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| Franklin Municipal Building, location for the Town Council meetings |
– The Panthers amped up their defense in the second half, turning a nine point lead at halftime into a 33 point win. Tim Prunier had a game-high 20 points, Paul Mahon scored 16 points and Connor Goldstein had 11 points. Attleboro’s Jake Dunkley had a team-high 16 points.
– The Panthers battled back to get the Attleboro lead to as few as four points after trailing by as many as 16 in the second half. Aubrie Kutil was the top scorer for Franklin with 14 points and Lauren Rudolph chipped in with 13.
– Shaun Kirby scored a pair of goals for the Bulldogs, who came back from a goal down twice in the first period. Matt Lazaro and Jim Jenkins each scored in the third period to give the Bulldogs the win at Schneider Arena at Providence College. Adam Assad and Jeremy Miller scored the Franklin goals.
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| FHS celebrates a goal (Hockomock Sports.com photo) |
– Haley Griffin, Regan Paterson, Marlee Paterson and Kate Cashman each scored in the win for the Panthers.
Campus police officers at Dean College had their last day on the job Friday, as they were replaced by a private security company.
Michael Carmody, a former Public Safety sergeant, said once the overnight shift ended at 8 a.m., the private security firm, TeamOps, took over.
The Town Council may look to review a local bylaw that protects some man-made retention ponds as wetlands.
The matter came up at Wednesday's council meeting in which DPW Director Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi proposed an amendment to the bylaw that would enable town workers to perform maintenance on such ponds.
"The town has over 90 retention ponds that we do maintenance on," he said.
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| FHS Panthers |
Despite the setback against Foxboro on Wednesday, the Panthers will be one of the better teams in Division 1. Once again, they will be the biggest challenge for North Attleboro because they have plenty of talent, including Nick Narducci and Mike Racca.
Jamie Hellen, operations assistant to the town manager, is leaving Town Hall to become the deputy town administrator in Franklin.
Hellen was appointed by Town Manager Norman Khumalo in 2012. He'll work in town until the end of the month.
During his tenure, Hellen has been involved in many special projects, including planning for the town's 300th Anniversary Celebration and helping with the historical commissions. His day-to-day responsibilities include making sure Khumalo's and the selectmen's priorities are being met, he said.
Several townspeople complained Thursday night to the Zoning Board of Appeals about what they claim was a lack of transparency in the town's approval of a group home on Plain Street.
The board, though, decided to uphold the building commissioner's decision to issue a permit.
At issue is an eight-bed building - set to house clients of the state Department of Developmental Services - under construction at 21 Plain St. Dave Patterson, a neighbor, had appealed the issuance of the building permit.
Trade all your holiday stress for laughter (and burn some of those holiday calories!) at LET'S LAUGH TODAY in Franklin on Monday, December 28th from 7:30pm to 8:30pm at the Meetinghouse of the First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. Certified Laughter Yoga Teachers, Linda and Bill Hamaker will give you the gift of laughter!
Join them in a combination of deep breathing exercises with laughter exercises that oxygenate your body and brain in order to feel more healthy and energetic. No mats or special clothing is needed. There will be chairs set up so you can sit. Laughter Yoga is now being done in 90 different countries!
Please bring your water bottle because laughing is dehydrating.
See www.letslaughtoday.com or call 508-660-2223 for more information and other opportunities to laugh.Come and experience the contagiousness of laughter! $5 donation to FUSF/$10 maximum per family.
Any age and any level of physical ability can participate in this uplifting experience! You can sit or stand. Please bring your water bottle because laughing can be dehydrating. If you have any questions, just call 508-660-2223 or e-mail billandlinda@letslaughtoday.com. New laughers are always welcomed!
The Baker-Polito administration announced the launch of a $30 million residential solar loan program on Thursday.
The program will support Massachusetts lenders with loans between $3,000 and $60,000 with low, fixed interest rates to homeowners throughout the commonwealth who opt to add solar panels to their home and is also available to borrowers with lower credit scores or incomes. For homeowners who adopt solar energy, the program also provides long-term financing options.
The Franklin Youth Hockey Association will hold Santa Skate from 6:10 to 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at Pirelli Veteran's Arena, 910 Panther Way.
All ages are welcome to skate and take photos with Santa. Admission costs $5 or a small bag of nonperishable food items to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry.
Attendees are also asked to bring any unused equipment to donate to FYHA.
The event will include raffles, team spirit packs and calendar sales.
For more information, visit the event's page on Facebook.
