Gov Baker's executive order has extended Franklin's BoH facial covering mandate

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

"Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order on Friday requiring members of the public to wear a face covering while in public when people cannot physical distance from others.

The order goes into place on Wednesday, May 6 and does not apply to children under the age of 2.

The requirement applies to all workers and customers of businesses and other organizations that are open to the public.

Gov. Baker said face coverings are an easy, critically important and essential step to stop or slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“The public is required to wear a face covering at all times in grocery stores, retail stores or on public transportation,” Baker said."

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200501/baker-signs-order-requiring-face-coverings-while-in-public

If you were watching the live update on Friday, you'll recall that the feed was lost during the broadcast.  There apparently is no video replay available at this time. The archive of prior updates for replay can be found 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfzuvKpMoFEDd597ZSHxMmvkzR3XCgVSg


The Press Release
https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-orders-use-of-mask-or-face-covering-in-public-announces-increased

The Tweet
https://twitter.com/MassGovernor/status/1256291755865104384

The Executive Order
https://www.mass.gov/doc/may-1-2020-masks-and-face-coverings/download

Today we are requiring all residents to wear a mask in public places when it is not possible to maintain proper social distance.

This applies to workers and customers of essential businesses like groceries and pharmacies.#COVID19MA

🔗Full Details: https://t.co/MHAD2lF5PV pic.twitter.com/bhW27HG0mx

— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) May 1, 2020

https://twitter.com/MassGovernor/status/1256291755865104384/photo/1

Panther News Special Edition: May 1, 2020

Produced by Franklin High School's TV Production Program

https://youtu.be/od5ZAN9U-7o



https://twitter.com/fhspanthertv/status/1256199418220630016?s=09

COVID-19 ruined my travel plans. Now what?

COVID-19 ruined my travel plans. Now what? by Namukolo Kasumpa, International Fellow, Division of Consumer & Business Education If COVID-19 canceled your travel plans, you are likely disappointed and wondering about refunds, credits, or vouchers for plane tickets, cruise bookings, tours, and more.  Even if your scheduled travel is months away, you might be weighing your options. And many travel service providers seem to be working to address concerns about upcoming trips. Read more  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/05/covid-19-ruined-my-travel-plans-now-what  This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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“We’re losing revenue, but everyone is in the same boat”

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

The owners of Bruno’s Barber Shop on Pond Street in Natick feel fortunate.

The family-owned business that has existed for 60 years has a loyal clientele, and it tapped that group to sell enough gift cards online to pay the rent for May and June.

That’s a relief for Antonia Stockley, part of the family who owns Bruno’s, because the shop hasn’t had customers for weeks.

Lost revenue is a fact of life during COVID-19, but Stockley said she has no problem with the governor’s decision.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200501/for-some-non-essential-merchants-two-week-extension-on-closures-creates-more-angst

sign on the window at Pete's Emporium on Main St

 

FM #257 Dale Kurtz, Veterans Services Officer 4/27/20 (audio)

FM #257 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 257 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Franklin's Veterans Services Officer, Dale Kurtz. We held this conversation via virtual conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Among the topics we covered in this time

• Assisting veterans with their benefits and programs at Federal, State and local level. Pension, VA benefits
• Norfolk County RSVP Rides for Veterans - could use volunteers
• Veterans Coffee Hour - going virtual after running for a year, now goes virtual in these pandemic times; May 6, 11:00 AM (bring your own coffee!)
• No Memorial Day breakfast, can’t be held during this time, hopefully to be rescheduled for some time later
• Memorial Day itself, no parade, ceremony smaller and virtual to acknowledge those who did pass with honor
• Food boxes still available for distribution - register with Dale

The recording runs approx. 30 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Dale Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6g9h147



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Veterans’ Service page https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services

COVID-19 Information Portal https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/coronavirus-information-portal
 
Veterans Walkway Brick order form https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/files/engraved-brick-order-form

Or via the VFW page https://post3402.org/documents

Dale’s contact information:

Dale Kurtz
Veterans Service Officer
Towns of Avon and Franklin
10 Daniel McCahill Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-613-1315 (O)
508-520-4917 (F)

--------------

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/
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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

The Franklin Senior Center at night

FM #256 Board of Health Meeting 4/27/20 (audio)

FM #256 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 256 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares the Board of Health Meeting held April 27, 2020 via virtual conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The show notes provide links to the agenda, my notes taken during the meeting, and the resulting Emergency Order which was approved during the meeting and then published the next day.

