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| Veterans Coffee Social - Aug 4, 2021 - 10 AM |
"Thank you Franklin Chapter for collecting 36 bags of clothing and 16 boxes of books for Cradles To Crayons. They picked up donations today and we’re very happy."
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| Lions Heart drive a success |
"NEARLY 70 PERCENT of White households in Massachusetts own a home. Only 37.4 percent of non-White households own a home. That gives Massachusetts the seventh highest racial homeownership gap in the country.
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kinnealy told legislators at a public hearing Tuesday that for Black families trying to buy their own home, “the cards are stacked against them.”
As lawmakers are determining how to spend $5.3 billion in federal money that the state will get from the American Rescue Plan Act, Baker administration officials are pushing their plan to spend $1 billion on housing programs as a way to help close that racial gap. "
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| Condos under construction in 2018 on Washington Street in Dorchester. (Photo by Michael Jonas) |
"For three years, Katie Loder, 63, was reminded by doctors that she would probably die soon.
But they also didn’t know exactly what was wrong with her — and still don’t, said Loder, who also previously had esophageal cancer.
The Wareham resident wasn’t allowed to go outside or near anyone, not even to the mailbox. But eventually, doctors said she could go alone to the beach. More often than not it was Onset Beach. It’s where she would often find an array of whelk shells -- from the larger knobbed whelks to smoother channeled and waved whelks, to smaller Stimson’s whelks -- and started collecting them.
Today, you can find more than 300 of those shells scattered across Franklin -on benches, outside the window sills of storefronts and sometimes even in random front yards when she tosses them from her moving car while driving by. "
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| August at the Franklin Historical Museum |
FM #586 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 586 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Franklin residents Aaron and MJ Gouveia. You may recall that Aaron and I talked about his first book outdoors on the Town Common in May of 2020.
We had this conversation in the Franklin Public Radio studios on Hutchinson St. MJ joined us for this session as she is co-author of their new book Men and Miscarriage. A key quote from the intro to the new book: “When it comes to men and how they are impacted by these issues, it’s almost complete radio silence.”
We had a great conversation to help break the ‘radio silence’ (yes, pun intended) on this topic of miscarriage and how it affects both members of the relationship. My kudos to both of them for starting the conversation on this tough topic. The statistics show that one in four women do experience a miscarriage. “Half the battle is knowing you are not alone.”
In some of my conversations after our recording session, it has been enlightening to find out how many folks I talk with who reveal that they have had one or more miscarriages in their immediate or extended family. One key take away you’ll hear about is to ask someone; “How are you doing?”
The show notes include links to the Amazon book page, Aaron’s Daddy Files book web page. MJ tends to avoid social media and occasionally writes on Aaron’s page.
The recording runs about 32 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with MJ and Aaron.
Audio file -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/382fc625-e1ac-4f3a-90b0-cfb4c0d9d256
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Men and Miscarriage: A Dad's Guide to Grief, Relationships, and Healing After Loss – published July 6, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1510763600/
Link to the CNN article mentioned https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/health/miscarriage-men-grief-loss-wellness/index.html
A discussion at the Franklin Public Library scheduled for Sep 1.
MJ's post as discussed during the conversation: https://www.daddyfiles.com/mj-speaks-out-2/
First book links:
The DaddyFiles page https://www.daddyfiles.com/
The Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/dp/1510749411?tag=duckduckgo-ffab-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1
Aaron’s Amazon author link https://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Gouveia/e/B08127Z6JN
Follow Aaron on Twitter https://twitter.com/daddyfiles
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
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
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"
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| FM #586 - Breaking 'radio silence' on "Men & Miscarriage" - 07/21/21 (audio) |
Just a reminder about the Open Track & Field Meet this Wednesday at FHS. Registration and field events start at 5 PM and running events begin at 6 PM.Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranklinHSXC/status/1419781408248172549
Volunteers should get to the track around 4:45 so we can give people assignments.
