Christmas Masses at St. Mary’s

As a reminder, those who wish to attend Masses in-person this Christmas at St. Mary’s must:

1.    Pre-register online (www.stmarysfranklin.org) prior to arriving at the church. From the home page, click on the “Mass Registration” link. Then choose a Mass, provide your name(s), an email address, and a phone number.
2.    Allow a temperature screening to take place. Everyone with a temperature below 100.4 degrees will be allowed into the church building.

Schedule and Options:

CHRISTMAS EVE: (Thursday)

• Masses (upper church & live-streamed to lower church and online): 1 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM
• Outdoor Communion only: 1–2:15 PM, 3–4:30 PM, 6–7:30PM 
• Church closes after 6 PM 
• No Midnight Mass

CHRISTMAS DAY (Friday)

• Masses (upper church & live-streamed to lower church and online): 7:30 AM, and 10:30 AM
• Outdoor Communion only: 7:30–9 AM and 10:30–12 AM
• Visits (upper church only): 12–6 PM
  

About us:

The community of St. Mary is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Boston located at 1 Church Square, Franklin MA. Founded as a parish in 1877, it currently serves the spiritual needs of over 4,500 families.

 

Christmas Masses at St. Mary’s

FM #419 Talk Franklin - 12/18/20 (audio)

FM #419 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 419 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talk about:

• Red status – positivity over 14 days = 5.03%
• Town Council
• Community Preservation Committee
• Water treatment plant payment (spear phishing incident)
• Logistics for 2021
• Twice monthly
• Somewhat organized to lead to Council topic calendar
• Likely to include an appropriate guest for an episode
• Always room for ‘current’ events

Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 32 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie.  Audio file =>  https://player.captivate.fm/episode/6fde8649-d680-432f-a9b9-4dd0280a3c11

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#ThinkFranklinFirst gift cards  https://franklingiftcard.com/

Town Council meeting 12/18/20 agenda and docs
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-dec-16.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/

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!

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

 

FM #419 Talk Franklin - 12/18/20 (audio)

FM #420 Town Council Quarterbacking - 12/17/20 (audio)

FM #420 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 420 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is the second of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England,  this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting: ok, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

‘regular business’

• Lot lines clean up changes continue

• Cable fund transfer authorized

• GPS lease/purchase approved

 

‘Important business’

• Community Preservation Committee bylaw approved

• Authorization of emergency funds for Water Treatment plant billing (replaces spear phishing funds)

The show notes include links to the meeting agenda and associated documents.

Our conversation runs about 37 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio file =  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HWw2SfvS

 

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Town Council - meeting agenda and packet

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-dec-16.html 

My meeting notes

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/town-council-meeting-recap-dec-16-2020.html 

 

 

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

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/

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"

 

Town Council Chair Tom Mercer opens the meeting 12/16/20

Franklin, MA: 1870 to 1879 (video)

Joe Landry provides this video of the history of Franklin from 1870 to 1879. 

Direct video link: https://youtu.be/Wzo5fKIG4ws 

Senate Advances Police Reform Legislation

  Senate Advances Police Reform Legislation

The Massachusetts State Senate today (12/21/20) made changes to an amendment to An Act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth, sent by Governor Baker, thereby allowing the original bill to advance to the House of Representatives for further consideration. In doing so, the Senate responded to the Governor's concerns and potential veto of the legislation while maintaining the integrity of the original bill, one of the most comprehensive legislative responses in the nation to incidents involving police brutality. 

Governor Baker threatened to veto a bill that included the original language that would have placed drastic limitations on law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology, mandated transparency on its use and created a commission to inform future regulations. In an effort to preserve the totality of the bill, including the first-in-the-nation civilian-led Massachusetts' Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, the Senate adopted changes to the amendment that limits law enforcement's use of facial recognition to appropriate circumstances while maintaining the original bill's requirements on transparency in data collection and the creation of a new commission on facial surveillance. 