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| FYHA event |
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| image of the letter sent |
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| installation of the new turf field at FHS during the summer (field is in full use now) |
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| FHS Panthers |
How does Franklin follow up its first ever appearance in the prestigious Super 8 tournament? How does the program recover from losing 21 seniors off a roster that finished unbeaten in the Hockomock League and had one of the league’s most exciting hockey moments when it beat Xaverian in overtime in the Super 8 play-in game?
Those are tough questions that head coach Chris Spillane will be trying to answer in the coming weeks as he incorporates almost an entirely new roster. The top returning scorer from last season is senior Alex Bissanti, who chipped in with five goals as a junior. He will be joined up front by junior Adam Assad, who Spillane said has “lots of offensive potential.” In addition, the coach noted that he is looking towards a “strong” sophomore class to provide a spark offensively.
DJ Shea was a rock in goal last season after getting his first playing time as a senior and the Panthers will be counting on seniors Nick Jasinki (five games in 2014-15) and Cam Benham to step in this year and have a similar impact. In front of the goalies, Franklin has a strong defensive corps led by senior captains Matt Pleshaw and Jack Chaffee. The defense has been bolstered by the return of senior Tyler Oaks, who had been playing for the South Shore Kings. Spillane called him a “strong offensive defenseman.”
It is only the third season for Franklin in Div. 1 and already the Panthers have accomplished more than most public school programs. This could be a transition year for Franklin but expectations remain high for a perennial power. Spillane said, “With the departure of 21 seniors, the success of this team will rely on finding a identity early in the season.”
"The Franklin Water Department has initiated a water meter replacement program. The installations will be done by a private contractor called USI Services. Please keep an eye out for a postcard from Thielsch Engineering/USI. The program will start with residents who have the oldest meters, so not all residents will receive a postcard.
If you do receive a post card, please follow the instructions on the card and set up an appointment at your earliest convenience. To set up an appointment please call the number on the card NOT the DPW office. All installers will have uniforms, photo ID badges, and will be driving clearly marked vehicles.
**Some customers recently received their first notice letter but they say second notice. We apologize for the confusion, but please respond to the card at your earliest convenience!**
If you have any questions, please contact the DPW at 508-520-4910."
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| DPW webpage image |
– Carli Koffinke led the Panthers with 14 points. Lauren Rudolph chipped in with nine, Kristen Donaghy and Margaux Welsh each had eight for Franklin. The Bulldogs were led by Shannon Foley with seven points, while Meaghan Hunter and Hannah Jerrier each had six.
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| FHS Panthers |
– The Panthers jumped out to a 19 point lead after the first quarter lead and never looked back. Senior Tim Prunier scored a game-high 19 points in the win for Franklin.
Without a doubt, Prunier will be one of the best in the Hockomock League this year. He’s got a very well rounded game with the ability to make an impact in all phases of the game. Offensively not only does he carry the ball and set the offense in motion, he can score in one on one situations, can move the ball at the right time and even more impressively, he’s one of the best off the ball. Prunier is truly a player you don’t want to lose track of. Defensively he will add a spark to a team that prides itself on stopping teams and forcing turnovers.For more on the others in the Top 10
The senior defenseman is a newcomer to the Franklin program after spending time with the South Shore Kings last season. For the Kings, Oakes played 23 games and scored a goal and an assist. He is a little bit of an unknown for the coaches and the rest of the Hockomock but Franklin coach Chris Spillane said that he is a solid offensive defenseman that will step right in and contribute. After losing 21 players to graduation, Franklin needed someone to step in and Oakes could prove to be the right player to help fill in for the hole left by Mason Saunders and Kyle Filbert, both of whom liked to push forward into the attacking zone. Oakes’s return could be perfect timing for the Panthers.
Property tax bills for the average homeowner would rise $118 after the Town Council set the rate at its set Dec. 8 session.
The council set the fiscal 2016 tax rate at $14.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The rate actually dropped from fiscal 2015's $14.84, but property values have increased, meaning most bills will increase.
Exelon is questioning Franklin’s motive in filing to intervene in the permitting process of the company’s proposed power plant expansion, arguing that the town is driven by the possibility of a large settlement rather than environmental concerns.
In a legal brief filed with the state Energy Facilities Siting Board late Monday, Exelon, in response to Franklin filing a petition to intervene, called attention to an Oct. 7 meeting of the Franklin Town Council, at which members briefly discussed the plant.
The Town Council elected Robert Vallee as its new vice-chairman last week, after a recount delayed its reorganization by nearly a month.
Vallee, who had previously served as chairman, was named to the vice-chairmanship on a 5-4 vote.
