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https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/coronavirus/financial-impact |
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 *
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https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/coronavirus/financial-impact |
“I said, ‘I think we have a kid,’ ” he said. “You could just see that everyone's face was like, ‘OK, this just got real.’ ”Continue reading the article online
And it got critical. Classes were starting at the school in less than 30 minutes. Immediately, Tremblay divided everyone into smaller groups and assigned tasks. Track down all students and staff who might have had contact with the symptomatic student. Inform those families and advise them to self-quarantine for 14 days. Tell bus drivers to stand by in order to bring kids home.
Some of the Framingham families who needed to quarantine didn’t speak English. Tremblay brought translators into the room. They wrote all official messages into Spanish and Portuguese simultaneously, working in Google docs.
“This escalated, as you can imagine, pretty quickly,” Tremblay said.
“We didn't have weeks to act. We barely had days and we might be too late” |
"Massachusetts is trending toward its long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, but the effort to reduce global emissions is failing, according to a new United Nations report.
“The summary findings are bleak,” the UN reported in the 10th edition of its emissions gap report. “Countries collectively failed to stop the growth in global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required.”
The report, prepared by scientists who assessed “all available information,” concluded that greenhouse gas emissions have risen at a rate of 1.5% per year in the last decade, and total greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2018. Emissions from energy use and industry grew 2% in 2018.
The UN said there’s a growing political focus on “the climate crisis” in several countries, driven in part by protests, and that “technologies for rapid and cost-effective emission reductions have improved significantly.”
"The annual Sustainable Development Goals Report provides an overview of the world’s implementation efforts to date, highlighting areas of progress and areas where more action needs to be taken to ensure no one is left behind.From the UN page on the SDG Report 2019
Four years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2019 Report notes progress in some areas, such as on extreme poverty reduction, widespread immunization, decrease in child mortality rates and increase in people’s access to electricity, but warns that global response has not been ambitious enough, leaving the most vulnerable people and countries to suffer the most."
"Unprecedented changes in all aspects of society will be required to avoid the worst effects of climate change" |
School Committee Actions Taken/Superintendent's Report from meeting held 11/26/19 |
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Agenda Item | Summary |
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Town Council Meeting Agenda |
Meeting of March 20, 2019
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1. ANNOUNCEMENTS |
a. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast Channel 11 and Verizon Channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by others.
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2. CITIZENS COMMENTS |
a. Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to five minutes on a matter that is not on the agenda. The Council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen Comments. The Town Council will give remarks appropriate consideration and may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter.
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3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES |
None
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4. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS |
None
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5. APPOINTMENTS |
None
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6. HEARINGS |
None
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7. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS |
None
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8. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS | |
8a. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS |
a. Auditors- Independent Auditors Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2018
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Reporting remotely - #SchComm1211 Superintendent Ahern and Dr Edwards presenting on report cards pic.twitter.com/IyqkMh0ZWN— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting: #SchComm1211 ECDC is covered with a report to parents on trimester pic.twitter.com/kB1ccW1OLO— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting: #SchComm1211 standards based report cards used for elementary schools pic.twitter.com/lJSgae619D— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting - #SchComm1211 questions on the letter grading, what does the P, M, N really mean when they are given pic.twitter.com/nJLtrYxxyh— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting- #SchComm1211 one of the hidden expenses is translation of the materials going home; report cards and notices, etc. pic.twitter.com/n5bHhKN0M5— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting - #SchComm1211 - other items covered by report cards and the process to ensure consistency across the District pic.twitter.com/w8EhGXd6pX— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting - #SchComm1211 - middle schools get reports at same time but Maybe different from elementary schools pic.twitter.com/2pzRgMC4p6— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting - #SchComm1211 - factoring a zero with a value of 50 created a pause and question for discussion pic.twitter.com/piBvN47O3f— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
Remotely reporting coming to end as I have a work meeting to conduct. Tune in to cable or via the live web feed to continue the meeting #SchComm1211— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) December 12, 2018
School; Committee - partial recap - Dec 11, 2018 |
i. In the spirit of open communication, “the School Committee will hear public comment not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee Meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment” – from Policy BEDHc. FHS Student Representative Comments
a view of FHS |
"A massive new federal report warns that extreme weather disasters, like California’s wildfires and this year’s hurricanes, are worsening in the United States.
