Franklin Matters

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

REMINDER: Road Closures for Strawberry Stroll, Friday, June 12

Reminder: Road Closures for Friday’s Strawberry Stroll

Strawberry Stroll-is THIS Friday June 12th 4:00-8:00

-Main Street will be closed at 2:00 pm

-No parking on Main St starting at 12:00 pm

-Plenty of parking in downtown parking lots

-Check out our website for a full list of vendors, maps, and activities

VENDORS- If you did NOT recieve your vendor instruction packet, please email fdpevent@gmail.com

July Newsletter Reminder

Hello Franklin Downtown Partnership Members! I would LOVE to include you in our July Newsletter. If your business has any noteworthy special events or announcements, please email them to me by End of Day next Friday, so that I may highlight them in the Newsletter. Please email submissions to Marcie DiChiara at fdpcommunications@gmail.com

Franklin Downtown Partnership • 774-571-3109 • FranklinDowntownPartnership.org

Franklin Downtown Partnership | 9 E. Central St. | Franklin, MA 02038 US

Franklin 250 Team Joins Strawberry Stroll, Shares First Logo & Merch

An exciting kickoff is coming!

Attendees at the 22nd Annual Strawberry Stroll in downtown Franklin on June 12, 2026 from 4-8 (rain date June 13) will want to visit the booth of the Franklin 250th Celebration Committee (near the Library)!

Formed in late 2025 by the Town of Franklin to ready the community to mark its first "quarter millennia" as a town, the Committee will be formally revealing its new logo and sharing fun merchandise to both build awareness and raise funds for what is to come.

The committee, composed of 15 residents, has already set dates for several celebratory events in 2028, including a parade and fireworks in September of 2028 and a gala in early November.

Between now and then, the committee is pursuing a number of fun and educational initiatives and engaging with residents, businesses, and community groups to help make this 250th celebration truly special.

Watch for Franklin 250 volunteers at other upcoming events including Watch Parties, Farmers Market and at the town's Independence Day festivities on the Common, July 1-5.

About

The Franklin 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee builds on the work of townspeople who came together in 1878, 1928, and 1978 (and 2003) to commemorate important milestones in the town's life, to honor the leadership and accomplishments of the past, and to point the way toward a vibrant future for the state's 221st town. Activities and events for all ages are being planned. The seed funds for the Committee came from a state legislative earmark. All other funding will be by voluntary contributions from citizens and organizations who share a commitment to honor the past and build for the future.

School Committee gets updates on Facilities, AI, and evaluates the Superintendent on Tuesday(video)

The Franklin School Committee met as scheduled in Council Chambers on Tuesday, June 9 at 7 PM. 6 of the 7 members were present, 1 absent (O'Sullivan).

Franklin TV video is available for replay - https://www.youtube.com/live/hgHgIZ5L_iY?&t=235

The agenda document https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2356

The presentations documents should be posted in a couple of days to this folder https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2025---26-meeting-packets/june-9%2C-2026-sc-meeting-packet/28109200

Quick recap

Presentation and discussion on Facilities focused on school projects completed as part of the redistricting, and those left remaining, some of which are funded, some are pending funding and some are for future
Presentation and discussion on the potential intentional implementation of AI as an educational tool as well as how to use AI being taught to the students. The work over the last four months has developed 4 main principles to guide the further discussion and planning. Additional updated will be made as progress is made
Superintendent evaluation was discussed and approved. The doc with the feedback, goals and accomplishments is to be posted to the Schools page soon
The Committee entered into Executive Session not to return to open meeting for contract negotiations approx. 10:30 PM

Photos of the Facility presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t3rkbwCxnDm6A9Wy6

Photos of the AI discussion presentation

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqNxhuTk8og7WqRp8

The working 4 guiding principles as presented

Celebrate Rainbowrrito Day on Saturday, June 13

Via Franklin LGBTQ Alliance

Celebrate Rainbowrrito Day on Saturday, June 13

"March on over to Santa Fe Burrito for Rainbowrrito Day!

