MassBudget: The State of Working Massachusetts

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. The State of Working Massachusetts Our state economy is growing. The state unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 2008: 4.7 percent. And yet, despite this very real progress, our economy is not working for everyone - or even for most of us. The median wage is lower today than it was a decade ago and poverty is higher, even though our economy has grown substantially. Fixing that disconnect - the failure of economic growth to lead to an improving standard of living for working people - is the core economic policy challenge facing our state and our country. To read the full State of Working Massachusetts report, click HERE.  There are a number of policies that could be pursued at the national level to restore real wage growth and begin to build broadly shared prosperity. Massachusetts also can do a lot to expand economic opportunity and improve the lives of working people and families. The State of Working Massachusetts explores the well-being of our people and the strengths and weaknesses of our state economy. With the best educated workforce in the country we have the highest median wage. But across the income spectrum, wages have stagnated while income growth is concentrated among our very highest income households. That's a problem that state and federal policies need to address.  In addition to covering issues of wages and incomes, the various sections of The State of Working Massachusetts discuss the jobs situation in our state, poverty and child poverty, and the important role education plays in all of these areas. Throughout the report, we present data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and others. We invite you to read more about all of these topics and to explore the many other issues we cover and reports we provide on the MassBudget website. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

"a standard safety procedure"

The police Thursday night were searching for a suspect in an armed robbery at a Forest Street home earlier that day that forced two nearby school buildings into lockdown. 

At 12:57 p.m. Thursday, police say a man with a silver-handgun threatened one of the homeowners, stole an undisclosed amount of money and ran down Forest Street. There were reports that he also had a knife. The home is a single-family Cape, according to the assessor's database. 

Police described the suspect as a white male in his 20s, approximately six feet tall, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.

Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150604/NEWS/150607858

dog walk at DelCarte Conservation Area - Jun 14

Sam Hogan will be hosting a dog walk at DelCarte Conservation Area on Pleasant St in Franklin on Sunday, June 14 from 12:00-1:30. 

Dog treats will be available for sale, and people going to the event are encouraged to donate a supply. All proceeds will benefit the North Attleboro Animal Shelter. 

Details are in the flyer shown here:

one of the large ponds at DelCarte

Tri-County Top 10 senior students recognized by United Regional Chamber

As noted earlier, the United Regional Chamber of Commerce recognized the Top 10 students in their respective local high schools.. This is the photo and listing of those students from Tri-County Regional Voc Tech

Tri-County Top 10 students recognized by United Regional Chamber

TRI-COUNTY RVTHS

• Michael John Ambrose
• Laura Beth Auerbach - Franklin
• Jessica Lyn Coates
• Maximillian Roxin Dixon - Franklin
• Dillan William Hoyt
• Christopher Gerard Lenzi - Franklin
• Lindsey Joyce Ogden
• Cassius James Peter - Franklin
• Caroline Marie Read - Franklin
• Emily Rose Spillane - Franklin
• UNSUNG HERO: Jake Ducharme

FHS Parking Enforcement

**PARKING ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY**

Recently you may have noticed the Franklin Police Department has stepped up our enforcement of parking violators in the area of the Franklin High School athletic field, the Horace Mann Middle School and St. Mary Church. 

This advisory is intended to reach as many people as possible so that you will not be one of those who get back to your vehicle to find an orange parking ticket affixed to the windshield. 

The Franklin Police Department asks when you visit Franklin and see there is a "no parking" sign clearly posted that you honor that and continue on to an area specifically designed and/or allowed for parking. 

The issueance of parking violations is one of the "less desirable" duties of police officers, it does however become necessary when there is constant and blatant disregard for parking control. Our wish is always for the voluntary compliance of law, but when that is not the case our only remaining option is for enforcement.

If you have constructive comments and/or suggestions please feel free to call me @ 508-528-1212 ext 2709. Thank you.