The recording runs about 55 minutes, so let’s listen to the Board of Health Meeting held April 27  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HXmf1Q47




--------------

My meeting notes
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/04/board-of-health-approves-mandate-for.html

The text of the Emergency Order
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/04/emergency-order-face-covering-over.html

The agenda doc for this meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/04/franklin-ma-board-of-health-agenda.html


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/
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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FM #256 Board of Health Meeting 4/27/20 (audio)

Jamie Barrett: Listen To The Music (video)

Listen To The Music right here https://youtu.be/fTdofC_37m8

If you like what you hear, please consider sharing this video and subscribing to my YouTube channel! It would really be so appreciated!

Trying to get to 1000 subscribers (just shy of 800) so I can provide everyone with better quality videos! Thank you SO much for your support and for your consideration!

Let the music play ...

Jamie

Jefferson Labradors #TBT slide show

It's Throwback Thursday! Check out the TBT Jefferson Staff slideshow! https://t.co/jJlNSpQwsJ
Can you identify your favorite teachers as little kids??

YouTube Link = https://youtu.be/2rtw7G_aYO0




Shared via Twitter
(https://twitter.com/JeffersonLabs/status/1255920456957337601?s=03)

HockomockSports.com: Top Playoff Runs

 From HockomockSports.com:

"Over the past couple of months, our staff has reviewed hundreds of championship-caliber Hockomock League teams from the past decade (Fall 2010 through Winter 2020) and selected its Top 20 “Teams of the Decade.” During that process, we came across so many talented teams that accomplished so much. Below is a list of teams that just missed out on the final list but stood out for their postseason performances."

Franklin High School had three teams on this "Top Playoff Runs" listing. Their accomplishments are shown here. The link to the full listing is found
https://hockomocksports.com/teams-of-the-decade-top-playoff-runs/
 


2016 Franklin Boys Hockey
Record: 18-4-5
Division 1 State Champions
Just one year removed from a historic trip to the Super 8, and after graduating 21 seniors, Franklin showed off the depth in its program and erased its demons at the TD Garden, ending a three-decade wait for a second state title. A team without a true star, Franklin’s depth and its work rate were its greatest strengths. The Panthers were 12-3-5 and the fourth seed in Div. 1 when the playoffs began, but it felt like a wide open bracket. The tournament run began with a 2-1 win against Wellesley, followed by a 1-0 win against Walpole in a jam-packed Pirelli Rink.

After dispatching a third straight Bay State Conference team, Newton North, in the semifinal, Franklin avenged a late-season loss against highly-regarded Marshfield. In the state title game at the TD Garden, a place where Franklin and head coach Chris Spillane had come up empty three seasons in a row earlier in the decade, the Panthers led 3-1 heading into the third period against St. Mary’s (Lynn), a team that just missed out on a Super 8 berth. The game went to double overtime before senior Jake Downie assisted on sophomore Luke Downie’s dramatic game- and title-winner and secured a first state title since 1983.


2018 Franklin Baseball
Record: 21-5
Division 1A (Super 8) State Champions
It was a season that started with high expectations and ended in history, but it was hardly a straight and easy path for Franklin. Few will remember because of how the season ended, but the Panthers opened the season by being shutout by Foxboro, were swept by Taunton, and finished a game behind Mansfield in the league. Through it all, Franklin put together a good enough resume that it was selected for the Super 8 for the first time in program history. The Panthers (21-5) entered as the No. 7 seed, but once the playoffs began everything seemed to fall into place.

Thanks to the dynamic duo of Jake Noviello and Bryan Woelfel and a lineup filled with clutch hitters, Franklin beat Wachusett in the opening game and then proceeded to beat St. John’s Prep and Central Catholic (twice). The final three games were all one-run wins. In the Super 8 finale against the Raiders, head coach Zach Brown brought Noviello into the bottom of the eighth in a tie game with runners at second and third. He struck out three of the next four batters (hitting one in between) to somehow keep it tied and in the top of the ninth Evan Wendell’s perfect suicide squeeze plated Steve Luttazi with the title-winning run.


2017 Franklin Boys Basketball
Record: 22-5
Division 1 State Finalists
This Franklin boys team might not have won it all, but it packed some of the most memorable games into its great postseason run. The Panthers were good throughout the regular season, and they certainly had their fair share of impressive wins including one over league champ Mansfield, one over a very good Cardinal Spellman team, and concluded the regular season with arguably its best win, a 70-53 decision over a good Tech Boston team. But there were five losses too, including on the road at Canton, and early season tilts against Malden Catholic and Catholic Memorial.

