Thursday, March 19, 2026

How to make your World Cup experience scam free


Consumer Alerts from the Federal Trade Commission

By BCP Staff

Excitement is reaching a fever pitch as the United States, Mexico, and Canada get ready to welcome thousands of fans for one of the most-watched sporting events on the planet — the FIFA World Cup! While die-hard fans are preparing to support their countrymen, scammers are looking to take advantage of the rush for tickets. Learn how to make your World Cup experience scam free.

Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/03/how-make-your-world-cup-experience-scam-free?utm_source=govdelivery


Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, March 19, 2026

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fmFranklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday
Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday


8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM - Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock covering Franklin, its local government, services, and events  (Repeats Saturday at 3:00 PM)


9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM - first hour
10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM - second hour

Turntable – "Enjoy a fun experience with co-hosts The Vibe and Pauly G sharing personal discussions about a featured rock n roll vinyl record (1st hour) and the best, all music Vibe Playlist (2nd hour)"  
  • The Vibe and Pauly G and the Turntable Show features the “Chicago Transit Authority“ debut album and a mix of studio and live Chicago on the Vibe playlist hour.  
  • The Chicago Transit Authority is the debut studio album by the American rock band Chicago, and the only album released under their original name Chicago Transit Authority. The double album was released on April 28, 1969, and reached number 17 on the Billboard 200 by 1971.  Turn it up!"



Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin TV schedule for Thursday, March 19, 2026 (Your local Public, Education & Government "PEG" station)

  • Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = THURSDAY
9:30 am Second Sunday Speaker Series: Peter Glass
11:33 am Cooking Thyme: Red Pepper Soup
12:03 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Brownies
12:35 pm Cook with Linda: Pork Tenderloin
1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza
2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer 2019 Show 8
3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 1
3:30 pm Aging Boldfully: Ken Bray
4:30 pm Veterans' Call: Dave Hencke
5:30 pm The Black Box: Newsies
7:00 pm Frank Presents: Christel Akouri
8:00 pm Celebrate with Pride 2025: Sioo
9:00 pm Circle of Friends: The Kennedys

  • Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel        (Comcast 8, Verizon 28) = THURSDAY

9:30 am 6th Grade Winter Music 02-10-26
11:00 am FHS Concert Hour 02-26-26
2:00 pm ArtWeek: Theater in the Open
3:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Districts
4:00 pm Rec Basketball: 6 - 8th Grade Girls 03-07-26
5:30 pm FHS Girls Varsity Hockey v Norwood 01-24-26
9:00 pm FHS Theater Company: Cinderella

  • Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 9, Verizon 29) = THURSDAY


8:00 am Conservation Commission 03-12-26
2:00 pm Conservation Commission 03-12-26


Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Wednesday, March 18 ???

Wednesday, March 18
n

9am Fallen Hero: Elton E Ekstrom (Veterans Walkway, Franklin Town Common)

11am Franklin Q&A/Conversation     (Franklin Senior Center)

1pm Writer's Group     (Franklin Senior Center)

7pm Smarty Pants Trivia     (Raillery Public House)




For additional details on Library events -> 
For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

Note: Senior Center checking on why their events are suddenly being shown as "All Day". You can use the monthly newsletter for specific program/event times


*** Town Meetings today   ***

Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, March 18 Time: 5:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03182026-2191 


Franklin Public School Committee Special Meeting

Wednesday, March 18 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03182026-2182 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, March 18 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03182026-2193 


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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar


Fallen Hero Recognition: Private First Class Elton E. Ekstrom, U.S. Army - March 18, 2026

Memorial event today (3/18/26) at 9 AM on the Town Common Veterans Walkway to honor Private First Class Elton E. Ekstrom, U.S. Army.

This program will include the placing of a Memorial Wreath for the day, the playing of Taps, a salute from those present, and a reading of whatever history  may be available for that veteran.  This is a way of keeping the memory of that veteran alive.

Fallen Hero: Private First Class Elton E. Ekstrom, U.S. Army
Private First Class Elton E. Ekstrom, U.S. Army, was born on November 11, 1918 to August and Hannah Ekstrom. Elton lived with his parents, four sisters and three brothers at 417 Lincoln Street. 
Elton attended the Franklin Public Schools and for a number of years lived on Lincoln Street and maintained his residence there after his marriage to the former Arlene Beals. Elton and Arlene were the parents of two sons, Paul and Elton, Jr. Paul graduated from West Point and served two tours of duty as an army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. Elton, Jr. also served in the army during the Vietnam War Era. 
PFC Elton E. Ekstrom served in the 87th Infantry Division of General Patton’s Third Army during the Rhine River crossing into Germany. Details of the Rhine River crossing as provided by Barbara Strang, 87th Infantry Division Historian, are as follows: “The assault boats of the 347th Battalion crossed the Rhine after midnight on March 25th. The Germans opened up with everything they had from the steep banks on the opposite side. Numerous boats were hit resulting in many casualties. Further assaults occurred at Rhens, Boppard, and Oberlahanstein.” 
Private First Class Elton E. Ekstrom was killed by machine gun fire on March 18, 1945 at age 26 while in combat crossing the Rhine River.

