Showing posts with label Boston Globe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Globe. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Boston Globe: "Thanks to a 26-year-old nonprofit founder, one less downtown Boston office building is vacant"

"Imagine being 26 years old, at the start of your career, and figuring out how to buy an office building in the middle of downtown Boston for your fast-growing nonprofit.

The improbable scenario is all too real for Connor Schoen, who in December engineered one of the most surprising real estate deals in the city: a $6.3 million purchase of a five-story building on Franklin Street for the nonprofit he leads, Breaktime.

Schoen’s social entrepreneurship quickly became the talk of the town. Nonprofit executives and philanthropic leaders reached out to him about what they could learn from the deal, and whether they, too, could invest in downtown at a time when office building values have plummeted. For Breaktime and other nonprofits that might follow its lead, owning instead of leasing provides some control over their destiny."
Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/11/business/breaktime-nonprofit-connor-schoen-downtown-office-building/

You can read the article using the Franklin Library subscription to the Boston Globe. Follow these steps to do that ->
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/how-to-access-online-resources-with.html

Boston Globe: "Thanks to a 26-year-old nonprofit founder, one less downtown Boston office building is vacant"

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

How to Access Online Resources with your Franklin Library card

As you have noticed, I share pertinent articles from other legitimate media sources.


When I do that for the Boston Globe and NY Times, you can access the full article in the newspaper with a Franklin Public Library card. If you don't already have one, might be a good idea to get one.

There are a whole listing of online resources available with a library card. You'll need to go the Library page, Online resources, and then follow that link which will prompt you for your library card to get access. A few clicks but those clicks save you the subscription fee.

How to access the Online Resources step by step with the Boston Globe newspaper shown as an example:

Go to the Library page ->  https://franklinma.gov/233/Franklin-Public-Library 


Select “Online Resources” as indicated by the red arrow


Select “Online Resources” as indicated by the red arrow
Select “Online Resources” as indicated by the red arrow


Scroll alphabetically, or chose the alpha section to the one you want


Scroll alphabetically, or chose the alpha section to the one you want
Scroll alphabetically, or chose the alpha section to the one you want

On the next screen enter your Library card # and then enjoy the online access to this resource

On the next screen enter your Library card # and then enjoy the online access to this resource
On the next screen enter your Library card # and then enjoy the online access to this resource

While these steps are the easy one two three for most of the databases, there are a few that require some extra steps. If you need help getting access please contact the library through the website contact forms (https://www.franklinma.gov/235/Contact-Us) or call the main line at 508-520-4941


Download this info as a one page PDF to remember or to share

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Franklin is not alone in facing school district funding issues

"Residents of this town near the New Hampshire border have been on a roller coaster since early December over the future of its only school, which has just 150 students.

Franklin is not alone in facing school district funding issues
school district funding issues
At first the news was bleak: Ashby Elementary was one of two schools the North Middlesex Regional School Committee targeted for closure in December to remedy a projected $3.5 million shortfall for next year. One month later, the committee rescinded that vote, which also spared Spaulding Memorial School in neighboring Townsend.

But then on Thursday night, the committee moved forward with shuttering Ashby as part of the superintendent’s proposed budget, which would also likely require voters approve a tax increase to fully address the shortfall.

“It’s going to be detrimental to the community,” said Richie Sun, who has children in the second and third grades at Ashby. “People will move out and people won’t move in. Home prices will fall.”
Continue reading the article online -> (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/09/metro/massachusetts-school-districts-budget-cuts-inflation/

The 2nd of 6 Listening Sessions conducted by the Joint Budget Subcommittee will be held Wednesday at Remington/Jefferson cafetorium at 7 PM. Please attend to ask a question or make a comment. Please tune in via Comcast, Verizon or YouTube to watch and follow along.

Friday, February 7, 2025

State Rep Jeff Roy looks back on 2024 and ahead to 2025 (audio)

FM #1373 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1373 in the series. 


This session shares my conversation with State Representative Jeff Roy. We had our discussion in person at the Franklin TV & Radio Studio on Monday, February 3, 2025. 


