Franklin Matters

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Rausch Report: Leaping Ahead (February 2024)

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Dear Friend,

Happy Leap Day! The Senate marked the occasion by leaping into a formal session to once again pass the Healthy Youth Act, a bill that codifies critical updates to schools' sex and relationship education curricula (more on this below). February may be short on days but it's long on legislative strides and district activity, including constituent meetings, numerous legislative and in-district events, and shepherding my legislative portfolio even closer to the finish line.

This month is also Black History Month, which the Senate celebrated by welcoming a permanent bust of Frederick Douglass to the chamber in a memorable unveiling ceremony. Among the distinguished speakers in attendance was Dr. Noelle Trent, President and CEO of the Museum of African American History, who spoke about Douglass' life, work, and connections to Boston, where his legendary oratorical career began. This bust of Douglass, complementing his quote on the chamber's back wall and the first bust to be added to the chamber in 125 years, recognizes a true founding father of the civil rights movement and our nation. It was a privilege to be present for the unveiling. This month also marked an important milestone on the legislative calendar: Joint Rule 10 Day, the deadline for all bills to receive a committee report or an extension. I'm proud to say that 22 of my bills have been reported favorably out of committee so far and are advancing through the legislative process! The Senate already passed one of my bills earlier this term and another 18 are still moving through the committee process. Our legislative portfolio is achieving great success.

As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, I have been hard at work in partnership with my House Co-Chair Dan Cahill, issuing reports on more than 300 bills by the February 7 deadline. The bills we reported out favorably cover a wide range of policy areas, from wetlands protection to hazardous waste management to air quality and water access equity.

Read ahead in this month's Rausch Report for legislative updates, a roundup of district events, a call for nominations for Women's History Month, a look ahead at upcoming youth engagement opportunities, and more.

For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to call me and my team at (617) 722-1555, email me at becca.rausch@masenate.gov, or attend upcoming office hours. We are here to help.

Yours in service,

Senator Becca Rausch

This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please visit -> View this link in your browser

Our mailing address is:
The Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts State House, Room 215
24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133

`Cinema 80’ Feature Films Continue (Free) - A trip to the Moon

Silent Saturdays start at 6 pm on each Saturday of the month (except the last): Chris Leverone, a videographer and graphics artist from Franklin, has directed promotional and fundraising videos, and is currently a producer at Franklin TV. He developed this program of films in cooperation with the Franklin Senior Center.

March 2 - A trip to the Moon and other short films by Georges Méliès.

Méliès was a pioneer of special effects, using elaborately painted sets and "trick" photographic techniques to entertain some of the first movie audiences at the turn of the twentieth century.

March 2 - A trip to the Moon

Community Relations Subcommittee - Mar 4 at 5 PM

Franklin Public Schools - Franklin School Committee

Community Relations Subcommittee

March 4, 2024 - 5:00 PM

Municipal Building - 3rd Floor Training Room

A G E N D A

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

● Review of March Newsletter draft

● Follow up on previous meeting open items

Agenda doc contains remote participation info ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/community_relations_subcom_agenda_-_3_4_24.pdf

Community Relations Subcommittee - Mar 4 at 5 PM

Jersey Mike’s Celebrates 14th Annual “Month of Giving” in Partnership with the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism

Jersey Mike’s Subs is celebrating their 14^th annual “Month of Giving” in partnership with the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism (Flutie Foundation), a Massachusetts-based organization that’s mission is to help people affected by autism live life to the fullest.

Throughout March, customers at 71 Jersey Mike’s Subs locations in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont have the option to roundup their purchase to the nearest dollar or donate $1, $3, or $5 when placing their order in support of the Flutie Foundation.

Participating Jersey Mike’s Massachusetts stores include the following locations: Attleboro, Beverly, Bourne, Brighton, Brockton, Burlington, Dedham, Fairhaven, Fall River, Franklin, Hanover, Hingham, Hyannis, Longmeadow, Mansfield, Medway, Methuen, Milford, Newburyport, Newton, Norwood, North Dartmouth, Pembroke, Plainville, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Saugus, Seekonk, Somerset, Stoughton, Swampscott, Swansea, Walpole, and Wareham (see here for a full list of locations).

