Hurricane season approaches, is your name on this list?

"What do the names Beulah, Andrew, Camille, Felix, Katrina and Hugo all have in common? They were all names given to some of the most deadly and destructive hurricanes in US weather history and whose names have since been retired.

Over the years, new names have been added in their place and still many others have emerged as candidates for lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and this year is forecast to be an exceptionally active season."

2024 Hurricane Names

Alberto        Beryl

Chris            Debby

Ernesto        Francine

Gordon        Helene

Isaac            Joyce

Kirk             Leslie

Milton         Nadine

Oscar           Patty

Rafael          Sara

Tony            Valerie

William        

Shared from -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/03/metro/hurricane-names-2024-heres-the-list-for-storm-season/

For more about the names for hurricanes -> https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml

National Hurricane Center

Boston Globe recognizes O'Leary, Neeley, Paterson, DeForge & Dumas for WINTER 2023-24 ALL-SCHOLASTICS

The Boston Globe has published their All-Scholastics selection for the Winter Sports season 2023-2024. The FHS selections are captured here.

Boys basketball

Sean O'Leary, FRANKLIN | SENIOR

O’Leary fueled Franklin’s march to the Division 1 final, tallying 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during a 25-2 season. The two-time All-Scholastic forward repeated as Hockomock League MVP and will play at Bates.

Coaches of the Year

CJ Neely, DIVISION 1: FRANKLIN

In his 10th year at the helm, the Bates College and Oliver Ames alum led the Panthers to a 25-2 record and a third D1 state finals appearance since 2017. Neely holds a 249-136 career record, including a 187-47 mark at Franklin.

Boys hockey

Ben Paterson, FRANKLIN | SENIOR

The two-time Hockomock MVP and two-time Globe All-Scholastic dazzled once again, posting 28 goals and 28 assists to lead the Panthers in scoring. The high honor roll student recorded 119 career points and will do a post-grad year at Deerfield.

Girls Indoor Track

Lily Deforge, FRANKLIN | SENIOR

The Holy Cross-bound senior followed up an undefeated regular season by placing second in the shot put (40-06.5) at All-States and 15th at New Balance Nationals. This season, she set school records in both the shot put and weight throw.

Sarah Dumas, FRANKLIN | SENIOR

The Penn-bound senior won the 55-meter hurdles (8.44) at the Division 1 championships and placed third in the pentathlon at the New Balance Nationals. She earned Hockomock League MVP honors and was an All-American selection for the third time.

For the full listing by the Boston Globe -> (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/high-schools/all-scholastics/

Boston Globe recognizes O'Leary, Neeley, Paterson, DeForge & Dumas for WINTER 2023-24 ALL-SCHOLASTICS

Chapter 60 “in its present form, is untenable and requires legislative correction”

"For the first time, a Massachusetts court has ruled that the way some municipalities pursue tax-taking cases against homeowners — a practice critics call “equity theft” — is unconstitutional.

The ruling comes in the wake of a unanimous US Supreme Court decision last year that said municipal and county governments may only recover the taxes owed, and not seize the remaining equity in the property.

Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states that presently allow local governments to take not only the taxes they are owed (plus interest and fees) but also the rest of the equity in properties.

Most often, the cases involve people who have inherited real estate and own it without a mortgage but lack the income to pay the taxes. In some instances, property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars is taken by municipalities when the amount owed in taxes is a small fraction of that.

...... 

Massachusetts law is mostly silent on the question of equity, and in the absence of an explicit prohibition, some municipalities have assumed the right to keep the full equity, with few safeguards for property owners.

Callan, in his ruling, said the state law used by municipalities in tax-taking, known as Chapter 60, does not provide a recovery process and therefore is “unconstitutional as applied in circumstances, such as here, where the tax debt is less than the value of the property.”