We cover 

  • The recent Legislative session #193 of the General Court

  • Legislation filed for #194

  • Entertainment fee to offset cable cord cutting for local PEG channels 

  • Transparency and the Globe articles 

  • Changes at the Federal level can have impact to us


The recording runs about 49 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1373-state-rep-jeff-roy-02-03-25/



--------------


Jeff’s Representative profile page at MA Legislature =  https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/JNR1  


Jeff Roy’s Twitter =  https://twitter.com/jeffroy  


Representative Roy’s Facebook page =  https://www.facebook.com/RepJeffRoy/  


Subscribe to Jeff’s newsletter -> https://jeffreyroy.com/newsletter/


BU Student generate project archive with the info on the development of the major MA climate legislation passed in 2022 by Gov Baker -> "Chapter 179, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind"

https://sites.bu.edu/masslaw/2023/02/10/chapter-179-an-act-driving-clean-energy-and-offshore-wind/ 



-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 


This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.


How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

  • If you don't like something here, please let me know

  • And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do


Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.


For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 


If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com


The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.


I hope you enjoy!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Boston Globe: "Five things to know about Trump’s school choice executive order"

Boston Globe: "Five things to know about Trump’s school choice executive order"
"5 things to know about Trump’s school choice executive order"
"President Trump last week signed an executive order to expand school choice.

The move has drawn praise from conservatives who have long-advocated for families to be able to use taxpayer dollars to support their children’s private or faith-based education.

Critics, meanwhile, see Trump’s order as an attempt to dismantle public education, trampling student rights in the process."



Sunday, February 2, 2025

Boston Globe: "In re-filed bill, Healey takes second swing to allow cities and towns to raise taxes on hotels, meals, cars"

"Governor Maura Healey on Friday filed legislation geared toward cities and towns that would cement the option for hybrid public meetings, and allow local leaders to raise the tax rate on hotel stays, meals, and cars in their borders.

The sprawling proposal, which Healey previewed to municipal leaders at the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s annual conference in Boston last week, mirrors parts of legislation that Healey filed a year ago, which died in the Legislature.

Among those provisions she’s reintroducing are three tax proposals that her administration last year estimated could collectively generate more than $150 million in new annual tax revenue for towns and cities.

Boston Globe: "In re-filed bill, Healey takes second swing to allow cities and towns to raise taxes on hotels, meals, cars"
Boston Globe: "In re-filed bill, Healey takes second
swing to allow cities and towns to
raise taxes on hotels, meals, cars"
They include a provision that would allow towns and cities to collect a 1 percent tax on meals in restaurants and local stores, up from the current 0.75 percent maximum. Healey’s bill would also create an option for cities and towns to charge an additional 5 percent on the motor vehicle excise fee residents pay."
Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) ->

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Boston Globe: "How a burglary ring was finally brought down"

"The spree started in June of 2018 with three robberies in Bellingham and one each in Franklin and Millis. Then, authorities say, the gang set its sights on the town of Sharon.

Boston Globe: "How a burglary ring was finally brought down"
"How a burglary ring was finally brought down"
The town has a vibrant Indian community, one big enough to support an Indian wedding planning business, an Indian spice boutique, and the cultural nonprofit Indian American Association of Sharon. When a home across the street from the spice store got robbed, the thieves made off with thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels, including diamonds, pearls, and sapphires.

Just after 9 p.m. on a night that August, according to a police report, Sharon Detective Anthony Lucie spotted a Toyota minivan driving back and forth in the area around Forge Road and Firebrick Lane."
Shared from  (subscription maybe required) ->

Friday, January 24, 2025

Boston Globe: AG Campbell co-sponsors bill to ban cell phone use in Mass. public schools

"Attorney General Andrea Campbell is joining the growing nationwide push to crack down on students' cell phone use during school hours.

Campbell spoke before the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Thursday about her efforts to shield children from the harmful effects of social media, one week after she, along with several state lawmakers, filed legislation that aims to impose a “bell-to-bell” ban on personal cell phone use at all Massachusetts public schools during class time. Called the “STUDY Act,” it also would require social media companies to implement additional health and safety policies.
Boston GLobe: AG Campbell co-sponsors bill to ban cell phone use in Mass. public schools
ban cell phone use in Mass. public schools

“By restricting cellphones during the school day and raising the bar for social media companies, we are taking bold steps to create learning environments free from distraction and a digital landscape that prioritizes the well-being of our youth,“ Campbell said in a statement last week. ”This bill is a commitment to both education and mental health for our young people, ensuring they have the tools to succeed without unnecessary harm.”
Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) 




Saturday, January 18, 2025

Boston Globe: "How is the state doing on climate? The latest report card tells all"

"The state’s second-ever annual Climate Report Card was released Friday, showing a mixed bag of results.