STEPHAN H. SEMERJIAN

CHIEF OF POLICE

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You are subscribed to the Franklin Police News and Announcements mailing list.

not the 'no parking' sign referred to but a sign from the FHS site

Representative Roy : What's happening in the district - May 2015 newsletter

This is our regularly monthly newsletter. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get on our email list by clicking here. View this email in your browser Facebook Twitter Website Email No community immune from opioid abuse A few weeks ago, the Franklin Town Council hosted a thoughtful discussion on the opioid epidemic. While I was pleased to be a part of that discussion, it was unsettling to see the damage that is wreaking havoc on people and their families; those who struggle daily with the disease of addiction. No community is immune from this crisis, but there are multi-faceted ways to address it. The Legislature has taken a number of steps through laws and budget appropriations to get in front of the problem. And it has been supportive of efforts to establish community coalitions to confront opioid abuse. In February, our office began the process of setting up a community coalition in the area and we will continue with these efforts in conjunction with the District Attorney, local officials, the police, the school department, medical and mental health professionals, and residents. The first meeting of the Community Coalition in Franklin will take place on Tuesday, June 29, 2015 at 7 pm. If you have any ideas or would like to help in this effort, please reach out to us by clicking here. It will take a team effort to take on this epidemic, but together we can save lives and heel fractured families. I look forward to working with you.  View this email in your browser

FHS Softball and Boys Lacrosse win playoff games

From Hockomock Sports we find and share the following on the playoff results for FHS from Wednesday, June 3rd. 

Softball
D1 South
#14 Franklin, 7 vs. #19 Somerset Berkley, 2 - Final

- Caroline D'Aprile struck out 10 to get the win in the circle for the Panthers. At the plate, Brie Flaherty went 3-4 with an RBI, Christine Harvey had a pair of RBI, Alicia Donovan went 3-4 and Olivia DiGiacomo went 2-3. Head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau said Maddie Connelly played "outstanding defense" with three assists and three put outs.

FHS Panthers

Boys Lacrosse
D1 South
#4 Franklin, 15 vs. #13 Brookline, 5 - Final

- Franklin senior Austin Kent had a team-high five points with four goals and one assist, Justin Miller scored a hat trick and had one assist and goalie DJ Shea made 12 saves in net. Head coach Lou Verrochi said Sean Lockhart, Alec Borkowski and Mike Sullivan were "excellent on defense."

For all the playoff results around the Hockomock League on Wednesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-060315

BFCCPS - Expansion Update

From Don Tappin, President, Board of Trustees - BFCCPS

"As many know the Benjamin Franklin Educational Foundation already owns a parcel of land in Franklin on Washington Street that was purchased some time ago with the idea of building a school. Although in the past there were barriers to developing the parcel recent events have made the site viable and in fact favorable to other available options. As a result, I’m pleased to let you know that we are pursuing placement of the school on Washington Street in Franklin. 

The next step in the process is for us to seek a designer to develop plans and specifications for a new 90,000 square foot building with play fields. Much of this work will take place over the summer. Our timeline remains aggressive but we currently expect that we will be able to welcome students into BFCCPS’s new facility in September of 2017."

You can read the full posting on the BFCCPS webpage here
http://bfccps.org/expansion-update-from-the-board-of-trustees/

Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School

"The primary goal isn’t to arrest"

“Franklin is not unique in terms of this problem,” Roy said, referring to the state’s opioid epidemic. 

He was speaking during the taping of a local cable TV show that also featured Franklin Police Chief Stephan Semerjian, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and school district Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski. 

After filming in the morning at Franklin TV’s Hutchinson Street studio, Roy met with Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey later that afternoon about some of the strategies that the other coalitions have used. 

“The district attorney has assigned someone from the Walpole coalition to mentor us and someone from his office who will attend all of the meetings,” Roy said. “Whoever emerges as the leader of the Franklin coalition will go every other month to the DA’s office to meet with the other 18 community coalition leaders. We will have constant dialogue on this.”

Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150603/NEWS/150608324/1994/NEWS

Police Chief Semerjian and his team address the Town Council on May 20th

Related materials:

The Town Council meeting discussion on the opiate problem
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/05/live-reporting-police-chief-on-drug.html


Jeff Roy's monthly newsletter
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/06/representative-roy-whats-happening-in.html

Franklin Police Department resources posted
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/05/franklin-police-share-resources-on.html

Franklin Downtown Partnership - Meeting Agenda - Jun 4

I.          Open Meeting           -  8:30 am

II.         Adoption of Agenda   -  8:32 am

III.       Introductions         -  8:35 am

Franklin
Downtown Partnership

IV.      Town Updates - Jeff Nutting    -  8:40 am

V.        Streetscape Project & Town Updates  -  Jeff Nutting 8:45 am
                   -Timeline and Traffic Details

VI.       Update from Executive Director  -  Lisa Piana   -  9:00 am

VII.      Strawberry Stroll        -    Nicole Fortier  -   9:10 am
                   -Map and Participation Handout

VIII.      Networking Committee  -   Dave Drucker, Gary Donelan    -   9:15 am

IX.         New Business   -   9:20 am

X.          Adjourn        -     9:30 am



Next General Meetings: September 3rd, November 5th


For more about the Franklin Downtown Partnership, you can visit their webpage
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/


Note: residents can join as individual members for only $25! Check out the details on membership here
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/p/membership-info.html

Tri-County senior named Thoreau scholar

The Valedictorian of Tri-County's Class of 2015 is one of eight top-ranking students from across the state to be named a Henry David Thoreau Foundation Scholar. 

Laura Auerbach will receive a $20,000 scholarship from the foundation. 

Laura Auerbach and Superintendent Stephen F. Dockray

For more about the Thoreau Foundation   http://www.thoreauscholar.org/

For more about Tri-County  http://www.tri-county.us/

Another short cut ....

utility short cut

You may recall I found a bunch of these short cuts around Franklin. This one is new and located near the corner of King and Forest Streets.

Additional short cuts can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/short-cuts-update.html


Do you know of short cuts to add to the listing? Let me know via comment or email.

Senator Ross: May 2015 State House Update

Senator Richard J. Ross, State House Update, May 2015 View this email in your browser Facebook Twitter Website LinkedIn State Senator Richard J. Ross (R-Wrentham) proudly serving the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District. State House Room 419 Boston, MA 02133 Ph: 617-722-1555 Fax: 617-722-1054 Email:richard.ross@masenate.gov Dear Friends, This month, we remember our fallen heroes who gave everything for their country. The heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our livelihood. The Senate also took up the FY16 budget this month, passing the legislation unanimously. Now the legislation moves to a six person conference committee that will work out the differences to then be voted on and sent to the Governor's desk. This year's budget included several key policy measures pertaining to the MBTA, Boston 2024, among others, but it also included critical investments for our cities and towns. Please read/share my monthly newsletter for more information on the budget as well as what is going on right in your backyard. It is my honor to serve you. Sincerely, View this newsletter in your browser