Chapter 60 “in its present form, is untenable and requires legislative correction,” Callan wrote in his 19-page ruling."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required) 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/21/business/massachusetts-court-property-unpaid-taxes-equity-theft/

In 2017, the City of Greenfield targeted Stephen Woodbridge’s property for unpaid taxes of a little less than $6,000. Four years later, the city succeeded in gaining legal ownership of a property that had been in the Woodbridge family for 70 years. MATTHEW CAVANAUGH/FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Boston Globe: "Massachusetts commits $1 billion to move thousands out of nursing homes in wake of lawsuit settlement"

"Nursing home residents should find it dramatically easier to return to their communities after Massachusetts committed to spending $1 billion over the next eight years for new housing and community support for people seeking to leave long-term care facilities.

The commitment was part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed in US District Court by the Massachusetts Senior Action Council and seven nursing home residents who wanted to return to their communities but could not find housing to accommodate them. The plaintiffs had physical or mental disabilities but could live outside a nursing home setting with some supports, said Steven Schwartz, a lawyer from the Center for Public Representation and one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. He estimated that a majority of the state’s 21,000 Medicaid recipients receiving long-term care at nursing facilities would be eligible to leave for community settings.

“Our very value as individual citizens [comes] from a set of community activities, working, voting, going to school, going to a baseball game,” Schwartz said in an interview. “None of these things we think of as valued experiences in our life are available living in nursing homes.”

The settlement would apply to all nursing home residents on Medicaid, who make up the vast majority of those in long-term residential care, Schwartz said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/21/metro/nursing-home-settlement-disabled-massachusetts/

A hallway at Blaire House nursing home in Tewksbury. JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

2024 election: What misinformation trends to watch out for

"The voice in the robocall sounded a lot like President Joe Biden. Days before the New Hampshire primary in January, the message told voters their “vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”

It wasn’t Biden. The call was created by a magician in New Orleans, who reportedly said he used an artificial intelligence program on behalf of an operative working for a rival Democratic candidate.

Misinformation, having played a major role in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, now threatens to erupt more than ever this cycle, as the rise of generative AI and the erosion of social media controls add fuel to campaigns’ distortions. At stake is the outcome of elections up and down the ballot this November as Biden once again faces off against Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump.

“On the one hand, it feels the same,” said Claire Wardle, cofounder of the Information Futures Lab at Brown University’s School of Public Health in Rhode Island, of this election. “But actually, I think the world looks quite different four years later.”

Continue reading the article online at the Globe (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/16/business/misinformation-2024-election-deepfakes-ai/

Misinformation threatens to erupt more than ever this cycle as the rise of generative artificial intelligence and the erosion of social media controls fuel campaigns’ distortions. ADOBE, ALLY RZESA/GLOBE STAFF/BLACKZHEEP - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Boston Globe: "Spotting a deepfake: Eight tips and tells"

"Deceptive deepfakes seem to be everywhere these days, making it harder than ever to sort the true from the false. While there’s no silver bullet to address the threat posed by generative AI, here are a few techniques to guard against disinformation.

1. Take your time, look closely

As humans, we are hardwired to focus on the face. But while many of today’s AI-image generators can create lifelike faces, it pays to spend a little time looking at other aspects of an image. AI is apt to cut corners and that’s where things can get weird. Look at the background. Does it make real-world sense? Does everything line up? How about people other than the image’s primary subject? Is there a phantom limb? Maybe a sixth finger?"

Continue reading the tips on how to detect deep fakes! (subscription maybe required)  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/11/arts/how-to-spot-deepfake-tips-ai/

Visitors can watch videos and guess if the images are real or fake. The MIT Museum's exhibit "AI: Mind the Gap" looks at deepfake video technology. LANE TURNER/GLOBE STAFF

“Sports betting has become so normalized that it’s viewed as harmless play"

THANK YOU The Boston Globe for inviting SAFE Coalition and CEO Jennifer Knight-Levine to participate in this conversation.

At SAFE, we have seen a significant increase in our youth engaging in online sports betting...or are a student athlete and feel the impact of betting on their athletic experience.

Don’t have access to the Globe article? Below is the SAFE segment!

