"Cool Off for a Cause" Returns This July to Pirelli Arena

"Cool Off for a Cause" Returns This July to Pirelli Arena

Starting next week!!

FREE Public Skating to benefit Dana Farber & The Jimmy Fund!!

In place of admission, we are asking for donations that will go directly to cancer research as well as compassionate care for cancer patients. No donation is too small even $1 can make a difference!!!

Be on the lookout for social media giveaways starting next week!

Check out our website for more information!

https://fmcicesports.com/uncategorized/cool-off-for-a-cause-returns-this-july/

Boston Globe: "High schoolers are placing sports bets online. Experts warn of growing risks of addiction."

"At Fenway High, Angel Benitez even tried to document the use among classmates. For a humanities project last spring, Benitez and his friends surveyed their classmates about wagering on sports and whether their friends outside of school were also betting.

They spoke to 90 teens and found that 82 of them – more than 90 percent — were gambling on sports.

“I was like, whoa. I didn’t know that many people at our school were gambling,” said Benitez, who graduated and this fall is attending Northeastern University. “Not only is it at our school, but kids our age everywhere are gambling.”

That does not surprise Jennifer Knight-Levine, cofounder of the SAFE Coalition, a nonprofit that supports young people facing mental health and substance abuse challenges.

“Youth gambling on online platforms in school is absolutely happening across the Commonwealth,” Knight-Levine said."

Shared from - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/10/metro/underage-gambling-risks-sports-betting-in-teens/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

The Guardian: "We know how to mourn other humans – but what about ecological grief?"

"In Iceland, people commemorated its first glacier formally declared lost to climate change. Western culture needs more of these rituals

Ecologists refer to great blue herons as indicator species;
their disappearance often signals deeper disruptions
 in water quality and habitat integrity.
Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images

I remember interviewing a North Atlantic right whale expert years ago. He was a practical, science-minded man. But as we discussed a female whale that had lost her calf, he became visibly emotional. She had lost the previous one, too, struck by a ship. He seemed almost embarrassed by the depth of his feeling.

I wasn’t surprised. I found his grief honorable.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left. Every birth is a celebration; every death is mathematically and emotionally devastating. Scientists who spend years studying endangered species inevitably form attachments to them. So do many of us, whether to an endangered tree, a stretch of crumbling coastline, or summer nights once filled with fireflies.

Yet our culture has almost no language or rituals for this kind of grief."

Continue reading the article with the shared link ->    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/10/ecological-grief?CMP=share_btn_url

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Monday, July 13, 2026

Yes, Franklin has its own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin 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:

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 Monday, July 13, 2026 (Your local Public, Education & Government "PEG" station)

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

7:00 am Aging Boldfully: Fyzical

8:00 am SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins

9:00 am 4th of July 2025: Two Guys Who Like Sharks

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Lobstah

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

12:30 pm Learn to Cook with Linda: Broccoli Salad

1:30 pm     Pizzapalooza: Black Bean, Roasted Pepper & Garlic Pizzetta

2:30 pm New England Candlepins Summer 2023 Show 6

3:30 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 9

4:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep 2 06-11-26

5:00 pm Aging Agenda Episode 1

7:00 pm Frank Presents: Joe Pagliarulo

8:00 pm Roots & Branches: History of Soccer

9:00 pm ArtWeek: Ed Iannuccilli

10:00 pm Franklin Cultural Council: Pamela Means

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

8:30 am SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins

9:30 am Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep 2 06-11-26

10:30 am Lincoln Street 5th Grade Graduation 2026

12:30 pm FHS Spring Pops 2026

2:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Lacrosse v Taunton 04-06-26

6:30 pm FHS Senior Awards 2026

9:00 pm FHSTC: Mean Girls

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

8:00 am Planning Board 06-22-26

2:00 pm Planning Board 06-22-26

7:00 pm Planning Board  CHAMBERS  894 5265 8341

7:30 pm 250th Anniversary Committee  REMOTE  974 0008 8938

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

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf  

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, July 12, 2026 ???

Sunday, July 12

8:00am Twice is Nice Road Race (North Attleborough Middle School)

1:00pm Sunday Funday (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm Sunday Speaker Series (Franklin Historical Museum)

*** NO  Town Meetings today ***

---------

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

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Agenda for Communications Subcommittee - Weds, July 15 at 6 PM

Communications Subcommittee 

Agenda & Meeting Packet

July 15, 2026 = 6:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Franklin Municipal Building 355 East Central Street - 2nd Floor, Council Chambers

Agenda:

1. Discussion: Debrief on Town Councilor attendance/presence at early summer 2026 community events

2. Town Council Office Hours follow up discussion

3. Constituent email response policy/protocol

a. Draft Town Council Email Guidelines   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10152/DRAFT-Town-Council-Email-Guidelines