Blackstone River Theatre Summer Solstice Festival is just 20 days away!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE 5th annual BRT SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL? WE ARE! Fundraising and planning is almost over ...now it's time to make it happen! In just 18 days, more than 75 incredible volunteers will begin to transform a beautiful but underused park in Cumberland into a world class festival space... FIVE stages, a session tent, and 40 food and craft vendors will be set up, ready for YOU to enjoy an amazing day of music, dance and culture! PLEASE JOIN US  SATURDAY June 20!  FOOD VENDORS  Mickey G's Clam Shack, GottaQ BBQ, The Salad Man & Juice Bar, Del's Lemonade, and the Ice Cream Machine. CRAFT VENDORS Tom and Alice Apiaries, Doodle Paintings, Scentsy, Thirty-One Gifts, Pins with Personality, Bonnie Lee's Creations, Renewal by Andersen, Silver 'N Such, Celtic Revival, Jewels by Crissy B, Premiere Water Systems, Reclectic Design, Starlite Jewelry Designs, Tupperware, Mommie's Hobbie Designs, SilverLeaf Studios, La Wren's Nest, Celtic Beat, mpic studios, Tir Na Nog Irish Dance, Pocasset Wampanoag Creations, BoydHomes, The Glass Heron, R.I. Home Improvement, Sandra-Lynn Custom Jewelry Designs, Daren Rathbun Nature Photography, Sassy Classy Clay Creations, Massage Envy We are still seeking more vendors! Contact russell@riverfolk.org IT'S ALMOST FESTIVAL TIME! We have an amazing time planned for you! Full details can be found at: www.riverfolk.org/brtssf 1. We are still looking for a few more craft vendors, artisans, home-based businesses. Email russell@riverfolk.org 2. Purchase advance tickets today via check for both the festival and the after-festival session! We are working on setting up a PayPal account for the festival! 3. HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! And don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook to get late-breaking news! please share what we do with your friends! www.facebook.com/pages/Blackstone-River-Theatre/165592431396    Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday! Russell Gusetti, Executive Director   5th annual BRT Summer Solstice Festival Looking for a great family-friendly outdoor music festival without having to travel hours to find it? Blackstone River Theatre has your solution as we move our programming outside to present the  5th annual Blackstone River Theatre Summer Solstice Festival at Diamond Hill Park, Rte. 114, Cumberland, on Saturday, June 20. The Summer Solstice Festival will run from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with five stages that focus on Celtic and world music, dance and culture. There will also be more than 40 craft and food vendors and a new session tent area where attendees are encouraged to bring instruments to play with some of the festival musicians. Featured entertainers include long-time BRT favorites as well as several acts that will be new to area audiences. This year sees three music stages plus stages dedicated to both Irish dance traditions and children's entertainment, all running continuously throughout the day. Festival performers - most doing two sets each - include Calan (from Wales), Eastern Medicine Singers, The Gnomes, The Gothard Sisters, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Robbie O'Connell & Dan Milner, Pendragon, RUNA, The Vox Hunters with Torrin Ryan, and Will Woodson and Joey Abarta. There will also be nonstop Irish step dance featuring 50 dancers from Tir Na Nog Irish Dance. A children's stage will feature Irish magic shows with Debbie O'Carroll, Mary King & Phil Edmonds, Art on the Spot Face Painting and henna, and Marvelous Marvin's Circus Arts.  Admission is only $15 adults, $10 seniors, $5 children ages 6-15, children under 5 free. Festival sponsors include the Town of Cumberland, Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc., Navigant Credit Union, Valley Breeze, Tir Na Nog Irish Dance, Open MRI of New England, Ocean State Urgent Care and Angelo's Palace Pizza.  And the music continues Saturday night!... One of the highlights of each year's Solstice Festival is the after-festival music session held at Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St. "It's designed to be an intimate, informal evening that allows attendees the chance to mingle with performers and hear some great music in a casual atmosphere," Russell Gusetti, Festival producer, explains. "We sell only 80 tickets to the event, and it has sold out the past two years, so we encourage folks to reserve a spot ahead of time. If any tickets remain, we'll sell them at the Festival information booth during the day." E-mail russell@riverfolk.org to reserve your spot! The after-festival music session takes place Saturday, June 20, 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., and is sponsored by Angelo's Palace Pizza. The session features virtually all of the festival performers. There will be a cash bar and complimentary food will be available at the evening event. Tickets are $20.00 per person and advance purchase is highly recommended. Blackstone River Theatre is located at 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, RI. Telephone is (401) 725-9272. "One of the nicest things that happens is the great mixture of songs and tunes along with some incredible dancing," Gusetti added. "It's really a magical time when musicians are relaxed and playing in combinations that are usually not possible and that audiences rarely see. At times, we have more than 30 musicians and dancers performing at once!"

Forward email to a friend! Blackstone River Theatre | 549 Broad Street | Cumberland | RI | 02864