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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Saturday, February 17, 2024
13th Annual FBRTC 5K: Saturday May 18, 2024
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Jan 17 at 11 AM
What is going on with .... ?What happened to ....?How come .... ?
Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & wfpr.fm Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session.
What is the session about?
• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have
Steve will also be interested to find out what you think should be on the "watch list" for 2024?
When: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM
Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom
Get your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Jan 17 at 11 AM |
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Dec 20 at 11 AM
What is going on with .... ?What happened to ....?How come .... ?
Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & wfpr.fm Community Information Director (volunteer), for an informal and informative Q&A session.
What is the session about?
• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have
When: Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom
Your Franklin questions answered, in person or remotely - Dec 20 at 11 AM |
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Hurricane Franklin continues out in the Atlantic
Hurricane Franklin continues out in the Atlantic |
Wind Speed Probabilities for Hurricane Franklin |
Friday, August 25, 2023
Tropical Storm Franklin moving slowly
Tropical Storm Franklin Discussion Number 19
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL082023
500 AM AST Fri Aug 25 2023
Franklin has generally changed little during the past several hours.
The storm remains strongly sheared with the low-level center
partially exposed near the western edge of the main area of deep
convection. Cloud tops are quite cold on the system's east side,
but the storm continues to lack convective symmetry. The initial
intensity remains 50 kt based on the earlier Air Force
reconnaissance data, which is a little above the current satellite
intensity estimates.
The storm is moving slowly to the east-northeast at about 5 kt in
weak steering currents near the base of a broad mid- to upper-level
trough. A north to north-northwest motion is expected to commence
tonight or early Saturday as ridging builds to the east of Franklin
over the central Atlantic. This motion should bring the core of the
system to the west of Bermuda on Monday and Tuesday. The storm is
likely to turn northeastward and accelerate by the middle of next
week when it should move in the faster flow between the ridge and a
mid- to upper-level trough over eastern Canada and the northeast
U.S. In general, the models have shifted westward this cycle, and
the NHC track forecast has been nudged in that direction.
Continued moderate to strong westerly vertical wind shear should
limit strengthening during the next 12 to 24 hours. However, more
significant strengthening seems likely in a day or two when the
shear decreases while Franklin remains over warm water and in a
relatively moist environment. Franklin is expected to become a
hurricane over the weekend and should reach a peak intensity near
major hurricane strength early next week. The strengthening trend
should end around day 4, at which time the storm is forecast to
begin moving over cooler waters and into an environment of stronger
shear. The intensity models are in fairly good agreement, and this
forecast is quite similar to the previous one.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT3+shtml/250841.shtml?
Tropical Storm Franklin moving slowly |
Shared from -> https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/084425.shtml?cone
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Franklin's first participation in the national annual @janeswalk, in honor of the late social activist Jane Jacobs - May 6, 10:30 AM
- Dress for the weather whatever it is or forecasted to be for Saturday.
- Bring along water (talking makes one thirsty).
- Wheels and paws are welcome to come along.
Franklin's first participation in the national annual @janeswalk, in honor of the late social activist Jane Jacobs - May 6, 10:30 AM |
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Franklin Q&A Wednesday; Town Officials Coffee Hour Thursday
Two opportunities to get your Franklin questions answered this week.
#1
What is going on with .... ?What happened to ....?How come .... ?
Join Steve Sherlock, Franklin Matters & wfpr.fm Community Information Director, for an informal and informative Q&A session.
What is the session about?
• Steve provides some updates on what's happened in the past month in the first 10-15 minutes, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have
When: Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Where: Franklin Senior Center (2nd floor conf room) and via Zoom
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Franklin Art Association October 5 meeting features Kendra Bidwell Ferreira
The Franklin Art Association monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 5th at 6:30 pm at the Franklin Senior Center. The program will feature a discussion and demonstration of methods and techniques by Kendra Bidwell Ferreira. Kendra’s work is mainly contemporary colored pencil using ordinary subjects and compositions to portray them in an extraordinary way. Colored pencils allow her to combine the expressiveness of painting with the control of drawing. A recording of her demo will later be posted to the Franklin Art Association's YouTube channel and at www.franklinart.org.