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The schedule of Fallen Heroes for the year on one page (PDF)

For the full published series of Fallen Heroes you can visit this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html

Photo album of the Fallen Hero pillars along the Veterans Walkway  https://photos.app.goo.gl/oRGdmq9krLNEBnjJ7

You can find all the videos for 2024 in one playlist -> 

FH_Ekstrom
Fallen Hero: PFC Elton Ekstrom

April 2026 events at Franklin Public Library

Special Events for Kids & Teens

Science Night, Wednesday, April 1 @ 5:30pm
Families! Join our awesome teen volunteers for a special science night! No registration required!

Eid Celebration, April 4 @ 1pm
Families! Join us for a special celebration of Eid, complete with crafts, music, snacks, and more! For questions/to get involved, email Caleigh at ckeating@minlib.net!

Poem Explosion, Thursday, April 16 @ 1:00pm
Calling all poets! Join us for an afternoon of creative fun as we make all kinds of poems, from cut out magazines, old book pages, and even book spines! Bring your creativity!

Music At The Blissful, Saturday, April 18 @ 10:30am
Join us for a fun, high energy music program for children and their grownups! Musician Evan Haller brings the energy to get the whole crowd up and dancing!

Local Hero Storytime, Tuesday, April 21 @10:30am
Join the library and our friends from the Franklin Fire Department for a special storytime celebrating our local heroes! Be prepared for fun and surprises!

Superhero Party, Wednesday, April 22 @10:30am
Join us for an epic superhero bash! Feel free to wear your favorite superhero outfit and join us for a series of games, crafts, and hero activities!

Stuffed Animal Sleepover, Wednesday, April 22 @6:00pm
What kind of trouble can a bunch of stuffed animals cause in an empty library? Here’s our chance to find out! Bring one of your favorite stuffed friends to the library for a cozy storytime, then leave them in our care for the evening! When you pick your friend up on Thursday, see what antics they might have caused!

BenAnna Band, Thursday, April 23 @10:30am
Join us for this super-fun, high energy, interactive music concert that is sure to have the whole family up dancing!

Ed Popielarczyk Magic Show, Friday, April 24 @10:30am
Join us as we welcome Ed Popielarczyk for a one-of-a-kind magic show that is guaranteed to leave the whole family impressed!

Rainforest Reptiles, Saturday, April 25 @10:30am
Travel with us to the different rainforests around the world and meet the critters, turtles, snakes and more that call these places home! Real, LIVE Animal Fun for All Ages!

Any updates to the schedule can be found on the Library page -

Councilor Morrongiello provides some quarterbacking insights to the March 4, 2026 meeting (audio)

FM #1689 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1689 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares our “Town Council Quarterbacking” with Town Councilor Max Morrongiello. We had our conversation in person at the Franklin TV & Radio Studios on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Our conversation condensed the Town Council meeting of Wednesday, March 4, 2026.


We focus on two questions:

  • ok, what just happened? 

  • What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

We cover the following key topics

  • Snow and Ice total at $2.1M which doesn't include the $65K from last night's double coat of salt to counter the ice. This amount will eat into the operations budget as it has already wiped out the snow/Ice stabilization amount

  • Ad-hoc subcommittee with 3 Council members will report back with community input on potential charter changes was approved by 9-0 vote

  • Appropriating Funds by Borrowing to Pay Costs of Purchasing a Fire Truck for the Fire Department was approved by 9-0 vote.

  • $20,000 from special fund for paid parking fees was authorized to pay for the system (2 years worth) and some repairs to one of the kiosks by a 9-0 vote

  • 2 zoning bylaws (Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-948 & Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-949) were approved to refer to the Planning Board. They will conduct their public hearing and send them back as is, or with comments for adjustments. The Council will then hold their public hearing (possibly in April) before voting on the measures. The new Planning Director Morena Zelaya made the presentation for her first appearance before the Council

  • Then they got to the goals discussion. After a lengthy discussion with some tweaks, some cuts, but mostly approval of the goals as presented the Council was able to move to accept the goals as revised at approx. 9:58, approved to waive the reading, voted to approved, and then with seconds to spare, voted to adjourn before 10:00 PM

  • Max shared his goals tracking to provide details on the survey and feedback received vs. how that played into the set of goals agreed to by the full Council 


The conversation runs about 34 minutes. Let’s listen in

Audio link -  
https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1689-town-council-quarterbacking-with-councilor-morrongiello-03-11-26/


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Add link to goals survey tracking

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/03/town-councilor-morrongiello-resident.html

The Franklin TV video is available for replay  https://youtu.be/3jkYtB5_Y3g?&t=136 


The agenda (and released documents) can be found  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03042026-2166 


The thread of my notes captured via Blusky can be found in PDF format - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ONzSiMKofgqw1riOlBPJyqB-Hopo3bcs/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

  • And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do


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"