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Inspector general who called Cannabis Control Commission ‘rudderless agency' to testify

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Inspector general who called Cannabis Control Commission ‘rudderless agency' to testify


Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro will testify before state lawmakers Tuesday to discuss the problems he said his office found at the Cannabis Control Commission.

Last month, in a letter to legislative leaders, Shapiro called for a receiver to be appointed to manage daily operations at the CCC, which he called a “rudderless agency.”

Shaprio detailed his concerns on NBC10 Boston’s @Issue.

“The day-to-day operations need to be controlled, and there needs to be clarity as to who’s the operation,” Shapiro told Cory Smith.

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NBC News Legal Analyst Danny Cevallos joined @Issue to talk about the Supreme Court’s immunity decision where the High Court found that presidents have presumptive immunity for official acts. Observers believe the justices handed former President Trump a big win that’s likely to delay his pending criminal trials until after the election and potentially derail them entirely.

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The commission’s chair, Shannon O’Brien, was suspended last year after allegations she made insensitive racial remarks and mistreated an employee. O’Brien has denied any wrongdoing.

The acting chair, Ava Callender Concepcion, has led the agency since last September.

Last month, the CCC voted to strip its acting executive director of her oversight role. The commission’s original executive director, Shawn Collins, resigned in December.

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Shapiro told @Issue that the leadership changes are problematic for all who work at the CCC.

“If I’m an employee that works there, it’s very unclear to me to whom I report. And with this lack of clarity, in my opinion, it’s the dream of any sixth-grader that doesn’t like what’s going on at home. And they ask another parent or another adult in their life,” Shapiro said.

State Sen. Michael Moore, a Democrat in the Worcester area, has called for more state oversight of the CCC for nearly two years. He told @Issue that he wants an overhaul of the commission.

“I think in every aspect of the commission, we’ve got issues. From operational control of it, to the day to day. Treatment of staff, treatment of retailers or the people who are investing in this industry,” Moore said. “I think we need an overhaul of the agency, the operations.”

In his letter to lawmakers, Shapiro wrote that there’s a need for a receiver to oversee the CCC because “for the past two years, CCC’s staff, including its commissioners, have spent considerable time and money seeking to clarify roles and responsibilities … it does not appear the CCC, on its own, is any closer to resolving these issues.”

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Ava Concepcion, the acting chair of the Cannabis Control Commission, talked about the Biden Administration’s recent reclassification of marijuana, the CCC’s social equity problem and the controversy surrounding the commission’s suspended chairwoman, Shannon O’Brien.

Concepcion, the commission’s acting chair, responded, saying the CCC has been working toward addressing concerns the report raised.

“The Cannabis Control Commission is already in the process of addressing the Inspector General’s chief concern relative to producing a charter that would help us clarify governance questions in statute,” she said in a statement. “In my view, the agency’s $160,000 investment into the creation of that charter – a standard tool used by other state agencies – over multiple fiscal years, compared to our nearly $20 million FY24 budget and the $2.48 million we returned in unspent funds at the end of FY23, is anything but waste, fraud, and abuse. As my fellow Commissioners and I have discussed publicly, we intend to have a public conversation about the outcomes of that work very soon.”





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Massachusetts

Haverhill man charged in deadly wrong-way crash on Route 128 in Danvers

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Haverhill man charged in deadly wrong-way crash on Route 128 in Danvers


A Massachusetts man is facing charges after a wrong-way crash that killed a New Hampshire resident last week.

The crash happened around 9:49 p.m. Friday on Route 128 in Danvers. A Hyundai Elantra was traveling in the wrong direction when it hit a Nissan Sentra on the southbound side of the highway.

A passenger of the Sentra, identified as 58-year-old David Mackey of Sandown, New Hampshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Elantra’s driver, 42-year-old Jerry Andujar Bodden of Haverhill, is charged with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation and improper operation of a vehicle, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said, adding that prosecutors intend to bring more charges for allegedly operating under the influence of alcohol.