Kendra received a good foundation in drawing in high school, then went on to earn her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art with a concentration in printmaking. She is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and holds a second signature status (CPX) in exploratory mediums with colored pencil. Kendra is also a Fellow Member of the American Artists’ Professional League, and an artist member of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club and Providence Art Club. Kendra’s work has been included in many national and international art exhibitions and she has received numerous awards for her work.
All meetings are free and open to the public. The Art Association is supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Franklin Cultural Council and the Franklin Cultural District.
Franklin Art Association October 5 meeting features Kendra Bidwell Ferreira
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Franklin vs Worcester housing production by permit since 2000
"Worcester is looking at inclusionary zoning to add affordable homes. This chart shows how slow housing development has been last +10 yrs, even as city's population grew.
For more graphics like this, check out http://mhp.net/datatown"
Worcester data:
housing development has been last +10 yrs in Worcester, MA |
What does Franklin's data look like?
Note: please be careful with the visual comparison. The volume scale for Franklin (300-200-100) is significantly less than Worcester's (600-400-200).
The chart depicts how many new housing permits that Franklin has issued for each year of the data collection (net of demolitions), broken out by type of building
Franklin and Worcester data together to see the info on the same scale |
Sparked by the MHP tweet - https://twitter.com/mhpdata/status/1551662361110630401
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Get your Franklin sports apparel at the FYSA Pop Up Shop - Dec 18
Sunday, September 5, 2021
Notable People from Franklin, MA: Bobby Santos III
"Bobby Santos III is a racer at heart.
Long before the third-generation driver out of Franklin, Mass., became the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Santos quite literally had motorsports in his blood thanks to his grandfather, Bob Santos, as well as his dad, Bob Santos Jr., who both were wheelmen in their own rights.
His grandfather, Bob Santos, was a modified racer across New England, while Santos Jr. raced in other classes at local tracks like Thompson Speedway, Seekonk Speedway and Stafford Motor Speedway.
By the time Santos III came into the picture, there was no doubt his future was likely going to be behind a steering wheel."
Continue reading the article online at NASCAR -> https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/09/03/santos-preps-for-whelen-modified-tour-trophy-hunting-starting-at-oswego/
Bobby Santos III has his own wikipedia page -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Santos_III
Bobby Santos III will return to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action this weekend at Oswego Speedway driving for Tinio Motorsports. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR) |
Saturday, August 28, 2021
COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine updates, including Franklin's vaccine stats - a quick recap
As a mom of 3 little boys, I am desperate to get my kids' childhood back to normal. As a doctor, I want data to know that what we're doing is actually effective. I was floored when I graphed these numbers from ATL schools this week. #maskmandate https://t.co/7prNuI7XAQShared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/maurageorgemd/status/1431368291948302347?s=03
COVID-19 cases in Atlanta students, mask mandate |
"As the Delta variant grips the country, children who are not yet eligible for vaccination are at higher risk of being infected — especially in places where the virus is surging. A New Orleans children’s hospital had so many Covid-19 patients that a federal “surge team” was called in to bolster an exhausted staff.Children under 12 may have to wait until the end of the year to get vaccinated. Half of the adolescents in the U.S. have now received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the White House said on Friday."
"Source investigation complements standard contact tracing; it’s not a substitute. When outbreaks are detected, people need to be informed immediately, so they can get tested and ensure they are not unknowingly spreading the virus. Once a cluster is detected, venues should re-evaluate their COVID mitigation measures and ensure that staff are vaccinated and ventilation systems refresh indoor air at least four to six times per hour. High-risk venues should keep lists of patrons, and outreach to customers through social media can be very effective. Mandating that customers are vaccinated, as New York, San Francisco and New Orleans have done, may not suffice to prevent outbreaks. Some European countries are requiring evidence of a negative coronavirus test for unvaccinated people entering indoor entertainment venues.The Provincetown outbreak occurred as thousands of people arrived to celebrate the Fourth of July, believing their vaccinations would protect them against infection. When infected people began feeling ill, some didn’t immediately attribute their symptoms to COVID-19 because of the widespread belief that breakthrough infections were almost impossible. After the cases emerged, the local health department’s investigation was undoubtedly helped by strong word-of-mouth communication, as many infections affected members of the gay community, a group that for decades has witnessed the effects of the AIDS pandemic. Since then, many local businesses have reassessed their COVID mitigation measures, the town reinstituted an indoor mask mandate and new cases have leveled off."