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| Liz Haywood Sullivan - digital photo |
Most programs that lose all but one starter from a team that reached a sectional final would be thinking about rebuilding and the need for a transition year as new players get integrated. Franklin is counting on its system and the depth in its program to reload rather than rebuild this year.
The Panthers reload will benefit from a healthy Lauren Rudolph. The senior guard missed a large portion of last season with an injury sustained during soccer season and added a big scoring punch off the bench when healthy, This year, Rudolph will take on a much larger role as Franklin’s primary scorer, but she also gives them a boost defensively and is good passer in the Panthers’ dribble drive set.
The lone returning starter is senior Aubrie Kutil, who gives Franklin size and strength in the post on both ends of the court. Kutil will be aided by senior forwards Erin Skidmore and Caroline Maguire (who recovered from a volleyball injury to play in the opener) to crash the boards. Senior point guard Olivia Adiletto saw a lot of action last year and will take over as a starter. Junior Carli Koffinke is another player that will step into a bigger role as an offensive spark off the bench.
Newcomers like juniors Isabella Faught and Margaux Welsh will help Franklin make another run at the Kelley-Rex title. Leighton said, “We’re blessed to have depth. We have girls that buy into the system and are willing to play their roles, which is huge for us.”
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| FHS Panthers |
The Panthers were close to returning to the D1 Central Sectional Final last year but with four of the starters from that team graduated, there will be plenty of minutes to be had this season. Senior point guard Tim Prunier, who is one of the top players in the entire league, is the lone starter returning while forward Josh Macchi, who saw got some experience coming off the bench last year is also back.
But just because names like Marcus Giese, Dylan Reno, Markus Bohmiller and Shawn Hanley are gone doesn’t mean the Panthers won’t be competitive this year. In fact, Franklin will likely be in the thick of the Kelley-Rex division race. There will be plenty of new faces but they almost all have good size and can shoot the ball, two traits that will make Franklin a tough opponent. And unsurprisingly, the Panthers will likely be one of the top defensive teams.
“This is a team that only needs to focus on getting better each day,” head coach CJ Neely said. “Our goals are day to day improvement and we will let the results take care of themselves. We will pride ourselves on strong defense and tremendous effort and teamwork. Offensively, we have a lot of guys who are capable of playing well and as soon as we trust each other, make the extra pass and consistently compete together on both sides of the floor, I think we can have a good season. I have been very impressed with the team’s willingness to be coachable and get better each day. It should be a fun year.”
"Due to excessive speeding on Daniels St., speed traps have been requested and implemented. Thank you to our fine police force for stepping up to help slow things down. The most anyone should be doing on such a congested residential street is 25mph. Lots of children and families. Also, lots of deer. Slowing down will save your life."
The "right here" was the South Court Auditorium, part of the White House complex. More importantly, the bipartisan bill being signed was the Every Student Succeeds Act — a long-overdue replacement of the unpopular federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.
The new law changes much about the federal government's role in education, largely by scaling back Washington's influence. While ESSA keeps in place the basic testing requirements of No Child Left Behind, it strips away many of the high stakes that had been attached to student scores.
"Massachusetts has an opiate overdose rate that is double the national average. In 2014, 978 Massachusetts residents died of an overdose. Now, a look into how heroin is impacting one part of the state will soon be the center of an HBO documentary, Heroin: Cape Cod, USA.
The 76-minute film is directed by Steve Okazaki, who won an Academy Award for his documentary, Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo. Heroin: Cape Cod, USA will focus on the stories of eight Cape Codders who are currently dealing with addiction, all in their 20s, and all with their own story of how their addiction began."
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| Franklin School for the Performing Arts |
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| Dean College |
"In a letter to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, Medway said it opposes Franklin’s intervention in the board’s permitting of Exelon’s proposed expansion of the existing power plant on Summer Street.
The letter, written by Jeffrey Bernstein, a lawyer hired to represent the town in all dealings with Exelon, called into question the Franklin’s reasons for participation, calling them legally insufficient “to allow the late filing of a petition to intervene nearly six months” after the deadline to intervene in June.
“The town of Medway has significant concerns about the veracity of statements made both in the Town of Franklin’s filings and the affidavit in support thereof,” Bernstein wrote."
"The Franklin School District is in the midst of transitioning from the MCAS test to PARCC, and school officials said local students performed well in both this past year.
Assistant Superintendent Joyce Edwards noted that students outperformed the state in PARCC, but said the test itself is not in its final form.
"It takes a very long time until a new test is fully tested and validated," she said. "I think it will be a few years before the data is completely reliable."
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| Franklin Senior Center |