4. Review and formal recommendation

a. Draft Social Media Engagement Guidelines for Elected & Appointed Officials  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10110/DRAFT-Social-Media-Engagement-Guidelines-for-Elected-and-Appointed-Officials-PDF

b. Reference: Page 3 of Rules of Procedure defines Role of the Franklin Town Council  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8362/2026-02-04-Draft-Rules-of-Procedure-v2-FINAL-APPROVED

5. General discussion: next steps, priorities, and questions

a. 2026-2027 Communications Subcommittee work plan  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/9592/2026-2027-Communications-subcommittee-work-plan---DRAFT

b. Draft Town Council Community Engagement Ideas   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10120/Draft-Town-Council-Community-Engagement-Ideas

6. Adjourn

The agenda doc also contains remote participation info

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07152026-2412

Note: This is a meeting of the Franklin Town Council Subcommittee; under the Open Meeting Law, this subcommittee is a separate "public body" from the Town Council. Therefore, unless the Town Council has separately notified and posted its own meeting, Councilors who are not members of this subcommittee will not be permitted to speak or otherwise actively participate @ this meeting, although they may attend and observe. This prohibition is necessary to avoid the potential for an Open Meeting Law Violation.

2 more episodes of Winning Ways with the MIAA (video)

Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep1 06-11-26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLMvQh3V_w 

Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep2 06-11-26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDbfSKbPf1M 

FBRTC: July Monthly Meeting - July 14

July Monthly Meeting

Hello!  

Tuesday night, July 14th we will have our monthly meeting at Franklin.TV, 23 Hutchinson Street, Franklin at 7 PM.  We'd love to see you there!

The minutes from our previous meeting can be found here on our web site.

In addition to the agenda, we will be discussing and holding a final vote on a proposed amendment to the Bylaws to establish a reserve fund/account. Under the proposed policy, reserve funds would be held in a separate account overseen by the Treasurer and require additional approvals before being used. If approved, this change would provide a formal process for maintaining and using reserve funds.

The agenda for this month's meeting is here.
 

Warm regards,

Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee

Franklin TV: Our Open Board Meeting - Aug 22

It’s Happening. August 22nd at Our Studio

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 07/12/2025

Our Annual Open Board Meeting will take place as our neighborhood block party. Come to our 23 Hutchinson St. studios.

Join us, Saturday, August 22nd at 3:00pm. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by August 15 to: info@franklin.tv

It’s open to all Franklin businesses and residents. We’ll meet-and-greet and enjoy the day starting at 3:00 PM. Come hungry, enjoy great food and all the fixin’s – along with tunes and fun.

You can also tour our studios and learn about Franklin●TV and wfpr●fm. We’ll also briefly review the past year’s progress and plans for the future. At our meeting you may cast your vote for new and/or renewing board positions.

Excerpt from our bylaws: (Available on our website.)

Section 15. Election of Director by the Membership (a) Members shall be notified by the Clerk of the election of a director by the Membership at the Annual Meeting. Said notice shall be in accordance with the notice provisions of Section 4 of this Article IV. (b) Any eligible voting Member may be nominated for election to the position of Director by: 

(i) Written notification to the Clerk no later than seven (7) days prior to Annual Meeting; or (ii) By nomination from the floor of the Annual Meeting made and seconded by no less than three (3) eligible voting members.

Thanks to our board members who contribute their time and energy to help make Franklin●TV all that a public access TV studio can be. If you would like to become involved either as a volunteer or to create your own TV or radio programs at Franklin●TV and wfpr●fm, just send an email to: info@franklin.tv with your contact information. You can also call us to explore your ideas. 508-541-4118.

Please join us at our Franklin●TV event. Come meet, greet, chow down, have fun, and learn all about local TV and radio in Franklin.

See you then.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thanks for listening to wfpr●fm,

and staying informed at Franklin●news.

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

The Within Project partners with SAFE Coalition

(L-R) Jen Levine & Janya Varsani

"The Within Project is excited to announce our partnership with Safe Coalition!!

A massive thank you to jlknight1717 for reaching out to connect and support my mission. We have amazing things in the works, including an upcoming art showcase to highlight all of the kids incredible creations! 

I am also looking forward to hosting this year’s workshops there.

Thank you, Jen and the SAFE Coalition team for collaborating with The Within Project."

------------

What is the Within Project?

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/07/the-within-project-2-art-workshops-for.html

Register here: https://forms.gle/rGM1iPkZHt1GZDU56

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/191MHTJxWF/

Sunday Funday at Fairmount Fruit Farm - July 12 from 1 to 4 PM

Here is the lineup for Sunday Funday! Enjoy a wood-fired pizza and ice cream. C&C is doing a $5 “Shark Attack” ice cream special. 

Goat Cuddles from 1pm-4pm 🐐 go into the pen and pet and feed them.

  

📕 Donate to warrior_family_books_for_nicu for newborns in intensive care. 

🐉 3D Prints 

🧵Handmade crafts

Fun events at the Franklin Library this week, July 13 - July 18

Another full week of summer fun at Franklin Public Library!

