriatric services there, a geriatric ward, particularly geriatric and mental health. I would like to see prenatal brought back because I think that’s obviously a very important aspect that people need access to. It would be great to have a breast imaging lab as part of some women’s healthcare. I think that the radiology department, while it is intact, my understanding from talking to some nurses that are boots on the ground, is that a lot of time what primary care physicians are finding is they’re sending tests there, whether it be for x-ray, CT scans, blood work, and they don’t get them back within a timely period of time to be able to make a diagnosis so I would like to see that particular area which is intact there enhanced. If housing was proposed there, I think that it would have to be senior housing,” she said.

What traffic and sidewalks improvements do you believe are needed in Ward 4?

Quimby said, “Some of the traffic lights, when you push the walk signal, people are still taking a right turn even though it says ‘Yield to pedestrians.’ And it’s not enough time for them to walk.”

Cooper responded, “Well, Ward 4, I know it came up down on Amesbury Line Road at Merrimac Road that there was an issue with a stop sign, wide roads, people running it and accidents. And being a police officer patrolling that area for several years I think maybe a little bit more enforcement if we could get it down there. On top of that people really need to pay attention. There are stop signs. They do need to stop and pay attention.”

Lewandowski offered, “This is very timely because I just had an agenda item on about Amesbury Line Road because there were a lot of complaints about people going too fast. The way that the intersection is configured makes it very confusing for folks. There have been accidents there, etc. We put it on the agenda and had a very robust discussion involving the city engineer as well the police department and the mayor’s office. They were

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If you suspect a local or state official is on the take or see another example of potential fraud or abuse in state or local government, Jeffrey S. Shapiro wants to hear about it.

Shapiro is the Commonwealth’s inspector general and, in that role, oversees a department of 100 who make sure state and local officials follow proper procurement regulations and good governance practices. Shapiro recently stopped by the WHAV studio and appeared live on “Win for Breakfast” as part of a listening and education tour in Eastern Massachusetts. He explained the role of his office and its power.

“I really think it is incredibly important for the public to know what we do because, in essence, we are their eyes and their ears within government. And if they see something, we certainly are interested to have them notify us,” Shapiro said.

In a recent example Shapiro’s office ordered the Town of Barre to tighten its timekeeping and payroll practices after receiving a tip that its director of Department of Public Works, Jason Pimental, was working a full-time job for the state during the same hours he had been hired to work for the town. In another case closer to home, Shapiro’s office handled an extensive investigation of the Methuen Police Department after questions were raised over former Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon’s high salary and his handling of promotions outside civil service rules, among other issues.

Shapiro encouraged the public to call his office’s fraud hotline at 800-322-1323 or to email IGO-FightFraud@Mass.gov with tips, which can be left anonymously.

Shapiro explained the state inspector general is appointed jointly by the governor, state attorney general and state auditor for a five-year term which can be renewed once. Shapiro will mark his third year in the post next month. Once appointed, state officials have no oversight over the inspector general’s office, making the inspector general’s office a non-partisan, independent agency.

While investigations are his office’s bread and butter, he said, he is encouraging education to prevent fraud in the first place.

“I think the better way to do it is to focus on engaging with our stakeholders, educating them on what it is that they can do correctly and how to do things correctly with procurement, governance and the other kinds of things that we are concerned with and then, as a last resort, we do investigations and compliance,” Shapiro said.

To help educate public officials, the Inspector General’s office offers certification classes through its OIG Academy for public employees as well as private workers who bid on state and municipal jobs. Currently school districts are offered free tuition for one employee to take its classes to be certified as a Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official.

While his office has limited enforcement powers, he said, just making sure the public and city and town officials are aware of fraud and abuse as well as good governance practices is a powerful tool.

“Really bringing something to light, writing about it, making sure the public is aware of it, making sure the local officials and those who oversee those areas of government. It matters,” Shapiro said.

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Registered voters in Haverhill’s Wards 4 and 6 will go to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 9, to whittle down the number of candidates in each ward from three to two.

Haverhill City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright was a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. She discussed the various deadlines facing voters.

“We have an upcoming preliminary election on Tuesday, Sept. 9, but this preliminary is only for voters that are in Wards 4 and 6. So what that means is if you go to vote at the Nettle Middle School, NECCO, Kennedy Circle, Haverhill High, Ward 6 only at Haverhill High, J. G. Whittier Middle School and Pentucket Lake, that means you have an election on Sept. 9. Everybody else? You don’t have to worry about voting until Nov. 4, which will be our general election,” Wright said.

Running for Ward 4 councilor are incumbent Melissa J. Lewandowski, former City Councilor Kenneth E. Quimby and former Patrolman Guy E. Cooper. Running for Ward 6 councilor are incumbent Michael S. McGonagle, firefighter Timothy Carroll and Oliver Aguilo.

Wright said voters who want to get a jump on the election or will be out of town on election day may either vote early in person or request a mail-in ballot. Early voting takes place at Haverhill City Hall in the clerk’s office, Wright explained.

“Yes, we will have early voting but a small change in it. Due to the reduction of voters with only two wards, we will be having it in our office instead. So that’s Room 118 of City Hall. Early voting will occur from Tuesday, Sept. 2, until Friday, Sept. 5, and we’ll be hosting early voting during our open office hours which are 8 to 4 every day,” Wright said.

Those who wish to vote by mail can request a ballot no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. The request form is available at the city clerk’s office or online at the city clerk’s website. The online form must be printed and signed. Voters can return the request in person at the clerk’s office or mail it in time to meet the deadline.

The last day to register to vote in the Sept. 9 preliminary is Friday, Aug. 29, Wright said.

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Upwards of 200 bicyclists will hit the road in September to help raise money to help prevent homelessness in Haverhill.

Al Hanscom, president and CEO of Emmaus House in Haverhill, was a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. Hanscom chatted with host Win Damon about Emmaus programs to prevent homelessness and its major Cycle for Shelter fundraiser Sunday, Sept. 14, at Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill campus.

“We have several rides that they are going to be riding and helping to raise money for homeless families and individuals,” Hanscom said.

Individuals pay a $35 registration fee and asked to raise a minimum of $200. The event, in its 37th, year and has raised more than $2.2 million for homeless prevention programs, Hanscom said.

“We have five different routes for them to be able ride. We have the 100-mile, the 62, the 35. We have a 15-mile family ride with a nice ice cream stop and everything on the way and then we actually have virtual rides for those who want to ride virtually,” Hanscom said.

Hanscom said the day begins at 6 a.m. when riders begin to register. The 100-mile rides leave at 7 a.m. and follow a route out to the North Shore and up the coast to North Hampton, N.H. Volunteers and riders will be offered onsite entertainment including a cookout, Hanscom said.

Hanscom said Emmaus placed 132 families in permanent homes last year. The organization operates both family and individual shelters as well as manages 100 units of supportive housing.

“From July 1, 2024 to June 20, 2025, we were able to place 52 families out of our family shelter right into housing. We also run a diversion program where we have families who are homeless about to enter into family shelter. We were able to place another 72 families directly into housing. So, that’s 132 families in 12 months that we ended their homelessness including into apartments,” Hanscom said.

There’s more information about Cycle for Shelter online at EmmausInc.org.

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