"Yeah. It’s the height of American exceptionalism that we are where we are. I have family in other parts of the world where health-care workers and vulnerable elderly people are begging to get the vaccine. And here, we’re sitting on stockpiles and begging people to take the vaccine.I think how we got here is complicated, right? I agree with the surgeon general in issuing the advisory about misinformation and disinformation — certainly that plays a big role here. There are individuals out there who are knowingly spreading misinformation. There are others who are clicking and then, unfortunately, sharing misinformation that’s leading to question that and the efficacy of vaccines. That misinformation is taking away people’s freedom to make decisions for themselves and their families.And I think the Biden administration needs to take some responsibility here, also, for their miscalculation and misjudgment in being so uneasy about vaccine verification and relying on the honor code. Come on. Did they really think that the honor system was going to work during a pandemic when many people behaved so dishonorably? The honor system did not work. And, of course, the unvaccinated are now running around living their lives as if they are vaccinated. And that’s led to the surge that we are now seeing. We lost the powerful incentive to increase vaccines in that really important window."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/cnns-leana-wen-public-health-is-now-under-attack-in-a-way-that-it-has-not-been-before/2021/08/19/42c76184-ef0b-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html
Franklin's vaccine stats as of 8/26/21 |
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
audio from the Franklin Matters Q&A session held on July 22, 2021
This session of the radio show shares the Franklin Matters Question and Answer (Q&A) session held on July 22, 2021. The session was coordinated with Ariel Doggett of the Franklin Senior Center and conducted via Zoom.
This is the audio recording of the brief presentation and then the Q&A discussion we had. A copy of the presentation document is linked below.
We did have an interruption in the recording (at approx. 18 mins) as my network connection hung up. Ariel provides a brief recap of what was discussed while I was trying to reconnect. We managed to continue without another interruption.
The August session scheduled for Aug 28, 2021 will be hybrid. I plan on being in a room at the Senior Center and make the Zoom link available for folks to participate virtually.
The recording runs about 48 minutes, so let’s listen to the Franklin Matters Question and Answer (Q&A) session.
Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/faf2ba27-a404-4223-bbd2-ed41f0ec7fa8
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Presentation link -> https://www.slideshare.net/shersteve/franklin-matters-qa-july-22-2021
Demographics study by FPS -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/2-25-20_demographics_presetation_0.pdf
Building study by FPS -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/davis-thayer-facilities-analysis/files/facilities-assessment-report
Wfpr.fm podcast collection -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/franklin-matters-radio.html
Franklin Senior Center -> https://www.franklinma.gov/fsc
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
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
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!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Q&A on Franklin Matters - June 17 at 1:30 PM
Get your Franklin questions answered on Thursday, June 17 at 1:30 PM.
This is a virtual event coordinated with the Senior Center = "Franklin Matters Q&A with Steve Sherlock"
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Joe Landry shares "town pool" memories
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Hey Franklin, you can help with this request
"Hi there. I'm wondering if you can help me.
My father in law just passed away and one of his last requests was for us to be sure to tell a man named Ed Beksha from Franklin, used to own the Uptowne Pub. I found a land line for him, but it was disconnected.
I don't see anyone by his name on Facebook. I'm hoping since you're from Franklin, hopefully you're a "townie" and may either know this man or know how I can get in touch with him?
Apparently he and my father in law were army buddies, and very good friends. my father in law said Ed Beksha would want to know when he passed. thank you in advance. By the way, my father in law is Karl Backlund Sr.
In kindness,
Wendy Backlund"
Hey Franklin, you can help with this request |