"Throughout the pandemic, state and federal governments developed policies to protect residents facing job loss and other COVID-19 related hardships. Among those orders were moratoriums placed on home evictions. When the state’s pause on evictions expired on October 17, 2020, the federal moratorium established by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) became effective in Massachusetts.
The CDC order, which has been extended several times, prohibits residential landlords nationwide from evicting certain tenants through July 31, 2021. Over the past year while the moratorium has been in place, courts have accepted filings, processed cases, and in some cases even entered judgments; however, no orders of execution (a court order that allows a landlord to evict a tenant) have been permitted. The CDC has said there will be no additional extensions on the eviction moratorium which means these cases can move forward. "
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| "Eviction Moratorium to Expire This Month" - resources available |
"Hello FAA members. I have created a community interactive display. If you happen to be near Natick please stop over to visit this very important installation. There will be a short dedication event that will have speakers and a host to help introduce the display.
It will be on Saturday 7/31 @11am First Congregational Church lawn. Address is : 2 E Central St, Natick. It is also their Farmer's Market day so there will plenty of venders if you decide to walk the common directly across the street."
"FOR MONTHS, there was hope that by the time children returned to school this fall, they could be vaccinated against COVID-19. But with approval of vaccines for children still months away, many public health experts believe students – particularly in elementary school – need to continue wearing masks inside school buildings. The topic is becoming a significant debate in Massachusetts, where the Baker administration has not yet imposed any statewide COVID-related precautions on schools this fall.
“Masking in schools until we can ensure we’ve reached a critical mass of children [with vaccines] is almost a no-brainer,” said Vincent Chiang, chief medical officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, at a legislative hearing Monday. "
"With COVID-19 cases beginning to rise again in Massachusetts, you may be wondering whether it’s still safe to go shopping, catch a movie, or do any other indoor activity without a mask.If you’re fully vaccinated, you already have the best defense against falling ill with COVID-19, experts say. But wearing a mask could still go a long way to protect others and inhibit the spread of the virus.Although breakthrough infections are happening, and were expected, it’s unvaccinated people who make up more than 97 percent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 across the country."
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| masks make sense in circumstances |
Join @MassBudget and sponsoring organizations (including CfJJ) on July 29 for "Envisioning Equity: Federal Relief for Mass. K-12 Schools". Register through the link below.
Register for the webinar -> http://BIT.LY/K12ARPA
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/MassBudget/status/1419720707320296399
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| MassBudget: "Envisioning Equity: Federal Relief for Mass. K-12 Schools" - July 29 (webinar) |
This year our Annual Open Board Meeting will be conducted as a neighborhood block party at our 23 Hutchinson St. studios.
It’s open to all Franklin businesses and residents. We’ll meet-and-greet and enjoy refreshments starting at 3:00 PM. Come hungry and enjoy some great barbeque. You can also tour our studios, and learn about Franklin●TV and wfpr●fm. We’ll also review our progress during the past year and discuss plans for the future. At our meeting you may cast a vote for new and/or renewing board positions. This year we will vote to extend Jay Horrigan’s board position for an additional three years.
Excerpt from FCCA bylaws: (Available on our website http://franklin.tv/ftv_v12_010.htm)
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.
Our facility enables us to provide full production support for Franklin residents and groups who wish to create TV and radio programs. Thanks to our board members who contribute their time and energy to help make Franklin●TV all that a public access studio can be.
If you would like to become involved either as a volunteer or produce 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 discuss and explore your ideas. 508-541-4118.
Please join us at our Franklin●TV event. Again, it’s Saturday, August 28th starting at 3:00pm. We’ll have tours of our facility, some good eats, and you can meet our board and staff. Our brief open meeting begins at 4:00pm. Come meet, greet, and learn all about local TV and radio in Franklin.
See you then.
And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.
And, thank you for watching.
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| Franklin TV studio on Hutchinson St |
Even with social distancing, there are opportunities for creativity and fun!
"We surprised random people with an unexpected 100-person dance party on the streets of NYC.