Present this flyer so a percentage of profits of the day will be donated to the Franklin LGBTQ Alliance."

Download flyer for yourself and/or a friend

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TZ8O_x_qi49kwOJY0lzu8ISkyDoFecAc/view?usp=drive_link

Aging Boldfully: Ken Bray (audio & video)

Aging Boldfully is a new show on Franklin TV's All Access channel hosted by Susan Rohrbach. Ken Bray was Susan's guest for this episode.

The show description:

"Aging Boldfully is about living your next chapter outside of your comfort zone—fully embracing the uniqueness of you.

For many of us, the idea of aging doesn’t appear on our radar until we approach our 60s, when retirement begins to loom. During this time, our attention often narrows to one critical goal: ensuring financial independence. While that focus is important, it can distract us from an equally vital question: What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

Each of our journeys is unique. Rather than clinging to the tired concept of “retirement,” we have the chance to rethink and redesign this new chapter. What will life look like now that we are the CEO of our own story?

Aging Boldfully will explore the themes that matter most as we step into this phase—purpose, relevance, resilience, physical health, mental well-being, intentional living, and mindfulness. It will showcase members of our community who are finding meaning, living with purpose, and overcoming obstacles—real examples of what it means to age not just gracefully, but boldfully."

Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y3e4ShaBXo

Audio link - https://aging-boldfully.captivate.fm/episode/episode-007-ken-bray

USAFacts: "How are Americans doing financially?"

"Last week, we talked about how people felt about the economy. Now let’s zoom in: How do people feel about their personal finances? The Federal Reserve tracks Americans' sentiment about their financial situations, including their main financial challenges, and it turns out people are feeling the pinch of higher prices.

https://usafacts.org/articles/how-are-americans-doing-financially/

In 2025, 28% of US adults reported being worse off financially than the previous year. This is similar to 2024, when 29% of adults reported being worse off, but down from 35% in 2022. 
The share of Americans who say they are doing okay or better financially has remained near 73% since 2022, down from a recent high of 78% in 2021.
Price increases were the top financial challenge among adults last year, with 91% reporting them as a concern. Saving for retirement was the second most common challenge: 72% of Americans reported it as a concern.
Eighty-six percent of people with at least a bachelor’s degree reported doing at least okay, compared to 64% of people with high school diplomas or GEDs and 41% of people who didn’t finish high school.
Over the 13 years of available data, Asian adults consistently reported the highest rate of financial security, followed by white adults. Black and Hispanic adults reported the lowest rates."

See the data at USAFacts - https://usafacts.org/articles/how-are-americans-doing-financially/

Boston Globe: "Drought conditions continue to worsen across Massachusetts"

"We’ve seen plenty of weekend rainfall across Massachusetts and New England since the start of meteorological spring, March 1, but the amount of precipitation has been nowhere near what the region needs to get out of this prolonged drought.

Massachusetts officials said Tuesday that the state continues to slip deeper into drought, prompting towns and cities to institute bans limiting water use across the Commonwealth.

The Drought Management Task Force noted that the excessively dry conditions have worsened in southeastern parts of the state as well as on Cape Cod and the islands, placing them now under a Level 2, “significant drought,” with the most of the state. The Boston metro area and northeast corner of the state remain in a more severe Level 3 or “critical drought” status.

Months of below-average rainfall have led to declining streamflows and groundwater levels. In fact, we’ve been dealing with the effects of long-term rainfall deficits across the state, stretching back nearly two years."

