Sunday, August 16, 2020

Zooming into the Future, Part 6

 Ch – Ch – Ch – Ch – Changes! Time to Face the Change. 

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 08/16/2020

"Lately, all I hear rolling through my head is an unending earworm of David Bowie’s “ Changes”.

Changes keep a-comin’ as the virus forces us to move toward whatever our new normal might be. Our goal is simple: Get in front of it, and drive. We seek and embrace whatever new means help us to “ Build Back Better” via changes, big and small.

Clearly, Zoom is a permanent part of that future. We will begin posting the Zoom access code on our cable channels for ten minutes each evening prior to the government meetings.

And –

Our own Frank Falvey has been interviewing the many candidates running for the Fourth District seat. Listen to wfpr●fm Tuesdays from now until the primary election. Each week we will feature three of the candidates on Tuesday morning, afternoon and evening. Listen and learn all about the candidates – in their own words – on 102.9 fm.

And – as always –

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. And, thank you for watching."


Program Note: This Wednesday evening at 7 PM on the government channel you can hear the congressional candidates discussing the topic of racism.

If you too have the earworm, or haven't heard the song in sometime, check out this recorded live version  https://youtu.be/IJSv6JXKS_I

The complete program guide for Franklin TV and wfpr.fm can be found online
http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf    or in the PDF copy here

 

Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - Aug 20, 2020

 August 20, 2020 =  6:00 PM


Agenda:

1.      Reopening Phase 3 Discussion

2.      Economic Development update

3.      Market Analysis & Market Position Presentation Discussion & Work Plan


For the connection information (via Zoom) along with the MPAC Market Study, find the agenda doc on the Town of Franklin page  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/08-20-2020_edc_agenda.pdf


Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - Aug 20, 2020
Economic Development Subcommittee - Agenda - Aug 20, 2020


Franklin Senior Center: Five Wishes - Aug 19

 Wed, Aug. 19:

FIVE WISHES is a legally binding, advanced directive (living will), that lets you control your personal, emotional and spiritual wishes. This presentation is on Zoom at 1:00 PM

If you aren't able to access Zoom our Nurse can call you to discuss the info one- on-one. To sign up, email: adoggett@franklinma.gov or call 508 520-4945. 


For more about Five Wishes, visit them online at https://fivewishes.org/

For other activities in August, check out the Senior Center Connections  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/aug20connection.pdf

Franklin Senior Center: Five Wishes - Aug 19
Franklin Senior Center: Five Wishes - Aug 19


Washington Post: "How Jennifer O’Malley Dillon transformed Joe Biden’s campaign"

From The Washington Post, an article of interest for Franklin:

"When Jennifer O’Malley Dillon was brought in to take over the Joe Biden campaign operation five months ago, she barely knew a soul there — and that included the candidate himself.

If that wasn’t a big enough adjustment, there was another big announcement during the staff meeting where she was introduced as campaign manager: Biden’s Philadelphia headquarters was about to be shuttered due to the coronavirus. Starting the next day, they all would be working remotely — indefinitely, it turned out.

Since then, O’Malley Dillon, 43, has been transforming what had been an underfinanced, undisciplined and dysfunctional Democratic primary operation into a general-election machine capable of carrying Biden through to the November election. (Disclosure: My adult son works for the Biden campaign.)

The lockdown order has meant that the nerve center of the campaign in which anxious Democrats are investing their hopes is now located on the third floor of O’Malley Dillon’s suburban Maryland home, where she is also raising twin 7-year-old daughters and a 2-year-old son. Her second-graders have taken to joking that their mother is “the ghost in the attic.”

Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Joe Biden’s campaign manager. (Andre Chung for The Washington Post)
Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Joe Biden’s campaign manager. (Andre Chung for The Washington Post)


In the News: "second human case of Eastern equine encephalitis"

 From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"The state Department of Public Health is reporting the year’s second human case of Eastern equine encephalitis.

State health officials said a woman in her 60s was exposed to the EEE virus in Hampden County.

As a result, the EEE risk level in Wilbraham has been raised to “critical,” while the risk levels in Hampden and Monson have been raised to “high.” All three communities are in Hampden County.

In addition, the risk level in the Hampden County communities of Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Palmer and Springfield has been raised to “moderate.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200815/state-reports-second-human-case-of-eee?rssfeed=true

Listen to my conversation with Franklin Health Director Cathleen Liberty on mosquito and tick borne diseases  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/05/fm-271-franklin-health-director.html

For more about EEE in MA, check out the MA.gov page  https://www.mass.gov/guides/eee-in-massachusetts  and the risk map copied below  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-arbovirus-update#eee-risk-map-


EEE risk map
EEE risk map

“Any public communications would promote only the topic, not the elected official”

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin: 

"AN ELDERLY MAN speaks dispiritedly on a TV public service announcement about having been a victim of financial fraud.  But his frown quickly morphs into a big smile as he talks about how Secretary of State William Galvin got him his money back.

“I like to bring good news,” says Galvin on the ad. “If you’ve been the victim of financial fraud, we might be able to help. Call me.”

The public service announcement is another in a long line that Galvin has been running at taxpayer expense since he took office 25 years ago. From April 2019 to March 2020, Galvin spent close to $2 million of taxpayer money to produce and air five different public service announcements, according to documents obtained under the public records law.

The announcements undoubtedly perform a public service by alerting the public to the services Galvin’s office provides. But they also serve as a form of taxpayer-funded advertising for Galvin the politician."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)   https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/galvin-mixes-public-service-promotion/

Not the first time for this issue of Galvin's PSA usage to be questioned  https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/11/22/ethics-officials-say-mass-secretary-state-used-public-resources-for-political-gain/A9lh58iTVfem8xA2GAzFrO/story.html


"disproportionate number of false positive results being reported from that lab"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:  (so separate from the fact that some tests can result in false positive results, this story reminds us all that the handling process to get the results is also very important. The quality control of this particular  lab is in question and we'll need the fulls set of retests to confirm what the real problem is.)

"Late Friday afternoon, the Department of Public Health disclosed that a commercial lab, which state officials did not identify, is under investigation and has voluntarily suspended all testing after state officials detected 130 false positives test results were reported.

The errors mean Fall River is being re-categorized from the red to yellow, moderate-risk category and Taunton is shifting from yellow to green.

DPH officials say the reporting issue occurred from July 30 to Aug. 1 and “resulted in a disproportionate number of false positive results being reported from that lab during that time.”

“The lab ceased testing when the issue was identified and is under investigation,” DPH spokeswoman Katheleen Conti said in a statement. “Test results conducted by the lab during this time are being verified by an independent lab, and based on results received to date, the Department has accordingly released updated case numbers and risk levels for the August 12 weekly public health report for Fall River and Taunton.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)   https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200815/fall-river-taunton-risk-assessments-changed-after-false-positives?rssfeed=true