"The SAFE Coalition is a social services agency that provides mental health and substance use counseling for young people in west-central Massachusetts. Starting last fall, the organization began seeing an influx of children who are struggling in school because they are betting on their phones. In response, the organization has added questions about gambling to its intake process, said Jennifer Knight-Levine, chief executive and cofounder of the nonprofit

Knight-Levine said she has noticed a trend: Many of the children who admit to betting regularly on sports do not view the activity as gambling, even when significant sums of money are involved.

“Sports betting has become so normalized that it’s viewed as harmless play, like video games,” Knight-Levine said. “A teenager will think of someone who is gambling as an old person in a casino or a smoky room, while sports betting is largely viewed as fun, exciting, and socially acceptable.”

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/C5GquaJrnHF/

Link to Globe article -> (subscription may be required) 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/28/metro/gambling-sports-addiction-sportsbook-betting-massachusetts-gaming/

For more about the SAFE Coalition visit them online at ->   https://www.safecoalitionma.org/

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell was joined by NCAA president Charlie Baker on Thursday at a panel to announce a gambling prevention program. MATTHEW J. LEE/GLOBE STAFF

Franklin has 2 of the more than 400 Massachusetts bridges rated 'poor' by Feds

"More than 400 Massachusetts bridges, including the largest one in New England, are considered to be in such poor condition that they either need major work or to be replaced outright, according to state and federal data, underscoring the challenges the state faces keeping up with its aging infrastructure.

Franklin has 2 

In all, 450 of the more than 5,280 bridges tracked by the Federal Highway Administration — roughly 8.5 percent — are rated as poor, or, put more bluntly, are “at the end of their useful life,” according to state officials. State data show that 676 bridges in total are considered “structurally deficient,” meaning at least one major component has enough serious problems it needs to be repaired or replaced.

Either designation doesn’t inherently mean the spans are unsafe, transportation officials and experts say. But officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere are taking stock of their infrastructure and safety protocols after a cargo ship rammed into a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse. Six construction workers are presumed dead."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/29/metro/400-massachusetts-bridges-rated-poor/

Franklin Matters Map of the 2 bridges on the listing in past useful life condition

https://maps.app.goo.gl/UGYogWuUGzH9hWNPA

If I read the data table properly, while there are effectively 2 bridges for i495 to cross the MBTA railroad and Summer St, one north bound and one south bound, only one section of each of them is on the listing, not both.

Map view of i495 bridge south bound over MBTA railroad -> 

Map view of i495 bridge north bound over Summer St ->

Massachusetts migrant shelters hardly impact community life, neighbors say

"Perry Eaton’s neighbors warned that migrants moving into Dedham would cause trouble. Last month, someone passed fliers around the neighborhood, which is nestled between a pair of hotels converted into state overflow shelters, warning that expanding services for the migrants would create “catastrophic” traffic and “inevitable” loitering, and leave the community’s security “compromised.”

But weeks later, Eaton and other neighbors said those fears haven’t materialized.

On a recent weekday morning, Eaton said traffic in and around his horseshoe-shaped neighborhood on Robinwood Road has remained consistent since the shelters opened weeks ago.

“It’s hard to tell any real difference in the day to day,” Eaton, 34, said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) ->   https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/23/metro/massachusetts-migrant-shelters-community/

Five year-old friends who were born in Chile to Haitian parents colored at the Valente branch of the Cambridge Public Library. JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF

Migrant crisis: State Senate votes to limit time in family shelter

"As the state burns through the hundreds of millions already set aside to fund Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system, the state Senate late Thursday voted to inject millions more into the system, and limit the amount of time homeless families, including migrants, can stay.

The 32-8 vote, which happened shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday night, sets the stage for what will likely be a contentious debate with the House, which passed its own version earlier this month.

The proposal is part of a spending bill meant to buoy the strained shelter system through the end of the fiscal year, and help fund it into 2025. While the Senate proposal diverges from the House’s bill on some key details, both chambers are now united behind the concept of restricting, for the first time since the inception of Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law, how long the state should provide a place to sleep for homeless families."