The White House report quietly issued Friday also frequently contradicts President Donald Trump.
The National Climate Assessment was written long before the California fires and the hurricanes. It warns of more, stronger and longer disasters triggered at least in part by global warming.
Report co-author Katharine Hayhoe says it shows the dangerous weather that scientists said will happen in the United States is already happening."
"Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.
Explore how climate change is affecting the Northeast.
Key Message 1: Climate Risks to People
Heat waves, coastal flooding, and river flooding will pose a growing challenge to the region’s environmental, social, and economic systems. This will increase the vulnerability of the region’s residents, especially its most disadvantaged populations.
Key Message 2: Stressed Infrastructure
Infrastructure will be increasingly compromised by climate-related hazards, including sea level rise, coastal flooding, and intense precipitation events.
Key Message 3: Agricultural and Ecosystem Impacts
Agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised over the next century by climate change impacts. Farmers can explore new crop options, but these adaptations are not cost- or risk-free. Moreover, adaptive capacity, which varies throughout the region, could be overwhelmed by a changing climate.
Key Message 4: Planning and AdaptationRead the Northeast section here
While a majority of states and a rapidly growing number of municipalities have begun to incorporate the risk of climate change into their planning activities, implementation of adaptation measures is still at early stages."
Recommended Reading: Climate Change Report |
"Calling for a personalized, student-centered approach to reforms, state education leaders gathered Thursday to mark the release of an annual report on the state of education in Massachusetts.
"Unless we change the rules of operations in our state and give more schools the types of freedoms we allow charters, we will not see that type of personalization, and we will see a continuation of a top-down approach," said Board of Higher Education Chairman Chris Gabrieli, who advocated for empowering individual schools to lead the way on reforms.
A crowd of approximately 300 filled the ballroom at the Omni Parker House Hotel, where the Boston-based Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy released its annual "Condition of Education in the Commonwealth Report." While Massachusetts is a national leader in education, there are still deficiencies in the system that need to be addressed, Rennie Center Executive Director Chad d'Entremont said.
"Even as a leader, if we stand pat, we will fall behind," d'Entremont said."
screen grab of Rennie Center data dashboard |
this is a screen capture of the interactive webpage marking known gas leaks for Franklin, MA |
Via @HuffPostPol: The movement against #syntheticturf is growing http://t.co/1PgScDgsET @SHPFC @FranklinMatters @jeffroy @KarenSpilka
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) May 10, 2015
As opposition mounts, some consider the fields a solid waste problem, and question what towns would do with the thousands of pounds of crushed tires if the issue reaches a tipping point. The momentum of concern has pushed the California legislature to consider legislation prohibiting the use of state funds to build new fields with recycled tires and that would require towns and cities to examine cleaner alternatives before launching a new project. The Los Angeles Unified School District and the New York City Parks Departments already have stopped construction of new fields with crumb rubber following past concern about lead content.
Artificial turf advocates say there are multiple studies that show fields are safe, while critics argue that there are no conclusive tests to prove such claims and that waiting for definitive evidence of a health hazard leaves children unprotected.
More than 300 such fields have been built in Massachusetts during the past decade and they are becoming a coveted sports alternative for student athletes in towns from Boston to Attleboro, New Bedford to Springfield, according to a survey of field construction companies carried out by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. Athletes who play on the fields are well acquainted with the black pellets – a spray of which is often kicked up by bouncing balls and running children, and gets into cleats and tracked into homes and mixed with laundry after practice.
FHS girls soccer team kicks off a home game on the turf field at FHS in October |