High School Safety, Amazon, OxyContin: North Andover's 2019

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — In 2019, two stories dominated North Andover headlines: Amazon's plans to open a major warehouse in town, and the school district's handling of sexual assault accusations. Cleanup and legal fallout from the fatal 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions continued, and a North Andover doctor was called one of the state's biggest opiate prescribers by the attorney general.

North Andover Schools Rescind Controversial Safety Plans

In March, after weeks of uproar, North Andover schools announced they were changing how they handled sexual assault. The story moved quickly. On March 11, Eliezer Tuttle, a North Andover 18-year-old was charged with rape in New Hampshire. Days later, a student at North Andover High School told the Eagle-Tribune that after Tuttle assaulted her, the school put her on a "safety plan" that threatened her with disciplinary action. At least two other students at the school accused him of sexual assault, and students walked out on March 20 over the use of safety plans. On March 28, the district announced it had rescinded all the plans, and would no longer use them.

Amazon Will Build Warehouse At North Andover's Osgood Landing

Former Town Manager Andrew Maylor confirmed in May that Amazon was looking to build a warehouse, potentially employing 1,500 people, at Osgood Landing. At a public meeting, the company said it expected to pay a tax bill over $3 million for the facility. Town Meeting voters approved zoning changes and a sewer line extension for the project in June, and in September, additional details became available in a planning board application.

North Andover Car Crash Victims Were Brooks School Students

In September, three Brooks School students were hospitalized with serious to moderate injuries following a car crash in November.

AG: North Andover Doc Was Top OxyContin Prescriber In State

Way back in February, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma. In the complaint, former North Andover doctor Walter Jacobs was described as formerly one of the biggest prescribers of the opiate in the state. In 2012, he surrendered his medical license during a misconduct investigation.

38 Arrested In 'Devil's Highway' Merrimack Valley Drug Bust

In September, federal officials announced that 38 people in Lawrence and surrounding communities were arrested and charged with federal drug offenses following a 10-week multi-agency investigation in the Merrimack Valley.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.