The Governor's amendment would give the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) control over promulgating regulations of use-of-force standards. Leaders in communities of color made it clear that it is critical for the civilian-led POST commission to have a say in the development of use of force regulations, so the Senate adopted a change that will give the POST commission and MPTC joint responsibility in approving, promulgating and implementing use of force regulations.

"It is my top priority to ensure that meaningful police reform and racial justice legislation get signed into law this session," stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "The bill that we are advancing today is not a magic bullet to reverse the pain and injustice endured by communities of color and those disproportionately affected by law enforcement in Massachusetts—no one is claiming that it is, nor is it even possible for one bill to do that. But when given the choice of making necessary compromises or letting this bill be vetoed, it was unconscionable to me to not do what was necessary to lay this important foundation of accountability and transparency. I am very proud of the efforts of Senator Brownsberger and Senator Chang-Díaz to get us to this point today, but our fight for justice and equity is not over. I remain committed to listening to communities of color and doing the hard work of advancing legislation that brings us closer to our goal."

"At this point, we are in the homestretch," said Senator Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. "I am very hopeful that we will cross the finish line, because I see that all of the key leaders — the Senate President, the Speaker and the Governor feel strongly that this historic bill needs to get done."

"Communities of color pushed through heartbreak, rage, and exhaustion to get meaningful law enforcement reform this far—and made more sacrifices and compromises than they should have been asked for," said MBLLC Member Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Boston). "There's a lot that remains undone, work that this bill will not finish. And yet this bill is a testament to the fact that, in the face of so many righteous voices calling for justice, the political system does bend to effort. 'Power concedes nothing without a demand,' and over the past several months, gutsy, sustained organizing has wrought landscape-changing reform to reduce police misconduct and strengthen accountability. It's because of advocates, organizers, and community members that this legislation stands so close to becoming law, and it's because of their ongoing efforts that next session we will continue on this path towards necessary, long-overdue justice."

Other changes are administrative or clarifying in nature. The amended language now goes to the House of Representatives for further action.

CommonWealth Magazine also reports on the Senate passage

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/senate-to-compromise-with-baker-on-police-reform-bill/

Tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud

FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) tweeted

"The #FBI, @OIGatHHS, and @CMSGov, are warning the public about several emerging fraud schemes related to #COVID19 vaccines. Learn more about potential indicators of fraudulent activity, and tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud" 

 

Read the full article:  https://t.co/R9jJVINVWM 

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/nrWAHlFjiI
 

Download a flyer with the tip summary https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/vaccine-scams2020.pdf

https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/vaccine-scams2020.pdf

CommonWealth Magazine: "Mass., NH, RI, DC sign transportation climate pact"

From CommonWealth Magazine:

"MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia signed on to a pact Monday to put a price on the carbon contained in vehicle fuels sold within their borders and leverage the revenues gained and the resulting higher price of gasoline to cut transportation emissions 26 percent by 2032.

The group of initial participants is far smaller than Gov. Charlie Baker had been hoping for, but officials said other states in New England and down the East Coast have committed to staying at the table and possibly joining the so-called Transportation Climate Initiative in the future.

The emission reduction goal released Monday is higher than states had been talking about a year ago, but the forecasted impact on gas prices is expected to be smaller. A year ago the Transportation Climate Initiative looked at carbon dioxide cap reductions ranging from 20 to 25 percent by 2032, with gas prices rising 5 to 17 cents a gallon in 2022 depending on the size of the cap reduction. Now officials are calling for a 30 percent cap reduction (which translates into a 26 percent reduction in actual pollution) but saying gasoline prices will rise only 5 cents a gallon – 9 cents at the most – in 2022.

Katie Theoharides, the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said there are price protections built into the current proposal that didn’t exist with the earlier versions."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/mass-nh-ri-dc-sign-transportation-climate-pact/

wbur: "One Challenge To Reopening Schools: Finding Enough Teachers"

Franklin Public Schools has not been able to fulfill all their open positions during this pandemic period. This wbur report confirms that Franklin is not alone in finding qualified teachers.

