Sunday, September 29, 2019

Register for the Ladybug 5K - Oct 6

Ladybug 5K 2019
Sunday October 6, 2019 10:00 AM

John F Kennedy School School
551 Pond Street - Franklin MA

USATF Sanctioned Event
Professional Timing 3C Race Productions

Cash Prize for the Top Male and Female finisher
Raffle (Tickets: 1 for $1 OR 12 for $10)
  • Kids Fun Run begins at 9:30 AM
  • 5K begins at 10 AM
  • Bib number pick up begins at 8:30 AM

Register online
https://g2racereg.webconnex.com/ladybug5k19?fbclid=IwAR3WmRHbiXqWAgSaQo37lNG5Oltz_B2-SJ4dz5IoXIobpFrUznyWp9_cvfM

The start of the Ladybug 5K in 2015
The start of the Ladybug 5K in 2015

"we’re trying to both build some strategies and add some new strategies"

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

"State environmental officials on Friday rolled out a draft plan that calls for Massachusetts to reduce its solid waste disposal by 1.7 million tons by 2030, in part by targeting food waste, textiles and construction materials.

The Department of Environmental Protection will accept public comment on its draft 2020-2030 Solid Waste Master Plan through Dec. 6, and has a series of hearings on it planned throughout the fall.

With the state on track to fall short of its 2020 waste reduction goal - the current master plan called for a 30% reduction from 6.55 million tons in 2008 to 4.55 million tons in 2020 - the new draft sets “some very aggressive goals” backed up by a “really robust and multi-pronged strategy,” said deputy DEP commissioner Stephanie Cooper.

“We are redoubling our efforts,” Cooper said. “Part of what has affected the progress to date has been a strong economy, which sort of cuts against waste reduction generally.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190929/state-rolls-out-plan-to-reduce-solid-waste

  • More info on the MassDEP Solid Waste Master Plan
https://www.mass.gov/guides/solid-waste-master-plan

  • The draft 2020-2030 Solid Waste Master Plan
https://www.mass.gov/doc/draft-2030-solid-waste-master-plan/download

  • The Presentation document for the draft Master Plan
https://www.mass.gov/doc/presentation-review-of-draft-2030-solid-waste-master-plan/download


MassDEP has scheduled the following public hearings:
  • Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP Central Regional Office, 8 New Bond Street, Worcester;
  • Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP Northeast Regional Office, 205B Lowell Street, Wilmington;
  • Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 10 a.m. at the MassDEP Headquarters Office, 1 Winter Street, Boston;
  • Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 5 p.m. at the Springfield City Library, Sixteen Acres Branch, 1187 Parker Street, Springfield; and
  • Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 5 p.m. at the MassDEP Southeast Regional Office, 20 Riverside Drive, Lakeville.
 
 
MassDEP Solid Waste Master Plan
MassDEP Solid Waste Master Plan

In the News: aggressive mosquitoes being fought; "525 million probes a day from foreign soil"

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

"About two years ago, Todd Duval got a call from a New Bedford homeowner. The woman’s children were being attacked by relentlessly aggressive mosquitoes in her yard. The kids had sustained so many bites that the woman took them to the doctor to make sure they’d be OK.

Duval, an entomologist with the Bristol County Mosquito Control Project, visited the home. He found plastic toys scattered throughout the yard, corrugated downspout extensions on the home’s gutters and buckets for collecting rainwater that the woman used to water her tomatoes.

The containers were an ideal breeding ground for a species of mosquito that has been threatening to colonize Massachusetts for a few years: the Aedes albopictus, or Asian tiger mosquito.

The first Asian tiger mosquito in Massachusetts was found in New Bedford in 2009. Over the next few years, Duval and other mosquito trackers found the tiny day-biters buzzing around traps in increasing numbers, mostly in New Bedford, Fairhaven and, in some years, a neighborhood in Dartmouth."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190927/climate-change-clears-path-for-new-mosquito-in-massachusetts-it-can-carry-zika-dengue-and-other-tropical-diseases


"Every day, the state’s computer network is “probed” more than half a billion times by entities outside the United States looking for a weak spot in the state’s cyber protections that could allow bad actors to infiltrate the state’s information technology infrastructure.

The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) and others maintain defenses against those probes, but some programs are expected to run out of funding in January when the Legislature’s last IT bond bill runs dry, EOTSS Secretary Curt Wood told lawmakers Thursday.

“We have major initiatives ongoing right now, if the money expires in January, which we anticipate, we will be stopped without any traction,” he said. “So the urgency from a funding perspective is critical.”

Wood, Administration and Finance Secretary Michael Heffernan and Public Safety Secretary Thomas Turco pressed the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets to advance a $1.15 billion bill authorizing funds for information technology, public safety equipment and cybersecurity projects."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190928/state-officials-seek-critical-funding-for-cybersecurity

Saturday, September 28, 2019

School Committee Meeting Recap: Start times put on 'pause'; elementary school improvement plans approved

The School Committee meeting held Tuesday, Sep 24, 2019 revealed some interesting news. 

The early release of MCAS data shows that the JF Kennedy Elementary School and the Davis Thayer Elementary School were recognized by the State DESE for their results. As the full set of MCAS data is understood, there will be an update to the community later this fall.

The ECDC and elementary school improvement plans for the 2019-2020 school years were presented and approved. Copies of the presentation documents are included here. Links to the individual improvement plans are available.

The school start time update provided the greatest shock (or disappointment) to some but it was a rather practical move. The effort to study changing school starts times has been 'paused.' Given the effort required with the upcoming budget cycle (and a significant budget shortage to be dealt with - likely raising the infamous 'o' word) along with the study to start on the potential closure of Davis Thayer (which would also require a redistricting of the entire school population - a major effort), and the need to actually continue the day to day operation of education the current school population, it was a wise move.

