In the News

Despite broad praise for the operation that ended with the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, President Trump’s overall Syria policy drew continued criticism by local Democrats Sunday.

“We killed one important ISIS figurehead, but it’s a very decentralized organization with plenty more fighters on the ground in Syria, in Iraq and in the pipeline,” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said. “Make no mistake, it’s a good thing he’s killed, but our fight is in a far worse position against ISIS.”

LYNN — General Electric Co. received a $143 million contract from the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for the production of engines that will power the U.S. Marine Corps’ heavy-lift helicopters.

GE Aviation delivered its first production T408 engine for the helicopters to NAVAIR last month. GE held a ceremony Friday in the city to mark the occasion.

BEVERLY — Beverly Hospital has changed course and now says it will keep a mental health and addiction program that it had planned to close.

The outpatient program, which treats about 500 people per year, was scheduled to shut down last month, forcing patients to travel to similar programs in Lynn and Gloucester. But hospital officials changed course after failing to notify the state Department of Public Health of its plan and receiving backlash from alumni of the program.

Senators on the Armed Services Committee introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would expand access to eating disorder treatment for service members, their families and retirees.

The proposed bill, the Supporting Eating Disorders Recovery Through Vital Expansion, or SERVE, Act, is similar to one introduced in May by combat veterans and House members Brian Mast, R-Florida, and Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, that would require military leaders be trained to recognize the signs of eating disorders in service members and expand coverage for care.

A new task force established by the House Armed Services Committee expects to ask "tough questions" about the Defense Department's strategy, investments and structure for addressing future threats, with a heavy emphasis on China. The "Future of Defense" task force will spend the next six months digging into "big strategic questions" typically not addressed during the day-to-day work of the committee, according to task force co-Chairman Seth Moulton (D-MA). "Not just where we need to be in the next year

NORTH ANDOVER — Hundreds of people from across the Merrimack Valley and beyond joined together Saturday for a 1.5-mile walk to raise money for the Samaritans of the Merrimack Valley, an organization devoted to raising awareness of suicide prevention.

The 3rd annual Walk for Hope was on track to raise about $16,000, according to the organization's website.

The mood is tense in Amuda, the Syrian community on the Turkish border where Dr. Haval Chweich grew up and many of his uncles, aunts, and cousins still live.

Strikes on nearby Sere Kaniye by Turkish forces have made Chweich’s relatives worry that the violence will soon be at their doorstep, and some would like to flee, but their options are limited.

“They’re really disturbed, anxious, and really scared that Turkey would attack that area,” said Chweich, a Melrose resident and a physician at Tufts Medical Center. “There isn’t really any safe place to be in now.”

The United States and Turkey have agreed to a temporary cease-fire in northern Syria that gives Kurdish fighters five days to leave the area, with President Trump lauding the deal as “a great day for civilization” even as it appears to favor Turkish interests in the region.

“This is a great day for civilization,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I am proud of the United States for sticking by me in following a necessary, but somewhat unconventional, path. People have been trying to make this ‘Deal’ for many years. Millions of lives will be saved. Congratulations to ALL!”