The wins over Spellman and Tech Boston to finish the regular season were a clear sign to head coach CJ Neely that this squad was ready to make some noise in the state tournament. Junior Jalen Samuels helped the hosts knock off upset-minded Acton Boxboro in the opening round and senior Connor Goldstein gave Franklin a needed spark in its semifinal win over St. Peter Marian. In the Central final against perennial power St. John’s Shrewsbury, freshman Chris Edgehill sank a huge three with just over a minute left in overtime and then hit two from the free throw line in the final seconds to help secure Franklin’s first sectional title. In the state semifinal against Springfield Central, the Panthers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with an improbable 8-0 run in the final 20 seconds to force overtime. Four minutes later, Franklin was on its way to its first state championship. Although the Panthers ran into a juggernaut in Cambridge, the run that the Panthers had leading up to that point was a very memorable one. 

HockomockSports.com:  Top Playoff Runs

FHS Girls Hockey (@fhsvgockey) 2019-2020 season video

Franklin Girls Ice Hockey 2019-2020 Video ❗️ Thank you to everyone for an amazing season💙🤍💙
https://t.co/galLAL127e

https://youtu.be/z3bmdGZ5TD4




Shared from Twitter
https://twitter.com/fhsvgockey/status/1255923665574727682?s=03

Town of Franklin - Health Department: Poster for Essential Businesses

The Health Department is providing this downloadable poster for essential businesses. Find it here and on our website. https://t.co/tsqPt2qsHP https://t.co/v2jAYFyeyQ

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HvedTroaWbPdDkRDd4U8C1s32PiP2RIg/view?usp=sharing





Shared from Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1255914783204872194?s=03

Town of Franklin - Health Department: Poster for Essential Businesses

COVID-19 Update on Contact Tracting from Gvernor Baker - April 30, 2020

"Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders provided an update on the Commonwealth's response to COVID-19, including the latest on the Community Tracing Collaborative, the Reopening Advisory Board, and a new request related to FEMA reimbursements"

https://youtu.be/1r6MjVAtwLo




How can I verify MA COVID Team is calling?

"Our phone calls will use the prefix 833 and 857 and your phone will say the call is from “MA COVID Team.” Calls will be made daily from 8 a.m. to 8 PM"

COVID-19 Update on Contact Tracting

FM #253 Senior Ctr Nurse Trish Collatos 4/23/20 (audio)

FM #253 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 253 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Patricia (Trish) Collatos, the nurse at the Franklin Senior Center. The conversation was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talked about some of the virtual services provided by the Senior Center, some are being added, about some mental challenges to keep the synapses going. They are beginning to look at what it would look like to re-open, how many could come in, what meals and the seating would be like, etc.

WE talked about Trish’s experience giving blood recently and how the need is there to donate blood if you can. The process is set up to take blood safely and to adhere to all the requirements social distancing, etc.

The recording runs almost about 28 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Trish   https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HDbXQ9s7




--------------

Senior Center updates during this pandemic
https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/senior-center-resources-and-support

Most recent update: https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/alerts/update4-24.pdf

The Town of Franklin Senior Center page https://www.franklinma.gov/fsc

To donate blood find a location and date/time at Red Cross Blood
 https://www.redcrossblood.org/

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/
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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

FM #253 Senior Ctr Nurse Trish Collatos 4/23/20 (audio)

Department Spotlight: Finance Department and the Treasurer/Collector

A new Department Spotlight is available! Find it here and stay informed and connected with Town operations and services! #spotlight #finance #treasurercollector #learnmore

"This Town of Franklin spotlight will cover two departments that work together very closely, the Finance Department and the Treasurer/Collector. Department Heads Chris Sandini, Finance Director and Kerri Bertone, Treasurer/Collector, manage and oversee all of the financial aspects of doing business in our Town.

Chris has been Franklin's Finance Director since January 2018, having worked in the role for 23 years and as an auditor of municipalities for 10 years prior. The main functions of the Finance Department are to maintain the general ledger, manage payroll across the municipality payroll and handle all accounts payable.

Kerri Bertone has been the Treasurer/Collector since August of 2017. Prior to her employment in Franklin, Kerri worked in the private sector at Putnam Investments for 21 years as a senior operations manager. She joined Franklin's team in 2016 as an assistant.

Franklin is known for being pro-active with staff succession planning, and Kerri was completely prepared to assume the role after the legendary Town Treasurer/Collector, Jim Dacey, retired after nearly two decades in the position."

Department Spotlight: Finance Department and the Treasurer/Collector

Find the full set of info on this Spotlight on the Town of Franklin page https://t.co/nhLAfsgdcW

This was shared from Twitter https://t.co/a4g2KXfBp1

Senior Center is collecting cards, notes and protective masks

"The Senior Center is collecting cards, notes and protective masks to distribute to our elderly and disabled community members. A donation box will be made available beginning this afternoon. Thank you in advance!"

@FranklinSrCntr #community #seniors #connections https://t.co/IFoB1y4eaN

Senior Center is collecting cards, notes and protective masks

Shared via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1255488586293686273?s=03