Jersey Mike’s Celebrates 14th Annual “Month of Giving”

Friday, March 1, 2024

Franklin's Event Outlook: March 1, 2023 to March 7, 2024

Friday, March 1 - First Day of Women's History Month

7:00pm Flowers for Algernon (ticketed event) (Franklin High School)

7:00pm A Pirates Life for ME! (ticketed event) (BFCCPS)

7:30pm She Loves Me (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Saturday, March 2

9:30am Land Use & Sustainability Subcmtes (Franklin Public Library)

10:00am Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:00am Happy Birthday Franklin (Franklin Historical Museum )

10:00am Story of the Personalized Calendars (Franklin Historical Museum )

2:00pm She Loves Me (ticketed event) (Dean College)

2:00pm A Pirates Life for ME! (ticketed event) (BFCCPS)

6:30pm Chad Hollister (live music) (SAFE Coalition)

7:00pm New England Country Dance (FUSF, Chestnut St)

7:00pm A Pirates Life for ME! (ticketed event) (BFCCPS)

7:30pm She Loves Me (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Sunday, March 3

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm Story of the Personalized Calendars (Franklin Historical Museum )

2:00pm She Loves Me (ticketed event) (Dean College)

Tuesday, March 5

11:00am Children's Museum of Franklin pop up (Franklin Public Library)

6:00pm Franklin Garden Club - meeting (Franklin Public Library)

7:00pm Trivia Night (Raillery Public House)

7:30pm Voice of Franklin, part of Toastmasters International (Franklin TV Studio)

Wednesday, March 6

10:00am Veterans Coffee Social (Franklin Senior Center)

6:30pm Franklin Art Association (Franklin Senior Center)

Thursday, March 7

6:00pm Franklin LGBTQ Alliance (Franklin Public Library)

7:00pm Community Coffee Conversations: One Franklin (Birchwood Bakery)

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Why have multiple calendars?

There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

Find the full Community event 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 Library calendar of events -> calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events -> https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Franklin's Event Outlook: March 1, 2023 to March 7, 2024

Franklin Senior Center: The Senior Connection Newsletter for March 2024 is ready for your reading pleasure

March 2024 Senior Connection Newsletter

The Senior Connection Newsletter for March 2024

Hello!

Here is Franklin Senior Center's March 2024 Senior Connection Newsletter. Take a look at all the fun programs to keep you active, social, and engaged!

Start registering for programs on Friday, March 1st by coming in to the Senior Center or giving us a call!

Happy March :)

-Your Franklin Senior Center Family

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-senior-center/pages/franklin-senior-center-march-2024-senior-connection-newsletter

FHS girls basketball almost pull off upset before falling by 2 pts in playoffs

Via Twitter and our subscription to HockomockSports .com, we share the results of the winter sports competition for Franklin High School on Thursday, Feb 29, 2024.

Girls Basketball = Division 1 = #20 Franklin, 43 @ #13 Andover, 45 – Final

– Franklin led by nine heading to the fourth quarter and looked poised to pull an upset in a matchup of the two teams that shared the 2020 state title, but the Panthers were held to just three points over the final eight minutes and Andover rallied to pull out a win in the final seconds. Chloe Fales scored eight points and Sasha Tracey and Norah MacCallum each scored five, as the Panthers jumped out to a 20-14 lead after one. Things tightened up in the second, but Olena Malymina scored five in the frame to send Franklin into halftime with a nine-point edge. The teams each scored 10 in the third, as Franklin maintained its advantage, but in the fourth a late three-pointer was all the offense that the Panthers could muster. Ella Vidoni scored seven of her game-high 20 to help Andover rally and pull out the win. Fales scored a team-high 15, MacCallum added nine, and Malymina scored seven. Franklin coach John Leighton praised his team’s effort on the road against a strong opponent.

For other results around the Hockomock League (subscription required)

https://hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-02-29-24/

FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com

Panther TV: Panther News for March 1, 2024 (video)

Panther TV (@fhspanthertv) posted Thu, Feb 29, 2024:

On this week's Panther News: FHS students will travel abroad next year-find out how to join them.

