"Franklin’s vision for customer-service means rising to meet the expectations of residents in a digital age. While staff at the counters are friendly and knowledgeable, Town Hall is only open from 8am-4pm. To Hellen, providing better government services looks a lot more like what you’d expect from Google or Amazon.
“The world’s operating in a global, 24/7 environment, and people are conducting business at all hours of the day. My hope is in the very short-term we can transition our little place in the world, Franklin, MA, into a 24/7 storefront. We want people to expect that out of government, and we want to deliver on it. When someone says, ‘oh shoot I need to license my dog and today’s the deadline,’ we want that service to be a Google search away. We want to be a one stop shop for people’s questions and services,” explains Hellen.
With this idea in mind, Hellen and other department heads agreed that updating their permitting system was an important step in providing citizens with greater access to government services.
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| License your Dog today. New easy online registration! |
"On Wednesday, the Panthers were recognized for their impressive season, which includes only one dual meet defeat to Marshwood (Maine) in a tournament in Merrimack, N.H. over the weekend.
Mass Wrestling named Franklin the top team in the state, across all divisions, and the Panthers went out on Wednesday night against Mansfield in the James Albertini Gym and showed why they are so highly regarded.
Franklin won the opening eight weight classes of the dual meet, four of them by pin and another by tech, and lost only two of the 14 matches on its way to a comprehensive 59-8 team victory. With King Philip losing to Oliver Ames in another of Wednesday’s dual meets, the Panthers also clinched at least a share of the league title with one dual meet remaining.
“I told the kids that we have a target on our backs,” said Franklin coach Carmine Collace about the message before the meet against the Hornets. “Teams are going to come out and wrestle us hard and they’ve got to step up. If they want to remain the No. 1 team in the state, then you’ve got to wrestle tough and they did.”
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| Ian Bakalars won his match at 113 pounds by pin, as Franklin rolled to a big win over Mansfield and clinched a share of the Kelley-Rex dual meet title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com) |
Panthers pick up another division over Foxborough 6-0. Hard hat to @Holmesy183 pic.twitter.com/pLBNJGe0fC— Franklin Hockey (@FHS_Puck) January 26, 2017
Franklin 6 Foxboro 0, hard hat to Holmes @FHSSports @MassHSHockey @MyHockeyLive @In_The_Slot @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports— Coach Spillane (@FHS_PuckCoach) January 26, 2017
4-0 against Bridgewater-Raynham, making that a 3 games without a goal allowed, coon hat to Colin Hedvig pic.twitter.com/NLrS6VHoWI— FHS Panthers JV Puck (@PanthersJvPuck) January 26, 2017
Great 59-8 win over Mansfield with pins from Carlucci, Bakalars, Racca, Zogby, MacLean, Hernandez, and Johnson also a tech from Farrell. pic.twitter.com/boC05wosjI— Franklin Wrestling (@FHSWrestle) January 26, 2017
Final: Franklin 59, Mansfield 8, Brian Perry picks up the win at 285 to wrap it up for the Panthers #hockomock— Josh Perry (@Josh_Perry10) January 26, 2017
— KP Girls Ice Hockey (@KPGHS_IceHockey) January 25, 2017
[Girls Winter Varsity Ice Hockey] King Philip Rgnl HS defeats Franklin HS, 5 to 0.— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017
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| Adam O’Day |
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| Multimedia Painting, Hadley Street by Adam O'Day |
"Voters on Election Day chose to legalize recreational marijuana by a seven-point majority. But now the ultimate fate of the vote is in the Legislature's hands.
Given some of the bills filed by the deadline last Friday, it could change dramatically.
Over the next two years, legislators will have the option of signing into law more than 30 bills related to legal pot. The proposals range wildly, from repealing the law entirely to expunging every offense related to the drug.
Fifteen bills filed by state Sen. Jason Lewis dominated the news cycle on the Friday filing deadline. But the breadth of proposals introduced for this next legislative session suggest that the law voters ratified and the one we end up following could be very different."
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Preschool & Kindergarten Open House - Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 11am to 1pm
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| Franklin cultural arts choices for the weekend of Jan 28-29, 2017 |
– Canton held Franklin to its lowest scoring output of the season, limiting the Panthers to 30 points to three quarters. The Bulldogs trailed 30-26 heading into the final frame before winning the fourth 20-12. It marks Canton’s first win over Franklin in over a decade. “Beating a team like Franklin is a tall order,” Canton head coach Ryan Gordy said. “We needed to execute and play with mental toughness every possession. We grew up as a team tonight.” Canton junior Tony Harris scored a game-high 15 points and hauled in six rebounds while sophomore Devin Foster had 12 points and four rebounds.