Shared from -> (subscription maybe required) https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/22/metro/mass-senate-vote-shelter-limit-on-shelter-stays-migrants/

The Senate legislation differs in many ways from the House’s proposal

"As Massachusetts struggles to find housing for an influx of migrants, a Globe analysis of state data finds that few wealthy communities are hosting emergency shelters for homeless and migrant families while the bulk are in middle-income cities and towns.

Of the 94 communities hosting emergency shelters, more than half have a median household income below $100,000, while just nine of those communities — including Acton, Concord, and Lexington — have household incomes above $150,000.

The state says its process for placing shelters is driven by the availability of space and factors such as their proximity to critical services such as public transportation.

But many communities say they are having trouble providing all the resources people need, such as transportation and translators, and worry the strain on their limited resources will reach a breaking point."

Buried within the Globe article above was this piece which I missed while I was away in February (subscription maybe required) ->   https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/09/metro/boston-migrants-globe-analysis/

FHS boys basketball rolls into D1 Final over Catholic Memorial

Via Twitter and our subscription to HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the fall sports playoff competition for Franklin High School on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

Via Ryan Lanigan -> https://twitter.com/R_Lanigan

• A spot in the Division 1 state championship on the line inside the Rabouin Field House at Taunton High. #3 Franklin (24-1) taking on #2 Catholic Memorial (19-4). #hockomock
• End 1Q: Franklin 21, Catholic Memorial 16. Panthers cash in on some second chance points, Bradley Herndon with two hustle plays that led to a pair of buckets. #hockomock
• Half: Franklin 33, Catholic Memorial 29. Panthers had the lead up to 10 (29-19) before Knights closed strong. Henry Digiorgio with 11 pts, Sean O’Leary 9 pts 3 reb 3 ast. #hockomock
• Bradley Herndon has been incredible this quarter, playing with tremendous confidence. Now Caden Sullivan soars in for a tip in. Franklin up 53-37, 2:08 left 3Q. #hockomock
• End 3Q: Franklin 56, Catholic Memorial 42. Panthers win the third (23-13) by double digits, some massive momentum waves. O’Leary 14 pts, Herndon & Digiorgio 11 pts each, Sullivan & O’Neill 8 pts each. #hockomock
• Franklin had the lead up to 17 (59-42) but the offense has gone cold, missed a couple close ones. Knights with a 10-0 run including a bucket off a missed free throw. Franklin holding a 59-52 left with 2:15 left 4Q. #hockomock
• Final: Franklin 66, Catholic Memorial 52. The Panthers are headed to the D1 state championship game. Sean O’Leary 17 pts 6 reb 5 ast, Bradley Herndon 13 pts 7 reb 6 ast, Henry Digiorgio 11 pts 10 reb, Andrew O’Neill 11 pts (huge 4Q three), Caden Sullivan 10 pts 8 reb #hockomock

The other finalist will be determined by the outcome of their game later today. #1 Worcester North vs. Xaverian. The full MIAA bracket can be found -> http://miaa.statebrackets.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=7008

The full recap by Ryan Lanigan on HockomockSports.com (subscription required) ->

https://hockomocksports.com/franklin-boys-basketball-book-spot-in-final-after-beating-cm/

Photo gallery -> https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2023-2024/Winter-2023-2024/Franklin-Catholic-Memorial-Boys-Basketball-03-12-24

Boston Globe coverage -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/12/sports/franklin-boys-basketball-puts-its-offensive-flair-display-division-1-semifinal-win/

FHS boys basketball rolls into D1 Final over Catholic Memorial

Franklin is not alone in struggling to fund their schools & town budget

Via Boston Globe: 

"Nearly five years after Massachusetts lawmakers overhauled the state’s school funding formula, districts are struggling to balance their budgets for the upcoming school year, prompting many to consider cutting programs and staff or asking taxpayers to dig deeper. 

The chief culprit, district leaders and advocates say, is the high rate of inflation that hit the US economy in recent years, much higher than the adjustments used in the new funding formula that was revamped to reflect modern-day costs. 