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Bodden pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Monday in Salem District Court, according to prosecutors.

Judge Randy Chapman ordered Bodden held on $50,000 bail. Conditions include a monitored bar on alcohol consumption, GPS monitoring and home confinement with the exceptions of work, legal and medical appointments, prosecutors said. He is also prohibited from driving while the case is ongoing.

Bodden is due back in court Jan. 21, according to the district attorney’s office.

The highway was shut down for several hours for the investigation but has since reopened.

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Driver Finds Bullet Lodged In Vehicle After Alleged Road Rage Shooting On Massachusetts Highway, “My Life Could Have Been Taken.”

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Driver Finds Bullet Lodged In Vehicle After Alleged Road Rage Shooting On Massachusetts Highway, “My Life Could Have Been Taken.”


Updated on: December 15, 2025

A Massachusetts man says he narrowly escaped death after an alleged road rage shooting on I-495 and is now speaking publicly in hopes of generating new leads for investigators.

Steven Burns was driving home from work on Nov. 4, coming through Marlboro, when he noticed a white truck tailgating him on the highway.

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Bullet lodged in vehicle after alleged road rage shooting on I-495 in Marlboro, Massachusetts/CBS Boston

“It wasn’t until after I pulled over and actually saw that there was a bullet lodged in my B-frame that I said, ‘wow,’” Burns said. “My life could have been taken in an instant over something as dumb as road rage.”



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Mass. snowfall totals: Which communities got the most snow this weekend?

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Mass. snowfall totals: Which communities got the most snow this weekend?


Snow fell across Massachusetts overnight on Saturday and throughout Sunday morning thanks for a fast-moving low pressure system, according to the National Weather Service.

The snowfall is expected to continue into and through the afternoon in many communities, lasting longer in Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties, the weather service said. Southeastern Massachusetts is predicted to see 2 to 4 inches of snow, with cities and towns closest to the coast getting up to 6 inches. A winter weather advisory is set to remain in effect in these counties until 7 p.m. Sunday.

  • Read more: Mass. weather: Snowy Sunday with dangerous, arctic cold to follow

As of the early afternoon on Sunday, no communities had received more than 4 inches, according to the weather service. Falmouth and Dennis recorded getting the most snow so far at 4 inches as of 3:15 p.m.

Here are the snow totals for Massachusetts as of mid-afternoon on Sunday. This article will be updated throughout the day.

4+ inches of snow

3+ inches of snow

  • Bourne
  • Centerville (Barnstable)
  • Hyannis (Barnstable)
  • Mashpee
  • Plymouth
  • Sandwich

2+ inches of snow

  • Acushnet
  • Brewster
  • Chatham
  • Dartmouth
  • East Longmeadow
  • Fairhaven
  • Harwich
  • Kingston
  • Marstons Mills (Barnstable)
  • Mattapoisett
  • Nantucket
  • Oak Bluffs
  • Orange
  • Petersham
  • Sturbridge
  • Truro
  • Vineyard Haven
  • Wareham
  • Warren
  • West Tisbury
  • Yarmouth

1+ inches of snow

  • Acton
  • Ashburnham
  • Barre
  • Bedford
  • Berkley
  • Brighton (Boston)
  • Charlton
  • Chicopee
  • Dennis
  • Dighton
  • Dover
  • Fitchburg
  • Freetown
  • Gardner
  • Grafton
  • Holden
  • Holliston
  • Hubbardston
  • Ipswich
  • Leominster
  • Lexington
  • Lowell
  • Marshfield
  • Milton
  • New Bedford
  • North Attleborough
  • Norton
  • Orleans
  • Osterville (Barnstable)
  • Pepperell
  • Rochester
  • Somerset
  • Swansea
  • Tewksbury
  • Tyngsborough
  • Westborough
  • Westport
  • Wilbraham
  • Wilmington



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