– Franklin had three players reach double figures in a double-digit win over visiting Canton. Carli Koffinke led all scorers with a game-high 16 points while Ali Brigham and Bea Bondhus each chipped in with 10 points in the win. Canton sophomore Julia Hamilton scored a team-high 11 points for the Bulldogs.
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| via @CoachMacCreery https://twitter.com/CoachMacCreery/status/824052361169670144 |
Good team win over Canton tonight 54-30. Won 4 of last 5. Keep the focus on improving.— Franklin Girls Bball (@fhsgvbasketball) January 25, 2017
[Boys Winter Varsity Basketball] Canton HS defeats Franklin HS, 46 to 42.— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017
Varsity upset by Canton 46-42. Get the next one boys.— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 25, 2017
And we've gone final here at Franklin with the Panthers getting the 54-30 victory! #HardWorkPaysOff @HockomockSports @FHSSports— CoachMac (@CoachMacCreery) January 25, 2017
— CoachMac (@CoachMacCreery) January 25, 2017
JV beat Canton 60-39. Good job boys!— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 24, 2017
Freshmen beat Canton 77-33. Great team win!— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 24, 2017
[Girls Winter Varsity Gymnastics] Oliver Ames HS defeats Franklin HS, 136 to 121.— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 25, 2017
So proud of this team!! It's a win for us every time!! pic.twitter.com/t7NuKiavzK— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 25, 2017
Everyone needs a little help and encouragement to jump-start the research, especially on hard-to-solve cases. Marian will present 10 brick wall tips that will help every genealogist look at their research challenges in a fresh way.
This presentation, by Marian Pierre-Louis of Fieldstone Historic Research, will bring you the momentum you need to get your family history research back on track.
During the library building project, the Franklin Public Library Genealogy Club will meet at the Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street.
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| Franklin Historical Museum on a sunny day |
"Though the busy season at the Franklin State Forest has passed, state officials are reminding area residents that the property remains open during the winter.
The state Department of Conservation and Recreation put out a notice this month to promote the winter recreational use of the 843-acre forest. Park Supervisor William "Tom" Ashton said that there are many ways that locals make use of the land, even after snow has fallen.
"During the wintertime, there are activities like snowshoeing and hiking," he said, adding that cross-country skiing and fat tire snow biking are other options. "We want to let people know that, 'Hey, we're still here - we have a beautiful park with a lot of wonderful scenery.'"
The notice highlights the forest's pine trees as being especially scenic when they are blanketed in new snow."
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| winter forest land |
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| look up once in a while, quite a view |
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| old logging road |
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| remnants of trees come in odd shapes |
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| and yes, in New England forests you will find stone walls |
"The school district has scheduled a public forum with its superintendent candidates as it continues its search for a new leader.
The event - scheduled to take place at the Franklin Municipal Building on Monday, Jan. 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - will give participants a chance to meet the finalists: Blackstone-Millville Assistant Superintendent David Thomson, Chelmsford Assistant Superintendent Linda Hirsch and Weymouth Assistant Superintendent Susan Kustka.
Each of the candidates, according to the district, will be available for 30 minutes to answer questions and listen to comments from the public.
"Hopefully, we'll get productive feedback from that event," said School Committee Chairman Kevin O'Malley."
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| Vice Chair Anne Bergen, Chair Kevin O'Malley and Denise Schultz at the School Committee meeting Tuesday |
"Three men were arraigned in Wrentham District Court Tuesday on heroin distribution charges stemming from a Monday night arrest in Franklin.
Johan Olea, 27, of 128 Empire St., Lynn, pleaded not guilty to charges of distributing a class A drug, conspiracy to violate drug law, driving with a suspended license and being present where heroin is kept. He had a $250 cash bail imposed on him by Judge Emogene Johnson Smith.
Jugeily Luciano-Mateo, 30, of 285 Rathbun St., Woonsocket, Rhode Island, pleaded not guilty to distributing a class A drug and conspiracy to violate drug law. He was held without bail on a separate charge of being a fugitive from justice on a court warrant.
Sterlin Almanzar, 26, of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded not guilty to charges of distributing a class A drug, conspiracy to violate drug law and being present where heroin is kept. He was released on personal recognizance."
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| swiffers that have clogged up sewer pumping stations |
FHS athletic director Tom Angelo providing an update on athletics to School Committee #schcom0124 pic.twitter.com/uYXnqU7kMR— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) January 25, 2017
Athletic program 1/3 covered by funds, 2/3s covered by fees. Still in budget process and no decisions made yet. #schcom0124 pic.twitter.com/Qxi7ERohul— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) January 25, 2017
MIAA app touted tonight— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) January 25, 2017
Great way to get schedules for all the FHS sports teams#schcom0124 pic.twitter.com/JHbWwSilOo
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| https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/824045257390260227 |
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| https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/824051052345487361 |
