Atlantic #HurricaneSeason Outlook 2022: 70% likelihood of 14-21 named storms of which 6-10 could become hurricanes, including 3-6 major hurricanes: bit.ly/2022AtlanticHu #HurricaneOutlook
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| Atlantic #HurricaneSeason Outlook 2022 |
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| hurricane name listing for 2022 |
11:00a/2:00p/8:00pm Frank Presents – Frank Falvey Presents
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| Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) |
Find the full calendar https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html
If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication: https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6
The Franklin Cultural District Committee closed out its round of grant awards for Fiscal Year 2022 with the announcement of three recipients. The award amounts complete the utilization of the Cultural District Initiative grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Fiscal Year 2022.
Franklin Veterans Services = a $1,350.00 grant. The grant will pay for the reconditioning and restoration of the Persian-Gulf war monument located on the Town Common.
Franklin Performing Arts Company = a $1,000 grant. The grant will assist FPAC with the production of the musical Sweeny Todd at THE BLACK BOX scheduled for June 2022.
Escape Into Fiction = a $400 grant. The grant will enable the purchase of 20 folding event chairs that will allow the bookstore to be utilized as a small venue to hold a variety of arts and culture events, including local author events, art classes, and opening nights
The Franklin Cultural District Committee endeavors to support arts and culture in the Cultural District and beyond through partnerships with the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), the Franklin Cultural Council, and the Town of Franklin.
The Franklin Cultural District Committee thanks the individual businesses and organizations for working collaboratively with them to utilize the MCC grant money and to further enhance arts and culture in the Town of Franklin.
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| Franklin Cultural Districts completes grant announcements for Fiscal Year 2022 awards |
The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization that helps pass laws that protect our environmental legacy, holds our elected officials accountable, and works to build the political power of the environmental community. To learn more about our work and our recent electoral victories visit www.elmaction.org/elections.
https://twitter.com/EnviroLeagueMA/status/1526571203992989696
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| State Representative Jeffrey Roy Endorsed for 10th Norfolk District by Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund |
The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School District is pleased to announce two of the six teams that participated in this year's NASA HUNCH Program were selected as semi-finalists. The NASA HUNCH Program allows vocational students to help develop important features and hardware for the International Space Station (ISS). Each year a set of approximately ten issues that could help astronauts live more functionally or aid in the scientific and engineering capabilities on the ISS are presented in September. Students select an issue, form teams, and work together on a solution. All juniors in the Engineering Program participate. (www.hunchdesign.com)
The students in the NASA HUNCH Program work with mentors, college professors, national companies, engineers from NASA, and other organizations to help hone their ideas. In addition, each student is encouraged to include their work with NASA on their resume. The students' fresh perspective, time, and energy assists the Research and Integration Office out of the Johnson Space Center. This year each student who presented in Houston received a personalized recommendation letter to assist their future endeavors.
Students worked to provide a preliminary design review in February. After this review, teams refine their ideas and have a critical design review which typically takes place in New Jersey. The finalists are invited to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, to present to NASA and anyone interested. This year sixty teams from around the country were invited to Houston to present.
Thomas Ford (Millis), Timothy Harrington (North Attleboro), Joshua Shockley (Wrentham), and Cory George (Seekonk) were finalists with the mockup of a Destiny module built for transport they created. The Destiny module is the primary research laboratory on the ISS. Destiny's research allows scientists to understand our world better and prepare for future space missions. The students were tasked with researching materials within budgeting constraints and creating a mockup to show how the traveling module would assemble and disassemble for easy transport. The team considered structural elements that would be safe for the public to view, interact with, and fit on a flatbed truck.
Nicholas Aguiar (Seekonk), Zachary Blenkhorn (Medway), Joseph Cady (Plainville), and Aidan Juhl (Millis) worked together to create Magnetic Boots for Space X Human Landing System. These boots would allow the astronauts to walk on the outside of the ship instead of floating, which would enable them to maneuver themselves with their feet and carry items with their hands, similar to how they would work on Earth. "We learned you won't get anything done on the first try- it won't be perfect," commented Nicholas Aguiar of Seekonk when asked about the design process.
The teams traveled to Houston to present their projects to NASA in April. The students agreed that having the opportunity to pitch their idea to NASA and "pick the brains of such a knowledgeable group" were highlights of their trip. The students will now wait to hear from NASA to see if their idea will move forward in the design process.