Last year showed some progress on heat pump installations, electric vehicles and chargers, land conservation, and efforts at adaptation to the impacts of climate change. But there were some clear headwinds, too, that led to a slowdown in clean energy development — a must-have if the state is going to stay on track for its target of essentially zeroing out greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.

“For the things that we can control, we are seeing the results,” said Katherine Antos, state undersecretary for decarbonization and resilience. “The challenges that we’re facing more have to do with macro economic conditions.”

One thing is clear: While every year in this decade is critical for the climate, the hardest part is yet to come. “We always knew that 2025 to 2030 is the time where we really need to see market transformation and scaling of these solutions,” Antos said."
Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) ->

Monday, January 13, 2025

Boston Globe All-scholastics recognize FHS' Crandall, Kuykendall, O'Connor, & Scagliarini for Fall 2024

Boston Globe Schools (@GlobeSchools) posted at 9:55 AM on Fri, Jan 10, 2025:
Via the Boston Globe -> 
Introducing the Fall 2024 All-Scholastics: See the athletes and coaches of the year https://t.co/8kHhGGff6q

FHS All-scholastics for Fall 2024

Raena Crandall, Franklin | Senior
  • A four-year varsity starter, Crandall captained her team to a fourth-straight Hockomock League title. The two-time Hockomock League All-Star finished her high school career with 93 goals and 37 assists. She will play for Sacred Heart next fall.

Garrett Scagliarini, Franklin | Senior
  • The Hockomock MVP led the Panthers to the Division 1 quarterfinal with 15 goals and 15 assists. The senior captain is Franklin’s all-time assist leader with 28 and his 55 points rank third. He will play at Endicott next fall.

Kelly O'Connor, Franklin | Senior
  • The All-New England and two-time All-Scholastic netted a Hockomock-leading 31 goals with eight assists to cross the 100-point threshold for her career. A team captain and honor roll student, O’Connor is committed to play soccer at Fairfield University.

Makayla Kuykendall, Franklin | Junior
  • Racking up 227 Kills, 264 digs, and 71 aces, the junior outside led a Panthers team that went 17-6 and reached the Division 1 round of 8. A three-year varsity starter and All-State team member, Kuykendall is a Hockomock All-Star.

Boston Globe All-scholastics recognize FHS' Crandall, Kuykendall, O'Connor, & Scagliarini for Fall 2024
Boston Globe All-scholastics recognize FHS' Crandall, Kuykendall, O'Connor, & Scagliarini for Fall 2024 

For the complete listing for the Fall of 2024

Friday, January 10, 2025

MBTA Community Law determined to be legal by Supreme Judicial Court

The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled the MBTA Community Law is legal. The Town of Franklin took action to bring it's zoning in compliance and is awaiting word that those action do indeed meet the requirements. The SJC decision can be found  ->  https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2025/01/08/h13580.pdf?

Building Equitable Neighborhoods for Franklin
https://ben4franklin.org/
The Building Equitable Neighborhoods for Franklin (BEN 4 Franklin) group is locally educating themselves on the housing issues and the nuances within and will advocate for improvement. The group meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at the Franklin TV Studio at 7 PM. 

Find out more about the group at ->   https://ben4franklin.org/ and join the mailing list to follow our learning and efforts.



SJC Decision coverage 

Via CommonWealth Beacon:
"AFTER THE STATE’S high court offered broad approval for the attorney general to enforce a sweeping state housing law, the Healey administration is tinkering with new emergency regulations to abide by the court’s conclusion that previous guidelines were rolled out incorrectly and could not be enforced.

With significant substantive changes to the rezoning requirements unlikely in the reworking of regulations that’s now underway, it seems only a matter of time until communities that are out of step with law will have to comply or face the music. 

The MBTA Communities Act, a 2021 law, requires cities and towns near public transit to zone a district of reasonable size to include multifamily housing by right. While the vast majority of the 177 communities are compliant or in the process of adopting new zoning to meet the law’s requirements, 28 municipalities are non-compliant because they missed their deadline to submit acceptable rezoning plans. Another three are on the cusp of following the path taken by Milton, with referendums scheduled to toss their compliant plans."