For additional details on the Library events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Sunday, July 12, 2026

Yes, Franklin has its own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a schedule full of 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:

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

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Saturday, July 11, 2026 ???

Saturday, July 11

9:00am Thrifty Threads (Franklin Federated Church)

10:00am Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:00pm     Revolutionaries in White: A Look Across Three Centuries of Bridal Fashion (Franklin Historical Museum)

10:30am Toe Jam Puppet Band! (Franklin Public Library)

1:00pm Painting for Adults! (Franklin Public Library)

1:30pm Diamond Art De-Stress (register) (Franklin Public Library)

8:00pm Karaoke at The Raillery (Raillery Public House)

For additional details on Library events ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

*** NO  Town Meetings today ***

---------

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

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Mass Legislative Manufacturing Caucus Leaders and Industry Advocates Champion Future of Advanced Manufacturing at State House Lobby Day

Associated Industries of Massachusetts Honors Franklin's Plansee USA with Excellence in Manufacturing Award Amid Push for $425M Economic Development Package

(L- R) State Representative Jeff Roy,
State Senator Paul Feeney

Industry leaders and state legislators gathered for a packed Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) lobby day at the State House to champion the future of manufacturing in the Commonwealth. Addressing a standing-room-only crowd of manufacturers, State Representative Jeff Roy (D-Franklin) and State Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough), co-chairs of the Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, stood alongside AIM President and CEO Brooke Thomson to push back against the narrative that manufacturing is leaving the state, highlighting a major upcoming economic development bond package instead.

The day's events also featured a major celebration of local industrial achievement, as AIM presented its Excellence in Manufacturing Award to Plansee USA, a Franklin-based leader in powder metallurgy that specializes in producing high-melting refractory metals like molybdenum and tungsten for extreme-condition, high-tech applications. Plansee was specifically recognized for its innovation and proactive leadership in workforce development, notably through the establishment of its Manufacturing Training Center, which combats local CNC machining shortages by combining technical classroom instruction with real-world, hands-on experience.

 

The lobby day took place just hours before the Massachusetts House of Representatives took up a comprehensive end-of-session economic development bill (H5562). The proposed $425 million bond package directly targets the manufacturing sector's growth, including $100 million for the defense sector and national security infrastructure, $25 million for emerging technology and robotics, $25 million for applied artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and $25 million in capital support for expanding companies.

Industry leaders and state legislators gathered for a packed
Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) lobby day at the State House

During the event, manufacturing representatives outlined five key legislative priorities to sustain this momentum: expanding vocational schools, funding the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, aligning state and federal tax codes, increasing capital grants, and scaling existing programs that are already working well.

Speaking to the crowded room of advocates, Rep. Jeff Roy emphasized the critical role state support will play in unlocking the industry's full potential:

"We are not a state that just thinks; we are a state that makes. When people think of Massachusetts, they often think of our incredible universities, our historic cities, and our medical breakthroughs. But what makes those breakthroughs real, what scales them, and what brings them to the world is the grit, precision, and passion of Massachusetts manufacturing."

The Legislature's pending economic development bill aims to directly bolster this vision by prioritizing regional competitiveness, advanced technology, supply chain support, and streamlined regulatory permitting to give Massachusetts manufacturers and award-winning employers like Plansee USA the edge they need in a rapidly evolving global market.

"Investing in industries like clean energy and Al allows our manufacturing sector to adapt, grow, and lead the nation," said Sen. Paul Feeney, addressing the advocates in attendance. "People say to me, 'Feeney, you have this idea, this vision that doesn't exist anymore.' It exists in every single one of you, and it exists in the work that you do in our communities.''

In Massachusetts, there are 228,000 hard-working men and women in manufacturing jobs across this Commonwealth. As Rep. Roy noted, "every single day, they clock in to push the boundaries of what is possible. And their impact is immense: manufacturing drives a massive 7.9% of the total Massachusetts GDP. This isn't just a legacy sector; it is a vital, living engine of our modern economy."

Agenda for the Horace Mann Legacy Subcommittee - Monday, July 13 at 7 PM

Franklin Public Schools - Franklin School Committee

Horace Mann Legacy Subcommittee

July 13, 2026 = 7:00 PM

Municipal Building - 3rd Floor Training Room

AGENDA

"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."

● Campus Design Update

● Financial Review

● Farmer's Market Event

The agenda doc also contains remote participation info

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07132026-2401

The Town of Franklin is Looking to hire a Deputy Town Administrator

The Town of Franklin is seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to join our team as Deputy Town Administrator.

This executive leadership role works closely with the Town Administrator to support municipal operations, lead strategic initiatives and special projects, and collaborate with department leaders to advance the Town's priorities and deliver exceptional public service.

💼 Salary: $170,000–$200,000, commensurate with experience

📅 Priority application deadline: July 17, 2026 

Learn more about the position and apply at: https://buff.ly/uBQvoy6