News

ESSEX — It’s just a bill on Capitol Hill, but President Obama’s signature would be a panacea for boaters who travel the Essex River.

If the president signs it, the Water Resource Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) would allow dredging in the Essex River for the first time since 1992 because of a provision pushed by Congressman Seth Moulton of Salem. The project calls for the town to dredge the upper part of the river as it approaches the downtown Causeway, allowing for the safe passage of watercraft.

GLOUCESTER — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton was well into his town meeting Monday with an overflow crowd of Cape Ann constituents when a military veteran in the audience described his own experiences with the Veterans Administration health system as largely positive.

After thanking the man both for his service and his question, Moulton conceded that his own experience with the VA system — as a Marine Corps veteran who served four tours in Iraq — fell more accurately within the gray area of mixed results.

BEVERLY — Nobody was offended, or even inconvenienced, when word spread that Mark Emmert would be a late arrival at the big party in honor of Pete Frates.

The 6th District Economic Development Federal Resource Forum will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at Peabody City Hall, 24 Lowell St.

Moulton, a Salem Democrat who was elected to his second term in November, will also discuss the impact of the Trump administration on local businesses and regional economic development.

PEABODY— Help is on the way for North Shore entrepreneurs seeking cash to start a business, first-time homebuyers looking for a low-cost mortgage and the unemployed seeking job training.

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) will host an Economic Development Federal Resource Forum at Peabody City Hall today. The event will feature senior staff from 13 federal agencies.

BEVERLY — Nancy Frates says that March 13, 2012, was the lowest day in her life.

That’s when the news came that her son, Peter, had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, paralysis and, ultimately, respiratory failure; and for which there is no cure.

But, as Boston College athletic director Brad Bates said Tuesday at the Frates home in Beverly, “when you are handed the most horrific circumstances and you see that as an opportunity, you are an inspiration.”

The headquarters are currently being leased in Concord, but USACE NE has sought to renovate former Air Force research laboratory buildings on Hanscom Air Force Base for the headquarters, with the goal of saving government funding over the long-term.