Boston Globe: "Drought conditions continue to worsen across Massachusetts"

Shared from - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/09/metro/ma-drought-boston-rain/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio introduced a brand new schedule early in 2025 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 Wednesday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock

Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 2 PM)

This hour features Town Council Quarterbacking with Max Morrongiello -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/06/max-helps-to-recap-3-town-council.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points. (repeats Saturday at 1 PM)

This segment features Episode 317 - Tariffs, Triumphs, and the Supreme Court: A Conversation with Victor Owen Schwartz https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/06/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www-episode.html

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 Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (Your local Public, Education & Government "PEG" station)

Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:30 am Arts Advocacy: How-Tos

8:30 am Veterans' Oral History Project: Dave Cargill

10:00 am Memorial Day 2026

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Lasagna

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin': Peppers

12:30 pm Cooking with Linda: Crescent Rolls

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: Deep Dish

2:00 pm New England Candlepins Summer 2023 Show 3

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 7

3:30 pm Sons & Daughters of Italy: Ciambotta

6:00 pm Concerts on the Common: Mike Tarara

8:30 pm Circle of Friends; Abbie Gardner

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

8:30 am Jazz Cafe 03-06-26

10:00 am SAFE Coalition: Woody Geissman

11:00 am FHS Spring Jazz 2026

1:30 pm FHS Varsity Softball v Shrewsbury 06-06-26

3:30 pm Tri County Graduation 05-28-26

5:15 pm FHS Chamber Music 04-08-26

7:00 pm FHS Varsity Baseball v Leominster 05-31-26

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

8:00 am Town Council 05-20-26

1:00 pm Town Council 05-21-26

7:00 pm Town Council CHAMBERS 860 1320 5721

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

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Bellingham and Franklin Police Departments Seek Charges Following Pursuit Through Multiple Communities: Updated - Arrest made

On June 9, 2026, at approximately 8:52 a.m., Officer Dan Gavin attempted to stop a blue Ford Ranger on Pulaski Boulevard. The vehicle is known to officers as being commonly operated by Dominick Revell, 54, of Franklin. Revell, who has an extensive criminal history, has several active warrants for his arrest and a revoked driver’s license.

Bellingham and Franklin Police Departments

The vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit ensued, continuing into Franklin, where officers from the Franklin Police Department joined the effort. During the pursuit, stop sticks were successfully deployed on Grove Street in Franklin, deflating the vehicle's passenger-side tires.

Despite the damage, the vehicle continued traveling through Franklin, briefly approaching the Medway town line before ultimately coming to a stop on Pond Street in Franklin. During the pursuit, the vehicle struck several mailboxes. After stopping, the operator exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The suspect jumped over a fence, swam across a small river, and continued into a wooded area.

Officers from the Bellingham and Franklin Police Departments established a perimeter and requested assistance from regional K9 teams and drone operators. K9 teams from the Milford and Millis Police Departments responded to assist, along with drone operators from the Bellingham and Franklin Police Departments. One K9 track led officers to a residence on Partridge Street in Franklin. The address is known to law enforcement and was listed on Revell's active warrants. Officers searched the residence but were unable to locate the suspect.

The Bellingham Police Department will be seeking an additional warrant charging Revell with Failure to Stop for Police, Reckless Operation, Operating After Suspension, Speeding, and multiple other motor vehicle violations.

The Franklin Police Department will be seeking an additional warrant charging Revell with several motor vehicle violations, including Leaving the Scene of Property Damage and Reckless Operation.

Anyone with information about Revell's current whereabouts is asked to contact police.

Bellingham Police Lieutenant Stephen Daigle

Franklin Police Sergeant Connor Crosman

Public Information Officers

Updated via Franklin Police: 6/09/26 8:15 PM

POND STREET/PARTRIDGE STREET WARRANT ARREST

"The suspect involved in today’s earlier pursuit, Dominick Revell, has been located and taken into custody in Franklin.

Revell was apprehended through the coordinated efforts of the Franklin and Bellingham MA Police and was taken into custody without incident. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Bellingham Police Department for processing.

The Franklin Police Department would like to thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance and cooperation in bringing this incident to a safe resolution."

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JHmHYAY4f/