"Just after Thanksgiving, Falmouth High School Principal Mary Gans got a call: the school had a positive case. Twelve of her staff members were considered “close contacts” and had to quarantine immediately.

"I just [did] not have the ability to cover all of their classes, even for the rest of the day," Gans said. "There just weren’t the bodies that we could pull to satisfy that kind of puzzle."

Substitute teachers are very hard to come by this year, so the school decided to go fully remote for a week. The hybrid model is back up and running at Falmouth High School, but Gans said having enough teachers is an ongoing challenge.

"We’ve been so short that I’ll go and sub in classes when teachers are out," she said. "And I’ve done that in the past, but not like this year.""

Continue reading the article online

https://www.wbur.org/edify/2020/12/21/massachusetts-teacher-shortage

From the Re-opening Report on the School Committee agenda for Dec 22, 2020

Personnel 

1.Staffing.​  As case numbers rise, we continue to have an increase in staff absences.  Coverage continues to be a challenge at all levels. Many are wondering what metrics we are using in terms of numbers of staff absent prior to switching to a remote day. 

a.Actions taken (noted in the last update): Principals and assistant principals are providing coverage as needed. This takes away from their other responsibilities, which at this time include contact tracing (see below) in addition to other customary responsibilities. We are recruiting additional subs and monitors as college students return home for the next several months. We are requiring negative COVID tests for employment. 

b.Additional actions taken: Like many districts, I do not have  definitive quantitative metrics on attendance to determine whether or not to move a school into remote learning for a day. Beyond an overall number of staff out, more needs to go into the decision including looking at which staff are out and their responsibilities within the school setting. We are also taking into consideration the duration for which coverage is a challenge for the school. The building administration and central office team discuss the coverage plan for a particular school and, when coverage can not be adequately provided, we have made the decision to go remote.

Read the full re-opening report here

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/reopening_schools_status_update_dec_18_2020-2021.pdf

wbur: "One Challenge To Reopening Schools: Finding Enough Teachers"

FTC Consumer Alert: New tools to fight gift card scams

New tools to fight gift card scams by Cristina Miranda Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC This holiday season (and year-round), gift cards are on scammers' wish lists. Scammers always have a reason for you to pay them immediately with a gift card. And they often tell you which card to buy and which store to visit. That's why the FTC is launching a new Stop Gift Card Scams campaign to work with stores and law enforcement to fight these scams. And it's also why the FTC has taken another look at reporting data to see what's happening lately. Read more >  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/12/new-tools-fight-gift-card-scams?utm_source=govdelivery This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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New York Times: "The ‘Red Slime’ Lawsuit That Could Sink Right-Wing Media"

From the New York Times, an article of interest for Franklin:

“Of course I was surprised, but at the same time, it was pretty clear that these people were trying to discredit the election and they were throwing out 25 conspiracy theories in parallel,” he told me in an interview last week from Barbados, where his company has an office. “I thought it was so absurd that it was not going to have legs.”

But by Nov. 14, he knew he had a problem. That’s when Rudy Giuliani, serving as the president’s lawyer, suggested that one voting company, Dominion Voting Systems, had a sinister connection to vote counts in “Michigan, Arizona and Georgia and other states.” Mr. Giuliani declared on Twitter that the company “was a front for SMARTMATIC, who was really doing the computing. Look up SMARTMATIC and tweet me what you think?”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/business/media/smartmatic-lawsuit-fox-news-newsmax-oan.html

Tweet from Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D.: "More on the UK variant"

Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D. (@ErinBromage) tweeted at 8:36 AM on Mon, Dec 21, 2020:  More on the UK variant

Bottom line: "There is a concern for 3 of these mutations that could enhance the transmission. Be aware but don't panic."