The Boston Globe editorial on the decision -> 

Today, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts affirmed that the MBTA Communities Act is the law and that all cities and towns must comply with it. 

The decision affirms the dedication and commitment of people working together across the region to create a Massachusetts that is more welcoming and affordable. The SJC validated that building more homes is good public policy. Well over 100 communities have said yes to zoning that creates more housing supply and Abundant Housing MA is hopeful new regulations can be enacted swiftly to maintain this momentum.

“Today’s decision reinforces our mission to alleviate our state’s current housing crisis. The MBTA Communities Act allows cities and towns to use zoning to meet the growing demands of housing production and create diverse housing opportunities for Massachusetts residents”, said Jesse Kanson- Benanav, Executive Director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts. We applaud MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their fight for more affordable, abundant housing across Massachusetts. We look forward to continuing work with our partners to bring to life a vision where people can move where they want, when they want, and not when they have to.”

“The SJC made clear that each MBTA community must comply with the law, forcefully rejecting the argument that communities could simply ignore the state’s mandate to permit a “fair share of multifamily housing” near the MBTA stations from which they benefit,” said John Infranca, Contributor to AHMA’s Amicus Brief, Professor of Law & Director of Faculty Scholarship & Research. “Given the thoughtful and thorough process through which the existing guidelines were drafted, I suspect most communities will simply choose to proceed with their existing compliance efforts in the expectation that any new guidelines will not be substantively different.”


Monday, January 6, 2025

Boston Globe: "Higher Social Security payments coming for millions of people from bill that Biden signed"

"President Joe Biden on Sunday signed into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs.

Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also put strain on Social Security Trust Funds, which face a looming insolvency crisis.
Social Security Fairness Act
Social Security Fairness Act

The bill rescinds two provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that limit Social Security benefits for recipients if they get retirement payments from other sources, including public retirement programs from a state or local government.

“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their life to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity — that’s the entire purpose of the Social Security system,” Biden said during a signing ceremony in the White House East Room."

Continue reading the Globe article (subscription maybe required) -> 

Note: my wife and I stand to benefit from this change. She had worked in the private sector before spending 20+ years teaching in the Franklin School System. 

Friday, January 3, 2025

Boston Globe: "Massachusetts shifts gears: New Mass Save plan targets rental units for green upgrades"

"Now, a new, three-year plan from Mass Save is poised to change that. The state program is funded by ratepayers through a surcharge on their gas and electric bills, and every three years, it releases a new plan that governs how much it will spend and what kind of incentives it will offer. The latest iteration increases funding for energy efficiency by 25 percent, to $5 billion over three years. 


The new Mass Save plan, which is under review by the state Department of Public Utilities and expected to be finalized early this year, includes incentives for owners of rental units in 21 so-called designated equity communities, which have high percentages of renters and low- and moderate-income residents. Those include Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Fall River.

New rules would cover the entire costs of weatherization, such as adding insulation or sealing windows to keep in heat, instead of providing only partial reimbursements, as long as at least half the building is rental units. For those buildings, Mass Save will also address legacy issues including the presence of asbestos or knob-and-tube wiring."
Continue reading the Boston Globe article (subscription maybe required)

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Boston Globe: "State spent $8 million on mail-in voting"

"Just less than half of the roughly 3.5 million voters who cast a ballot in November’s elections here did so in person on Election Day, Secretary of State William Galvin’s office said in a new report on the roughly $8 million costs associated with the popular vote-by-mail option.

The report filed with the Legislature this month details many of the costs connected to Galvin’s responsibilities as chief elections officer for the state, and the requirements of the 2022 law that allows voters to cast their ballots by mail or during a dedicated early voting window.

Not counting the costs of printing ballots and envelopes, assembling ballot kits and reimbursing local election officials for unfunded mandates, Galvin said the vote-by-mail effort cost a little more than $8 million ($8,005,676.43 to be precise), including nearly $2 million in postage for voters to return ballots, for the September primaries and November’s general election."
Continue reading the article at the Boston Globe -> (subscription maybe required)

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Boston Globe: "Senate passes Social Security benefits boost for many public service retirees"

"The Senate passed legislation early Saturday to boost Social Security payments for millions of people, pushing a longtime priority for former public employees through Congress in one of its last acts for the year.