The failure of the new formula to accurately capture inflation could be collectively costing districts hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, according to Colin Jones, deputy policy director at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan research institute. 

Voters in Belmont, Harvard, and Westford will be considering hefty property tax hikes at the polls this spring, which, if they fail to pass, could result in significant cuts to school and town services. In Belmont, for example, if voters reject an $8.4 million override on April 2, school leaders have said they will need to close the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School, eliminate dozens of teaching and other positions, and make deep cuts to extracurricular activities."

Continue reading the full article online (subscription may be required) ->

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/12/metro/massachusetts-school-funding-budget-cuts/

Franklin is not alone in struggling to fund their schools & town budget

Boston Globe: "‘Home equity theft’ in Massachusetts is the focus of federal lawsuit"

"In 2017, the city of Greenfield targeted Stephen Woodbridge’s property, which totaled almost 20 acres and included a rambling 10-room house, for unpaid taxes of a little less than $6,000.

Four years later, after making numerous complex and arcane court filings, the city succeeded in gaining legal ownership of a property that had been in the Woodbridge family for 70 years.

Woodbridge was quickly evicted, and the city sold his house and six surrounding acres for $270,000 at auction. The city added Woodbridge’s other 13 wooded acres to a contiguous city-owned park without compensating him.

The city reaped a tidy cash profit of at least $220,000 — the $270,000 sale price at auction minus the $50,000 Woodbridge owed in taxes, interest, and other costs run up while the tax-taking case moved through the system. Woodbridge’s debt had ballooned almost tenfold since 2017 because he was charged fees for the city’s attorneys plus 16 percent interest on his debt — as permitted by law."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/25/business/home-equity-theft-federal-lawsuit/

Al Norman is pictured near Stephen Woodbridge’s former Greenfield property Wednesday. Norman is a community activist fighting against so-called "home equity theft," when municipalities take all the home equity in a house where the back taxes are only a fraction of the property's value. MATTHEW CAVANAUGH/FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Heating at Franklin Field in Dorchester to be converted to geothermal

Following along with one of our Making Sense of Climate recurring topics, Boston goes with a pilot on geothermal.

"As the Boston Housing Authority works toward an ambitious goal of going fossil-fuel free, its path to success could begin at the Franklin Field complex in Dorchester.

Mayor Michelle Wu joined officials from the BHA and National Grid at Franklin Field on Thursday to unveil details of a plan to convert the heating system for 129 public housing units there to an electricity-powered geothermal system. The project would replace the 20-year-old gas-fired boiler in use today.

BHA administrator Kenzie Bok said the idea can be traced back to Wu’s announcement a year ago that the BHA would wean itself off fossil fuels by 2030. BHA officials first considered using air-source heat pumps to replace the aging boiler but found that National Grid’s centralized geothermal proposal would be more cost efficient.

“The first step in going fossil-fuel free is not to put in new fossil fuel infrastructure,” Bok said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/25/business/boston-geothermal-energy/

The Boston Housing Authority will install a geothermal project at the Franklin Filed housing complex in Dorchester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (left) walks into the event with National Grid New England president Lisa Wieland. JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF

Local taxes on meals, hotels could rise under Healey plan

"Governor Maura Healey, who this week swore off raising state taxes, unveiled sweeping legislation Friday that would allow towns and cities to raise their taxes on hotel stays, cars, and meals by as much as 33 percent to help bolster their local coffers.

The sprawling bill has the backing of municipal leaders, and if embraced by the Legislature, could generate more than $150 million in new annual tax revenue for towns and cities juggling tight budgets, state officials estimated.

Healey also is seeking a series of other major changes, including allowing local officials to set caps on the number of liquor licenses distributed in their city or town, a power long-held by the Legislature. The governor said she is proposing to make permanent a raft of pandemic-era rules, such as allowing restaurants to sell to-go cocktails.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Healey said the package of changes “empowers the local communities” and does not affect the revenue the state relies on for its budget."

