FRAMINGHAM (AP) — A Massachusetts mayor is asking the state Cannabis Control Commission to investigate after hundreds of vials containing marijuana residue were found in the trash outside a medical marijuana testing facility.
Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer wants to know how the vials containing what police described as a “brown, sticky liquid” were found Sunday in MCR Labs’ trash. Spicer alleges the lab broke rules regarding disposal of cannabis waste.
MCR Labs has about 25 employees and serves nearly all registered medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. Before products can be sold, they are tested for potency and any potential hazards, such as heavy metals and microbiological contaminants.
A spokeswoman for MCR Labs says representatives from the commission met with the business this week and the company is working with the state on the issue.
LOWELL (AP) — A Massachusetts man who repeatedly stabbed his wife and intentionally crashed his car into a tree last year will spend up to 10 years in prison under terms of a plea agreement.
The Lowell Sun reports that an attorney for 60-year-old James O’Neil says he agreed to plead guilty to armed assault with intent to murder after consideration of a trial’s impact on his family.
Police say O’Neil stabbed his wife the night of Jan. 16, 2018 and fled before police arrived. The woman suffered serious injuries but survived. O’Neil was later found unconscious and trapped in his crashed car near the family’s home in Dracut.
WORCESTER (AP) — A Massachusetts man charged with killing his 88-year-old stepfather in 2012, but who has never stood trial because he was ruled mentally incompetent, may soon face a jury.
The Telegram & Gazette reports that a lawyer for 44-year-old Jason Masiello told a judge Tuesday that his client, who has spent years at a psychiatric facility, had recently been found competent.
Masiello is charged with first-degree murder in the August 2012 slaying of Michael Iagallo in the family’s Spencer home. Authorities say Masiello slashed Iagallo’s throat, wrapped his body in plastic and put it in a crawlspace under the house.
A psychologist determined in 2013 that Masiello had either a delusional disorder or schizophrenia. The defense says he and the prosecution had discussed possibly resolving the case before going to trial.
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is planning a road trip to Washington with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.
The Democrat said in his annual State of the City address Tuesday that he and the Republican governor are hoping to show a “united front” as they meet members of a Republican-led Senate and Democratic-led House of Representatives.
Walsh said the bipartisan pair will push for greater “investments in housing and transit and the environment.”
In the speech Walsh outlined a series of goals including getting 20,000 Bostonians into better paying jobs by 2022.
Other goals include creating more affordable housing, keeping tenants in their homes, reducing violence, helping the homeless, and grappling with the challenges posed by climate change.
Walsh also said the city has been named a finalist for the 2020 NAACP convention.