A Somerset, Massachusetts driver is facing charges after she was accused of driving a school van with children on board while being drunk, reported WJAR.

The alleged incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, when state police troopers pulled over a Grand Caravan with a school bus plate that was being driven erratically on Route 140 in New Bedford.

According to the news report, the driver identified as Rebecca Shing was transporting four children and an 18-year-old at the time of the incident.

State police said Shing, 34, was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and four counts of child endangerment. Shing admitted to consuming suboxone, an opioid addiction treatment drug, and was arrested after an investigation and a 0.15 blood alcohol content reading from a breathalyzer test administered on site.

Court documents indicate Shing was driving a van that belongs to H&L Bloom Inc., a transportation service based in Taunton, where she was employed as a driver.

Shing entered a not guilty plea, and she was released on $1,000 cash bail. Her license was suspended, and she was terminated from her job at H&L Bloom. She must complete and pass three remote alcohol tests a day while she awaits her pretrial hearing on Nov. 29.

Related: Missouri School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI
Related: Massachusetts School Bus Driver Charged with Drunk Driving

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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

An ad by the liberal super PAC WinSenate mischaracterizes what Republican Eric Hovde said about beer sales.

Hovde is running Nov. 5, 2024, against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

The ad says: “How do you know a politician’s not from around here? How about calling for a ban on beer sales? … And he actually said that.”

The ad alludes to a March Rolling Stone article. It reported Hovde in 2017 responded to a question about legalizing marijuana by saying:

“So, if we just decriminalize (marijuana)? Fine. … Frankly, it should have happened with alcohol. … Alcohol has a lot of negative byproducts. If somebody wanted to distill it, drink it. Fine, go ahead. But, sadly, as we know, it’s produced a lot of negative byproducts. … And saying that, I think the cat’s out of the — or, the horse is out of the barn, and it’s going to be hard to put back.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

AdImpact: Beer 30s

WisPolitics: WinSenate ad knocks Hovde’s criticism of alcohol sales – WisPolitics

OpenSecrets: WinSenate PAC Outside Spending • OpenSecrets

Washington Examiner: Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate suggested banning alcohol sales in state known for its booze: Report – Washington Examiner

Rolling Stone: GOP Senate Candidate Took Bold Stance Against the Sale of Alcohol … in Wisconsin

Did Eric Hovde call for banning beer sales? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

A Camdenton School District school bus driver in Missouri was arrested on Friday afternoon after driving a school bus with children onboard while intoxicated, reported KY3 News.

According to the news report, school bus driver Brett Emehiser was charged with 20 counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child along with 20 counts of driving while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 17.

Local news reports say police found the bus stopped at Route EE and Coot Circle Road. Authorities told reporters that the children on the bus had noticed Emehiser driving erratically and almost crashing into other vehicles.

Emehiser was reportedly slurring his words when police approached him. Authorities say his blood alcohol content was .180.

The school district is reportedly working with law enforcement to address this incident. Emehiser is currently being held in the Camden County Jail with no bond.

Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI
Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: Vermont School Bus Driver Arrested Due to Crash on Suspicion of DUI
Related: New Jersey School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

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A northern Minnesota school bus driver was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly driving while intoxicated with students on board, reported CBS News.

According to the news report, the 44-year-old man, allegedly blew a preliminary blood alcohol concentration of 0.16, which is double the legal limit.

A concerned citizen reported the bus driver had been consuming alcohol while off duty and they were worried the driver would not be sober in time for his bus route.

The article states that deputies made contact with the person that reported the driver at 6 a.m. and were told the driver would not be working that day. However, an hour later, the district told the sheriff’s office that the bus driver had started his route.

The driver, whose name was not released in this writing, was reportedly transporting 17 South Ridge School students at the time.

Deputies reportedly located the bus on Independence Road and pulled it over. The driver was arrested by authorities for suspicion of second-degree DWI. Parents were notified of the incident.

Related: North Carolina School Bus Driver Charged with DUI
Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Admits to DUI After Crashing with Students Onboard
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Runs Over Student’s Legs

The post Minnesota School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools bus driver was arrested on Aug. 29 for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, reported WRAL News.

According to the news report, police arrested 70-year-old Sylvia Ann Dollard. Detectives said there were 21 Oakland Elementary School students on board at the time of the incident. Dollard now faces 10 misdemeanors of child abuse charges.

Witnesses told local news reporters that parents had to intervene and stop Dollard from driving after they noticed her driving erratically and missing school bus stops in their neighborhood.

Dollard, who first started working with the district in 2014, was reportedly suspended with pay effective Aug. 30.

Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Admits to DUI After Crashing with Students Onboard
Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: North Carolina School Bus Driver Charged with Sex Crimes Against Students
Related: North Carolina Motorcyclist Arrested for Almost Hitting Student

The post North Carolina School Bus Driver Charged with DUI appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Chisago County school bus driver admitted to being drunk when she crashed her school bus the morning of Feb. 15 with dozens of students onboard, reported StarTribune.

On Aug. 7 in district court, 60-year-old Kara Jean Ffrench pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving a commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol level of at least 0.04 percent, the maximum allowed BAC per federal commercial driver regulations.

The incident reportedly took place when Ffrench was transporting 45 Rush City students to school. About two-thirds were of elementary school age and the others in high school. No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.

Police arrived at the crash scene and saw the bus stuck on the edge of a cornfield after striking a basketball hoop. Ffrench tried to explain that she had trouble finding the brake and reportedly denied that she had been drinking.

Ffrench exited the bus holding a bottle of water and a coffee mug. The sergeant at the scene reportedly smelled the odor of alcohol coming from the mug.

The article states that a preliminary breath test administered by law enforcement at the scene measured Ffrench’s BAC at 0.199 percent. She later took additional tests at the County Jail less than two hours after the crash, which came back at 0.17 percent.

Sentencing for Ffrench is reportedly scheduled for Nov. 6.

Related: New Jersey School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Related: Florida School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Runs Over Student’s Legs
Related: Minnesota Celebrates School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

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