Continue reading the article online (Subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/19/metro/maura-healey-legislation-local-taxes-meals-hotels/

CommonWealth Beacon provides coverage here ->

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/healey-pitches-new-revenue-source-for-cities-and-towns-vehicle-surcharge/

Gov. Maura Healey exits the House chamber after delivering the 2024 State of the Commonwealth address. (Photo by Sam Doran/State House News Service)

"Migrants want to work. And employers want to hire them"

"In the midst of the migrant crisis, there is opportunity: thousands of new arrivals eager to find jobs that employers around the state are desperate to fill.

And these mutual needs are starting to be met. Migrants living in at-capacity emergency shelters are trickling into the workforce: packaging cooking oil in Ayer; caring for patients with developmental disabilities in Waltham; gearing up to clean hospital rooms in Salem.

But getting to that point has required a massive undertaking. After holding clinics to speed up the work authorization process, the state launched a job skills training program that allows migrants living in shelters to start learning — and earning a stipend — while they wait for the US government to issue them work permits, and just announced two new hires dedicated to connecting migrants with jobs. Workers from MassHire Career Centers are going into shelters to connect migrants with English classes and help them find jobs. And employers are opening their doors to shelter residents — donating space for training sessions and even hiring translators to assist new hires.

Salem Hospital has offered housekeeping jobs to six Haitian migrants living at a shelter nearby on the campus of Salem State University, and filling them would be a major milestone."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/15/business/migrants-work-employers/

"Migrants want to work. And employers want to hire them"

Boston Globe: Fall 2023 All-Scholastics recognizes FHS' Crandall, Carney, Cinelli, O'Connor, Lacerda

Field Hockey -> Athletes of the Year - Raena Crandall - DIVISION 1: FRANKLIN | JUNIOR

The Hockomock All-Star led Franklin to a 20-1-1 record with a league-leading 33 goals. She was second in points with 50. Last year, Crandall played in the 2023 Nexus Regional Selection Camp. The 2024 captain has 77 career points.

Field Hockey -> All-scholastics - Emily Carney - FRANKLIN | JUNIOR

The Fairfield commit is on USA Field Hockey’s radar and for good reason. She was part of the fearsome Franklin lineup, recording 29 goals and 19 assists, and was named a Hockomock League All-Star for a second year.

Boys Soccer -> All-scholastics - Rex Cinelli - FRANKLIN | SENIOR

The speedy defender was an All-New England selection after guiding Franklin to an undefeated regular season, a Hockomock League title, and a trip to the Division 1 quarterfinals. The four-year starter scored six goals and was the Hockomock MVP.

Girls Soccer -> All-scholastics - Kelly O'Connor - FRANKLIN | JUNIOR

Second in the Hockomock League in scoring with a team-leading 26 goals and 14 assists, the All-State selection showcased tremendous skill along the left side for the Panthers (18-3-0). O’Connor is committed to play soccer at Fairfield University.

Volleyball -> All-scholastics - Taylor Lacerda - FRANKLIN | SENIOR

It took multiple five-setters, but the senior and two-year captain came up clutch and led the Panthers to the Division 1 semifinals. The returning Globe All-Scholastic hitter compiled 240 kills, 303 digs, and 42 aces on the season.

For the complete Boston Globe listing -> (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/high-schools/all-scholastics/

Boston Globe: Fall 2023 All-Scholastics recognizes FHS' Crandall, Carney, Cinelli, O'Connor, Lacerda

MA Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months

"Wheelchair users took a victory lap at the State House on Thursday after the state Senate passed legislation to address a national crisis, chronic delays of months or longer for even the most basic repairs to chairs.

The bill, passed with a vote of 39-0, would extend warranties on new chairs from one year to two, a period during which chair owners could avoid cumbersome insurance authorization for fixes, advocates said. Chairs with expired warranties would not need insurance approval for repairs less than $1,000.

“We’ve been fighting so hard just to get here,” said Pamela Daly, of Charlestown, after the Senate vote. “They’re simple mechanical problems or they’re simple parts that need to be ordered. This is not rocket science.”