The bipartisan bill, which next heads to President Joe Biden, will eliminate longtime reductions to Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from work in federal, state and local government, or public service jobs like teachers, firefighters and police officers. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also put further strain on Social Security Trust Funds.

The legislation has been decades in the making but the push to pass it came together in the final weeks — and was completed in the final minutes — that lawmakers were in Washington before Congress resets next year. All Senate Democrats, as well as 27 Republicans, voted for the bill, giving it a final tally of 76-20."
Continue reading the Bost Globe article (subscription maybe required)

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Boston Globe: "The MBTA is plotting a revamp of the commuter rail. How will they do it?"

"State officials have been talking about offering far more frequent commuter rail service, powered by electricity, for years.

Now, with the MBTA’s current commuter rail contract approaching an end, it’s time to solve this riddle — to go from talk to action.

Mike Muller, the T’s commuter rail chief, made a presentation Thursday to the MBTA board about what it will take to revamp the entire system, and how the transportation industry has responded so far to requests for feedback that Muller’s team sent out earlier this year. The big question: to bundle or not to bundle? In other words, should the T hand over a long-term contract to one lead contractor, in charge of both running the trains and rebuilding the system, or break the contracts up?"
Continue reading the Boston Globe article (subscription maybe required) ->

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Boston Globe continues story on Rep Roy

"Representative Jeff Roy, who last year disclosed his relationship with a top lobbyist, said it had started only recently, after the two Bates College graduates met through the school’s alumni council. But a divorce filing, originally submitted by his wife a day after he disclosed the relationship in a letter quietly filed to the state House clerk, now suggests the romance may have been going on far longer.

In that filing, Maureen Roy wrote that she believed her husband and lobbyist Jennifer Crawford had been together since 2019, and that the Franklin Democrat had been showering her with vacations, expensive meals, and lavish gifts for years. Roy and his wife formally separated in November 2022, documents reveal, but their divorce proceedings — which began in July 2023 — are still ongoing.

The revelations about Maureen Roy’s allegations come after Globe reporting disclosed that Roy, who is chairperson of the House energy committee, and Crawford, who represents several clients regulated by that panel, were in a romantic relationship. Even under Roy’s stated timeline, their relationship coincided with his committee working on a sweeping climate bill that was sprinkled with priorities for some of Crawford’s clients."
Continue reading the Boston Globe article (subscription maybe required) -> 

The initial article and Rep Jeff Roy's response can be found ->

Boston Globe continues story on Rep Roy
Boston Globe continues story on Rep Roy

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Boston Globe: Mass. lawmaker, lobbyist's relationship raises ethics concerns

State Rep Jeff Roy comments on the article:

"My relationship with Jennifer Crawford started in 2023. Since then, she has not lobbied me on any issue. Looking for a path forward after the relationship started, we each independently sought the advice of outside legal counsel to properly navigate the professional/personal dynamic. We have adhered to the legal guidance received regarding this relationship and complied with all applicable rules and regulations governing lobbyists and legislators. I shared copies of the legal opinions I received and urge folks to read them to get a clear understanding of the issues involved and steps we took to adhere to the rules.  

I remain passionate about and committed to the work I do and will continue to follow high ethical standards and maintain the firewall between our personal and professional lives. "

Jeff

---------------------------
"When State Representative Jeff Roy was sworn in for the sixth time last winter, he posed for a photo outside the House chamber with a high-powered lobbyist.

She wasn’t any ordinary guest.

She was Jennifer Crawford, a partner in the state’s highest grossing influence firm. He is the chairman of the House energy committee, with oversight over many bills and issues of keen interest to Crawford and her firm, especially a sweeping climate bill then chugging toward passage that was sprinkled with priorities for some of Crawford’s clients.
Mass. lawmaker, lobbyist's relationship raises ethics concerns
Mass. lawmaker, lobbyist's relationship raises ethics concerns

And the two are dating. The blossoming of their relationship is evident in photos on Facebook, and was officially and very quietly acknowledged by Roy in a letter to the House clerk that revealed he and a lobbyist at Smith, Costello & Crawford were in a personal relationship.

He didn’t name Crawford; he didn’t have to. The potential for conflict of interest is blatant, but it is all permissible in a state whose broad but porous ethics law requires only this minimal disclosure."
Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) ->