And if you're struggling in Spanish class-Spanish Honors Society students want to help! @FHSPantherbook @FranklinHS

https://t.co/5gUMPiGnDl via @YouTube

Shared from -> https://twitter.com/fhspanthertv/status/1763212378412290185

In this Town Council Quarterbacking session, we recap the meeting of Feb 28, 2024 (audio)

FM #1148 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1148 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares our “Town Council Quarterbacking” with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. We had our conversation via the Zoom Conference Bridge on Thursday, February 29, 2023.

• ok, what just happened?

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

Topics for this session

Brownie troop 64085 led the pledge as part of their work on the Democracy badge
Zoning change from residential to business, two hours, “No action”

Procedural move to refer back to the Planning Board for their ‘full’ assessment & recommendation

The OPEB financial report was presented and reviewed, we are in a better position than we were previously
FY24 Capital Improvement Plan was approved
Gift Acceptance - Veterans’ Services Dept. ($2,900), Senior Center ($200), Police Dept. ($50) were approved with thanks
Cable Funds in Support of PEG Service and Programming per MGL Ch. 44, §53F3/4 actually 2 resolutions were approved.
Joint Budget SubCmte meeting on March 6 will begin work on how to resolve a $10.1M budget deficit across town and school budgets. Agenda and budget details to be released Friday March 1
Council entered executive session to not return to open meeting for discussion of a matter regarding a real estate purchase

The recording runs about 39 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Tom on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1148-town-council-quarterbacking-02-29-24

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Town Council agenda for Feb 28, 2024 meeting -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_2.28.24.pdf

Town Council recap & video link ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/02/town-council-spends-2-hours-and-takes.html

My notes captured via Twitter and collected in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CBubvtPzSJSvQakhmMx1X7M44cCPu7W_/view?usp=drive_link

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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!

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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"

In this Town Council Quarterbacking session, we recap the meeting of Feb 28, 2024 (audio)

BFCCPS performs A Pirate's Life for Me! - Mar 1 & 2

Please join us for this weekend's performances of the BFCCPS Musical: A Pirate's Life for Me!

SHOW DATES

Show #1: Friday, March 1 @7pm
Show #2: Saturday, March 2 @2pm
Show #3: Saturday, March 2 @7pm

TICKET PRICING

Adult Ticket - $17
Senior/Student Ticket - $13
Staff/Faculty Ticket - $10

TICKET BUNDLES

Adult Tickets for all three shows - $45
Senior/Student Tickets for all three shows - $30
Family Matinee- 2 adult tickets, 2 senior/student tickets for Saturday, March 2nd at 2pm - $55

Tickets available -> https://www.bfccps.org/apps/s/?s=10763

BFCCPS performs A Pirate's Life for Me! Mar 1 & 2

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/nKZVkjuc8BEz241U/

Hockey Triple Header at DCU in Worcester - FREE TICKETS FOR VETS!

Veterans Appreciation Day & Night - Saturday, March 30, 2024
- Reserve your seat today!

Join the Department of Massachusetts VFW for a day of camaraderie and hockey on Saturday, March 30 beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester!

Reserve your seat today by calling: Mike Raymond at: (603) 608-6898

Hockey Triple Header at DCU in Worcester - FREE TICKETS FOR VETS!

Washington Post: "Ultra-processed foods linked to 32 health problems"

"A review of research involving almost 10 million people has found a direct association between eating too many ultra-processed foods — those breads, cereals, snacks and frozen meals that have been industrially manufactured with flavors and additives to make them more palatable — and more than 30 health conditions, including heart disease, anxiety and early death.

The facts
In recent years, dozens of studies have found that people who consume a lot of ultra-processed foods have higher rates of weight gain, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Now, a team of international researchers has undertaken a comprehensive review of the evidence on adverse health outcomes to date — examining 45 “pooled meta-analyses” from 14 review articles involving nearly 10 million people. All were published in the past three years, and none was funded by companies making ultra-processed food.
The researchers’ findings, published in the British medical journal BMJ, “show that diets high in ultra-processed food may be harmful to many body systems.”

Shared from (subscription maybe required) -> https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/02/29/ultraprocessed-foods-health-risk/

Direct link to research study -> https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310