The Daily Populous

Massachusetts police officer charged with drunken driving was already on leave for forgetting handgun in restaurant bathroom

A Massachusetts police officer who has been on paid administrative leave for forgetting his handgun in a restaurant bathroom is now being charged with drunken driving, officials said.

Christopher Challies, 46, crashed his pickup truck into a utility pole on Route 6 in Barnstable near the Sandwich town line on Monday, police said in a statement released Friday.

Challies is a Barnstable police sergeant and 20-year veteran of the police department who has been on paid administrative leave after leaving his handgun in the bathroom of a Bourne restaurant in September 2016, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Challies, of Sandwich, suffered injuries in the crash and was taken to the Cape Cod Hospital Emergency Room.

The pickup truck went about 75 yards off the road before striking the utility pole, causing extensive front-end damage, police said.

Police said Challies told officers he was distracted by a cell phone prior to the crash.

That section of Route 6A was closed for about 15 hours as crews replaced the utility pole. »

Tesla strikes another deal that shows it's about to turn the car insurance world upside down

Authored by businessinsider.com

InsureMyTesla shows how the insurance industry is bound for disruption as cars get safer with self-driving tech.

Tesla struck a deal with Liberty Mutual to create a customized insurance package â and the move shows how the electric automaker is intent on disrupting the insurance industry.

"Itâs our vision in the future we could offer a single price for the car, maintenance, and insurance.". »

Catalonia independence: Puigdemont 'will not accept' Rajoy plan

Authored by bbc.co.uk

The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, says the region will not accept Madrid's plan for direct rule.

Addressing European citizens in English, he added that the EU's founding values were "at risk" in Catalonia.

Instead, he said, the plan was to remove those people who had "taken self-government outside the law and the constitution". »

All five living former US presidents make rare appearance together

Authored by theguardian.com

Presidents gather for fundraiser for those affected by hurricanes that struck Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

The five living former US presidents made a rare appearance together on stage on Saturday night at a fundraiser for those affected by recent hurricanes that struck Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Both Bushes live in Texas and the 41st president’s library and museum is on the A&M campus. »

GA lawmaker: Can HIV patients be quarantined?

Authored by cnn.com

Dr. Betty Price, a Republican, asked Dr. Pascale Wortley, director of the HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Surveillance Section at the Georgia Department of Public Health.

... What would you advise, or are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?".

Wortley did not directly address Price's question about quarantine, pivoting instead to describing the state's programs for identifying and tracking HIV patients. »