 

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinBromage/status/1341014769587941376?s=03

More on the UK variant https://t.co/PWYlE6lLZ6

— Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D. (@ErinBromage) December 21, 2020

Planning Board - Agenda - Dec 21, 2020

The Franklin Food Pantry is on the agenda for the Planning Board meeting Monday to introduce the site plan for their new building on East Central St and begin the permit approval process.

Planning Board Agenda

7:00 PM -   Commencement/General Business   

7:05PM    - PUBLIC HEARING - Continued
52 East Central St   
Special Permit & Site Plan Modification
WITHDRAWN   

7:10 PM  -  PUBLIC HEARING - Continued
515 West Central Street   
Site Plan   TO BE CONTINUED    

7:15 PM    PUBLIC HEARING - Initial
138 East Central Street   (Franklin Food Pantry)
Site Plan  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/138_east_central_st_site_plan.pdf

Review docs   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/138_east_central_review.pdf

7:20 PM    PUBLIC HEARING - Initial
Countryside Estates   
Subdivision Modification    

7:25 PM    PUBLIC HEARING – Continued
186 Grove St   
Site plan Modification   

GENERAL BUSINESS:
A.    Road Acceptance: Laurinda Lane
B.    Bond Release: Sandy Knoll Estates
C.    Decision: 72-94 East Central Street- Special Permit & Site Plan
D.    Phasing Plan Approval: 160 Grove St
E.    Endorsement: 164 Grove St
F.    Endorsement: 162 Grove St
G.    81-P ANR: 15-17 Margaret’s Cove
H.    81-P ANR Rescind Vote: 55 Coutu Street
I.    Meeting Minutes: November 2, 2020 & November 16, 2020

This agenda is subject to change. Last updated: December 15, 2020
The next meeting of the Planning Board is scheduled for January 11, 2021 

Agenda doc in PDF format:

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/december_21_2020.pdf

 

Additional renderings and diagrams of the new facility at 138 East Central St

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gPSLTYPorJDWjMq5JGryWxz2go995-Z7/view?usp=sharing

 

new Franklin Food Pantry Rendering: View from East Central Street

FM #418 Town Council Meeting - 12/16/20 (audio)

FM #418 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 418 in the series.

This session shares the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020.

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Town Council, selected guests, and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, the public was remote via Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda. The recording runs about one hour and fifty minutes

Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting of Dec 16, 2020. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HZZbRDPS


 

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Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF)
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-dec-16.html

Spear phishing update folder
https://franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/spear-phishing

My notes from the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/town-council-meeting-recap-dec-16-2020.html 

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

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/

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"

 

newly elected Town Councilor Cobi Frongillo

The Hill: "Federal agency says employers can require workers to get COVID-19 vaccine"

Via The Hill

"A key federal agency said this week that employers can legally require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and prevent them from entering their workplaces if they refuse.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in guidance issued Wednesday said that requiring a test would not violate the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The law bars employers from requiring medical exams such as blood tests that seek information on an employee’s physical or mental condition, but the EEOC said a COVID-19 vaccine does not fall under that category.

“If a vaccine is administered to an employee by an employer for protection against contracting COVID-19, the employer is not seeking information about an individual’s impairments or current health status and, therefore, it is not a medical examination,” the commission said."

Continue reading the article online

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/530963-federal-agency-says-employers-can-require-workers-to-get-covid-19-vaccine

The EEOC page with COVID-19 highlights in a Q&A format

https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-ada-rehabilitation-act-and-other-eeo-laws

Franklin School Committee to hear presentations on ECDC and Performing Arts Tuesday, Dec 21

The presentation documents as released for discussion at the School Committee meeting Tuesday, Dec 21, 2020.

 

II. Guests/Presentations
A. ECDC Highlights - Kelty Kelley  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/ecdc_update_to_school_committee_12_22_20.pdf
 

 

 

 

B. Performing Arts Events - Diane Plouffe  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/franklin_performing_arts_department_presentation_2020.pdf

Franklin School Committee to hear presentations on ECDC and Performing Arts Tuesday, Dec 21