Daly noted she was late for Thursday’s vote because her wheelchair’s brakes, installed about a month ago, failed earlier that morning, and she fell while trying to get into her chair. Though uninjured, she had to call paramedics to help her get into her chair."

Continue reading this Boston Globe article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/04/metro/wheelchair-repairs-massachusetts-senate/

MA Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months

First communities in Mass. to ban gas appliances get final state OK

"After years of deliberations, negotiations and regulatory rollout — and some well-publicized “agita” in the corner office — a handful of Massachusetts cities and towns can now significantly limit the use of fossil fuels in new building projects.

The state’s Department of Energy Resources gave seven communities the final green light to begin a groundbreaking experiment: they will require new construction and major renovation to embrace fossil fuel-free infrastructure for uses like heating and cooling.

They include Acton, Aquinnah, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Lincoln and Lexington, which can now effectively mandate that most construction or significant renovation projects within their borders abstain from oil and gas hookups.

Effective dates vary by community. In several cases, the rules will take effect within three months, though Lincoln’s will not kick in for roughly six months and Aquinnah’s appears to have already started on Jan. 1."

Continue reading the article at the Boston Globe (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/05/business/massachusetts-gas-bans/

New construction in Cambridge and at least six other cities and towns in Massachusetts will be largely free from fossil fuels under a new pilot program approved by state energy regulators last month.LANE TURNER/GLOBE STAFF

Franklin Public Schools Celebrates Successful Fall 2023 Athletics Season

Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Athletic Director Karrah Ellis congratulate Franklin High School’s student-athletes and athletic staff on a successful fall athletics season.

“I’m so proud of our hard-working, dedicated athletes,” said Director Ellis. “Receiving MIAA recognition is a testament to our student-athletes who have displayed great sportsmanship throughout the entire season.”

Hockomock League Champions Fall 2023

Franklin High School teams compete in the Hockomock League as part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). FHS athletics finished the fall season with the most wins across all teams within the Hockomock League. 

FHS sports teams recognized include: Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer, Golf, Boys’ Cross Country with Volleyball and Field Hockey placing in the Final Four for the Division 1 State Tournament. 

The FHS cheer team won its 10th consecutive Hockomock League title, the Division 1 South Regional Championship, and the Division 1 State Championship with the highest score in the state.

FHS also won the Hockomock League Val Muscato All-Sports Award for fall 2023, tallying the highest average of earned points from league standings in all sports this year.

Boston Globe Dalton Award

Franklin High School athletics secured the Boston Globe Dalton Award for the fifth year in a row, winning 74.7 percent of its games for an overall record of 251-83-6.

MIAA Coach of the Year Award

The MIAA recognized three FHS head coaches as Coach of the Year including Baseball coach Zach Brown, Unified Basketball coach John Leighton and girls’ Lacrosse coach Kristin Igoe, who was also honored as the National Federation of High School Sports Section 1 Coach of the Year.

All-Scholastic Awards

Several FHS student-athletes won individual year-end accolades from Boston media:

Boston Herald All-Scholastic

Emily Carney (Field Hockey)

Raena Crandall (Field Hockey)

Rex Cinelli (Boys’ Soccer)

Anya Zub (Girls’ Soccer)

Boston Globe All-Scholastic

Rex Cinelli (Boys’ Soccer)

Raena Crandall (Field Hockey)

Emily Carney (Field Hockey)

Kelly O’Connor (Girls’ Soccer)

Taylor Lacerda (Volleyball)

“Congratulations to our Athletic Department, coaches and talented student-athletes on their many accomplishments,” said Superintendent Giguere. “I am continuously impressed by each athlete’s determination, grit and steadfast commitment to their chosen teams, always displaying the highest level of sportsmanship.”

Shared from -> https://jgpr.net/2024/01/02/franklin-public-schools-celebrates-successful-fall-2023-athletics-season/

Franklin Public Schools Celebrates Successful Fall 2023 Athletics Season