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A new MA law will protect animals at boarding facilities. What to know about it

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A new MA law will protect animals at boarding facilities. What to know about it


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New regulations are coming for pet kennel, in a move legislators are touting will increase pet safety.

Gov. Maura Healey and Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll signed Ollie’s law on Oct. 10, which is meant to bring oversight to the kennel industry in Massachusetts.

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The legislation is the result of four years of effort from Amy Baxter, the dog mom of labradoodle Ollie. In 2020, Ollie sustained serious injuries in a dog fight while staying at a doggy daycare and died from complications soon after. Baxter has fought since then for more animal protection. The law is now named “Ollie’s Law” after her dog.

“For far too long, Massachusetts lacked oversight of our animal daycare facilities, and our pets paid the cost for that inaction,” said Driscoll in a press release. “Now, pet facilities across Massachusetts will begin adhering to a higher standard to make sure our pets are properly cared for and come home happy and healthy to their families.”

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What is Ollie’s Law?

Ollie’s Law updates licensure and regulation of kennels and other pet boarding facilities.

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Specifically, under Ollie’s Law, all kennels and their individual dogs must be licensed, and all kennels must have an established limit of the number of animals that can be housed according to accommodations and staff availability.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will provide all kennels with detailed operational and safety regulations, to be enforced by municipalities.



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Massachusetts

Massachusetts man charged with threatening girlfriend of FBI Director Patel

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Massachusetts man charged with threatening girlfriend of FBI Director Patel


A Massachusetts man was arrested last week after authorities said he sent FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend an email ​saying he would be “happy” when her face is “canoed by an assault ‌rifle,” court records unsealed on Thursday showed.



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20 new charges brought against former Massachusetts doctor accused of rape

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20 new charges brought against former Massachusetts doctor accused of rape


A former Brigham and Women’s Doctor who was charged with raping two patients last year has been indicted on new charges. Derrick Todd, 52, from Wayland, Massachusetts, was indicted by a grand jury on three charges of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault and battery. He is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday, March 25.

“The allegations outlined in those indictments reflect just an extraordinary exploitation of a patient’s vulnerability and abuse of a position of trust,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told reporters.

The new charges stem from allegations by 11 women from the ages of 20 to 60 years old, Ryan said. The crimes allegedly occurred between 2022 and 2023 while Todd was a practicing rheumatologist and primary care physician at Charles River Medical Associates, a private practice in Framingham.

“Allegations include him making inappropriate sexual comments during exams, conducting exams that were excessively painful, and conducting examinations that lasted an unusual and unnecessary amount of time,” Ryan said.

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Todd first faced criminal charges last year when he was indicted on charges of raping a 39-year-old woman and 26-year-old woman, both patients at Charles River.

Dozens more women accuse Todd of abuse, some during his time at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, with more than 270 plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against him.

“He was a master manipulator. And his ability to groom patients, giving them access, seeing them early hours, late in the evening, texting with them by cellphone privately,” said attorney William Thompson who is representing his accusers.

Faulker Hospital conducted its own investigation and fired Todd. He also relinquished his license to practice.

DA Ryan said her office has completed its investigation but that still leaves room for others to come forward and for other counties to bring charges.

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“It’s a journey. It’s day by day, and everyone is a survivor, and everyone is healing in their own way,” Thompson said.



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Massachusetts cop shoots and kills person who was armed with a knife: Norfolk DA

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Massachusetts cop shoots and kills person who was armed with a knife: Norfolk DA


A local police officer fatally shot a person who was armed with a knife and “appeared to be in distress” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Norfolk DA’s office.

The officer-involved shooting happened in Weymouth at around 4 p.m. after police responded to a 911 call for service at the Webb Memorial State Park off River Street.

“Police arrived to that location and encountered an individual with a knife who appeared to be in distress,” the Norfolk DA’s office wrote.

“The Officer immediately administered first aid to the victim prior to transporting him to an area hospital in critical condition,” the office added.

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The male who was critically injured was later pronounced dead at the hospital.



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