The presentation copy for the school update is shared below. 
 

  • The Superintendent's Report
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/franklinmaps/files/uploads/superintendents_report_to_school_committee_september_24_2019.pdf







Additional details captured live during the meeting can be found in my notes
  • Live reporting: Discussion Only items through to C...
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/09/live-reporting-discussion-only-items.html
  • Live reporting: Discussion/Action items
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/09/live-reporting-discussionaction-items.html
  • Live reporting: School Start Times Update
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/09/live-reporting-school-start-times-update.html
  • Live reporting: Elementary School Improvement Plan...
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/09/live-reporting-elementary-school.html
  • Live reporting: School Committee - Sep 24, 2019
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/09/live-reporting-school-committee-sep-24.html

 
elementary school principals presenting their School Improvement Plans
elementary school principals presenting their School Improvement Plans

FHS girls soccer posts win vs. North Attleboro

Via HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the FHS fall sports action on Friday, Sep 27, 2019


Boys Soccer = North Attleboro, 2 @ Franklin, 0 – Final

Girls Soccer = Franklin, 2 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final
The Panthers scored twice on first half set pieces to secure the victory. Sabrina Addi’s long free kick was flicked on from the edge of the box by Erin Quaile midway through the half, catching the keeper off her line for the opening goal. Addi scored the second on a corner kick that bounced around in the North box. She finally latched onto the loose ball and lifted it into the back of the net. Lydia Hershey, Colette Petit, and Taylor Ward played well defensively for the Rocketeers, while Alex Moulson played a solid all-around game in midfield.

For a Photo Gallery from this game
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2019-2020/Fall-2019/North-Attleboro-Franklin-Girls-Soccer-9-27-19/

Field Hockey = Franklin @ Walpole – Postponed to Saturday 9/28 at 10:00


Football = King Philip, 26 @ Franklin, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: (KP) Robbie Jarest 25-yard pass to Brian Wassersug, Dylan Conti XP good; (F) Thomas Gasbarro 53-yard pass to Cole Lakatos, Parker Cheuvront XP good.
2nd Quarter: (KP) Ryan Halliday 1-yard rush, D. Conti XP good; (KP) R. Jarest 11-yard pass to Andrew McKinney, XP blocked.
3rd Quarter: (F) Mack Gulla 1-yard rush, P. Cheuvront XP good.
4th Quarter: (KP) R. Halliday 11-yard rush, 2pt pass failed.

Ryan Lanigan, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com, provides the game recap:
"The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The King Philip offense has had some success from the new wrinkles it’s added this season, but when it mattered most, the Warriors turned to their signature ground and pound running attack.

Senior Ryan Halliday rushed for 150 yards on 33 carries, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and scored a pair of touchdowns to pace the Warriors to a 26-14 win over rival Franklin, KP’s 16th straight win over the Panthers.

After getting just one touch on each of King Philip’s first two drives of the second half — both quickly ended in punts — and Franklin playing with the momentum after cutting the deficit to six at 20-14, the Warriors turned to Halliday."
Continue reading the game recap
https://hockomocksports.com/king-philip-football-ground-game-defense-beat-franklin/

For a photo gallery of this game
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2019-2020/Fall-2019/Franklin-King-Philip-Football-09-27-19/

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-09-27-19/

 
Carly Alston, FHS
Carly Alston, FHS

MBTA Update: Franklin Line notice - shuttle bus through October 20

Weekends, Sept 7- Nov 24, Franklin Train service is replaced by free buses between Forge Park/495 and Readville for a Fairmount Line connection while PTC is installed. There will be no service at Back Bay, Ruggles, Endicott, Islington and Norwood Depot.

Please visit https://www.mbta.com/FRKwork for more details about bus shuttle schedules. Visit MBTA.com/PTC for more information on how this project will improve commuter rail safety and travel. Passengers may experience delays of up to 30 minutes as a result of shuttle bus connections.

There will be no Franklin line service at Back Bay and Ruggles stations on weekends. Please travel to South Station to reach a Franklin Line station. If you are travelling inbound, please board a Worcester/Framingham line Train for direct connection to Back Bay or a Providence/Stoughton line Train for a direct connection to Back Bay or Ruggles.

We also recommend the subway: board the Red Line at South Station and transfer to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing to reach Back Bay or Ruggles.

Due to proximity of adjacent stations, bus shuttles will not serve Endicott, Islington and Norwood Depot stations:
- Endicott station customers, please use Readville or Dedham Corp stations.
- Islington station customers, please use Dedham Corp station.
- Norwood Depot customers, please use Norwood Central or Dedham Corp station.

8:40 PM and 10:40 PM departures from Forge Park as well as 11:20 PM departure from South Station will be accommodated by a bus for the entire trip between South Station and Forge Park (including the portion between South Station and Readville).

Additional weekends may be added to the train service suspension between Forge Park/495 and Readville as work progresses on the Franklin line.

Thank you for your patience while we improve the signal system on your Commuter Rail line.

For more information: https://www.mbta.com/FRKwork


Last Updated: Sep 27 2019 03:31 PM


MBTA Update: Franklin Line notice - shuttle bus through October 20
MBTA Update: Franklin Line notice - shuttle bus through October 20

Friday, September 27, 2019

Franklin Connections: October edition available

Franklin Connections, the October Edition of the Senior Center Newsletter has been posted to the Town of Franklin webpage and is available.

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/oct19connection.pdf




Franklin Connections: October edition available
Franklin Connections: October edition available