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| L-R: Kristen Magas (teacher-North Attleboro), Timothy Harrington (North Attleboro), Joshua Shockley (Wrentham), Thomas Ford (Millis), Aidan Juhl (Millis), Joseph Cady (Plainville), Zachary Blenkhorn (Medway), Nicholas Aguiar (Seekonk), Jeffrey McCall (Teacher-Rehoboth) |
FHS GT loses tight one to Foxboro 3-2. Both dubs teams get wins.
Vedika Vinayak & Brooke Daniels won in straight sets including 2nd set tie breaker.
Allison Bagley & Sydney Tolonen also won in straight sets.
Franklin is now 11-6.
https://twitter.com/fhs_gvtennis/status/1529394901535924224
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| FHS Panthers |
This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist. We recorded this via the Zoom conference bridge Thursday, May 19, 2022.
Ted and I are joined by Lisa Cunningham and Wendy Stahl. They are climate activists and co-founders of ZeroCarbonMA.org/
This discussion continues our journey understanding the MA roadmap toward net zero and while it helps me “make sense of climate”, we hope it helps with your understanding as well.
If you have climate questions or Franklin specific climate questions, send them in and we’ll try to answer them in a future session. Wendy and Lisa are also happy to answer questions.
The recording runs about 50 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Ted, Lisa, and Wendy as we discuss Brookline’s initiative, heat pumps, gas leaks, and the health and financial implications of these.
Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-801-making-sense-of-climate-10-05-19-22
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House of Representatives:
MA Senate:
Articles referenced
Stanford Study on gas leaks
https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2022/03/24/methane-leaks-mues-fix-available/
and
RMI article on gas stoves https://rmi.org/insight/gas-stoves-pollution-health/
And to buy a low-cost induction cook plate to try induction cooking
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-induction-cooktop/
We recommend the least expensive “no frills” – works great! And cast iron pans are magnetic and low cost (Ikea and Amazon also have low-cost magnetic/induction cookware).
Globe article on Senate Drive Forward act
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/07/science/senate-unveils-sweeping-climate-bill/
Electrify your home guide https://www.rewiringamerica.org/electrify-home-guide
IPCC report “Code Red” “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable."
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097362
Mass Clean Energy Center (MCEC) on heat pumps https://www.masscec.com/blog/2021/09/13/masscec-pilot-showcases-success-whole-home-heat-pumps
Talking Points on Section 65 of the Senate’s Drive Act (S. 2842)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XCxBnnmgBaGkDEsziqhzAgASJLCoOqxhUe5VZKF-9EY/edit
Text of the MA Senate Drive Act
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2819/BillHistory?pageNumber=2 or here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TDKb_6gw9HjE8q7ZPbU2hhM9ZS1mU6q9/view?usp=sharing
See the page that collects the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
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!
The Franklin TV video replay of the Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting conducted Tuesday, May 24, 2022 is available on YouTube -> https://youtu.be/gP5hyu8WZ3I
My notes and recap will be available shortly, the audio will be available in a couple of days.
Before the school news from Texas took over the headlines, the possible takeover of Boston Public Schools dominated the headlines. That DESE charges Boston with disfunction coming from an institution which is also disfunctional at times is more than ironic, especially since the period in question is primarily the pandemic.
"State Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley hammered Boston Public Schools for its “bloated” central office and “unconscionable” transportation failures in his first public comments Tuesday on a new state review of the district, but held off on recommending any takeover of city schools, saying he remains “hopeful and optimistic” that the state and city can reach agreement on a plan for urgent improvement.
Addressing the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its monthly meeting, as dozens of people protested outside and dozens more were turned away from the packed meeting room, Riley said he will give Mayor Michelle Wu a chance to respond to his initial proposal for next steps. Details of that plan have not been released to the public."
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| Parents and teachers gathered outside the Massachusetts State House before walking the short distance a Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to show opposition to a state takeover of Boston Public Schools. The state on Monday released a scathing review of the district.JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF |
"STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER Jeff Riley said the Boston Public Schools face a “myriad of problems,” from special education and English language learner services in disarray to data systems reporting inaccurate student outcomes, but he made it clear on Tuesday that he is hoping to reach agreement with Mayor Michelle Wu on a plan to address them rather than recommend that the state’s largest school district be put in receivership.
“I am hopeful and optimistic that we can come to some kind of an agreement on next steps forward,” Riley told members of the state board of education on Tuesday at a meeting dominated by several hours of discussion of the plight of the Boston schools."
