"Dudley driver allegedly drunk in school bus crash" by Brian Lee and George Barnes Worcester Telegram & Gazette February 13, 2016
DUDLEY — A school bus driver whose bus crashed with 11 students on board was released on personal recognizance Friday after being arraigned on drunken driving and other charges.
Scott M. Poirier, 42, was driving a First Student bus carrying the Shepherd Hill Regional High School and Dudley Middle School students Thursday when it struck a utility pole on Hayden Pond Road in Dudley. No students were hurt.
Poirier was arraigned in Dudley District Court on charges of drunken driving, negligent driving, and eight counts of child endangerment while under the influence of alcohol.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Luzzo said the driver was taking the students home from school when he realized he missed a stop.
He said Poirier then backed the bus up, striking the pole and snapping it. The pole fell on a parked car with the wires resting on the top of the bus.
According to police reports, one of the students told police that they were shouting for Poirier to stop before the accident because they could see the bus was heading toward the pole.
Scary for the kids, but gave 'em something to talk about and no one was hurt.
Luzzo said that when police arrived, Poirier was seen slipping and falling down the bus steps. He then got up and made his way back up the steps.
After police checked on the students, eight of whom were under age 14, they interviewed Poirier and administered a field sobriety test, which he allegedly had difficulty with. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.157, investigators said.
When asked if he had been drinking, Poirier denied it, Luzzo said. Poirier said he had taken doses of cold medications Nyquil and Dayquil earlier in the day. He was offered a chance to provide a chemical breath sample, but refused, officials said.
In court Friday morning, not-guilty pleas were entered on all charges.
Poirier was then released on his own recognizance and ordered to wear a monitoring bracelet.
Other conditions of his release included that he have no contact with children other than his own, not operate a motor vehicle, remain alcohol free, and submit to random alcohol screenings.
Gregg J. Desto, superintendent of schools for the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District, said in a statement Friday that the bus company, First Student, has the bus services contract with the district.
He said the company takes student safety very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for such situations.
“We have been in close contact with First Student since the accident,” Desto said. “A full review is underway, along with appropriate disciplinary action.”
Desto said the district and the bus company are also reviewing policies and procedures.
He said a new driver has been assigned to the bus Poirier had been driving for all high school, middle school, and elementary routes, and all parents of students assigned to the bus have been notified in writing.
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When you drink you look for drugs:
"State Police arrest Roxbury man for allegedly trafficking 4 pounds of heroin" by J.D. Capelouto Globe Correspondent February 12, 2016
A Roxbury man who was stopped after allegedly failing to heed a stop sign was arrested Thursday after troopers found 4 pounds of heroin in his car, according to State Police.
Alex Hernandez, 37, was held on $50,000 bail on charges of heroin trafficking, furnishing a false name and traffic violations.
He was initially pulled over by a state trooper at about 6 p.m. on Columbia Road in Dorchester for failing to stop at a stop sign on Old Road, State Police said in a statement.
The trooper found what was believed to be heroin on Hernandez, and a later search uncovered a large container filled with 4 pounds of suspected heroin inside the 2009 Toyota Camry, the statement said. He also found $1,757 in cash.
In addition, Hernandez allegedly falsified his name and provided false Registry of Motor Vehicle documents.
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He wasn't a kingpin though.
"Mass. patients allotted more medical marijuana" by Kay Lazar Globe Staff February 13, 2016
State health authorities Friday more than doubled the amount of medical marijuana that patients can buy, a move made after regulators determined laboratories can ensure the safety of the drug.
“We are proud to be moving forward with science-based protocols, based on stakeholder feedback, that will allow us to continue assuring patients are receiving safe, high-quality marijuana for medical use,” said Scott Zoback, the state Department of Public Health spokesman.
Regulators had been concerned that laboratories were not able to safely screen for levels of cadmium and other heavy metals, leaving patients vulnerable to a toxic accumulation of contaminants.
Oh, now they are finally worried about your health. Forget the rest of the products loaded with those corporate contaminants.
Imagine if they were to sift through the pharmaceuticals for such cleanline$$. Maybe the meningitis murders never happen.
The health department granted waivers to the four marijuana dispensaries that have opened in the state, permitting them to sell the drug with higher-than-allowed contaminant levels, but in limited quantities — a maximum of 4.23 ounces over two months.
Regulators based that strict limit on worst-case scenarios, assuming patients might consume the marijuana in a short amount of time.
There they go again! Unrealistic scenarios to justify their position!
Nothing presenting a situation that doesn't exist to get your point across, 'eh?
I think we used to call that setting up a straw man.
Now I'm going to tell you a story from more than 30 years ago.
I was once told you couldn't overdose on pot, and set out to prove it. Sat down after work and had two fat joints rolled. Said I'm going to smoke until I od. Had more to roll after, but that was my start. Put the music on and started puffing. Getting one done was good, had a real good buzz, picked up the second one and started smoking. About halfway through I had stopped smoking, shut my eyes, the bone went out as I continued to hold it in my hand, and I was done.
I guess I did od, and it didn't kill me like other drugs (or drink).
(Cough)
Enough memory lane.
The restrictions prompted an outcry from patients, dispensary owners, and laboratory chemists who said the rules were too stringent and impeded access to medical marijuana.
I so sick of the suffering complaining.
Now, with data about medical marijuana use across the country, the state has based contaminant limits on the amount patients are expected to regularly use. Regulators will require labeling to indicate the appropriate dosage. The concept is similar to what applies to an over-the-counter painkiller such as Tylenol, which is considered safe in recommended doses but potentially harmful in greater quantities.
“By adopting this approach, we are ensuring that the standards . . . have been developed through a rigorous process with a high level of public assurance that they have been developed using a broadly representative body of science,” the department said in a letter sent Friday to dispensary owners.
The changes come as two more dispensaries are poised to open.
Patriot Care in Lowell is scheduled to open Tuesday....
Oh, no thanks, I pass.
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I think I'll go get a drink before picking up the kids.