Full Story: https://improveverywhere.com/2021/07/15/stand-here-for-dance-party/
Note: Our entire cast and crew were fully vaccinated for COVID-19
This project is made in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York and their new exhibition New York, New Music: 1980-1986.
Learn more here: https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/new-york-new-music"
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Stand Here for Dance Party |
Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell reported that first half (January-June 2021) real estate stats showed a major increase in residential and commercial sales, while mortgage lending numbers experienced an uptick as well.
Register O’Donnell noted, “The recently concluded first half of the calendar year, the average Norfolk County real estate sales price, both residential and commercial, increased 17% to $968,018.79. Total real estate volume, again both residential and commercial, was $5.5 billion, a 53% increase year over year.”
Register O’Donnell further stated, “The first half of the calendar year figures also show an overall 32% increase in the number of properties sold countywide from 7,502 to 9,889 for the same quarter of 2020. This is a strong growth from last year.”
For the first half of 2021, the number of land documents recorded, (such as deeds, mortgages, Homesteads, mortgage discharges, etc.) was 103,023, a 37% gain from the previous year. Register O’Donnell noted, “This robust figure tells us there is a healthy real estate market. I also greatly appreciate the efforts of the dedicated Registry of Deeds staff to process this document volume.”
One more piece of good news was the 26,042 mortgages recorded at the Registry during the first half of the calendar year 2021 compared to 19,019 for the same time period in 2020. This is a thirty-seven percent (37%) increase in the first half of 2021 over the same period in 2020. Total mortgage borrowing was $12.3 billion for the first half of the year compared to $8.9 billion during the first half of 2020. “With the reduction in interest rates, consumers seem to be more comfortable borrowing money,” stated the Register.
Norfolk County homeowners continued to benefit from the Homestead Act. A total of 6,425 Homesteads were recorded during the first half of the calendar year, a 29% increase year over year. “The Homestead law provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual’s primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000. I urge Norfolk County residents to consider this important consumer protection tool,” noted O’Donnell.
Foreclosure activity in Norfolk County continued to show signs of improvement. A total of 22 foreclosure deeds were recorded versus 69 filed during the first half of 2020. In addition, there was a significant 59% drop in the number of Notice to Foreclose Mortgage recordings, the first step in the foreclosure process.
O’Donnell stated, “While the eastern Massachusetts economy remains on a solid footing, there are still those in Norfolk County experiencing economic hardship, in many cases through no fault of their own. The Registry continues to work with Quincy Community Action Programs, (617-479-8181 x376), and NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, (508-587-0950) to help homeowners who have received a Notice to Foreclose Mortgage document. A third option is to contact the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (CARD) at 617-727-8400.”
Register O’Donnell concluded, “A continuing strong economy in eastern Massachusetts and the possibility of further stable real estate market should bode well for the overall real estate market going forward.”
To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds and Instagram.com/NorfolkDeeds.
The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is located at 649 High Street in Dedham. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. All land record research information can be found on the Registry’s website www.norfolkdeeds.org. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center via telephone at (781) 461-6101, or email us at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org.
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| Register O’Donnell Delivers First Half of Year 2021 Real Estate Activity Report |
On August 1, 2021, the public is invited to join the Franklin Odd Fellows for an afternoon of Trivia, fun and good cheer from 2 to 4:30 PM at the Bellingham Sportsman Club at 360 Lake St., Bellingham, MA 02019.
The event will consist of teams of up to ten players with a registration cost of just $10 per person and $15 at the door. Team pre-registration and pre-payment is strongly encouraged.
After a long and difficult year in 2020 where four Odd Fellows fundraising events were canceled due to Covid-19, William F. Ray Lodge #71 has remained active and continues with the renovation process of the building and with indoor meetings and cookout gatherings in their quaint pine grove back yard.
This will be our first social event for this year that will help us to continue the longstanding tradition of giving back to our local community - and have a good time while doing it! The Bellingham Sportsman Club has worked closely with the Bellingham Board of Health and is now following restaurant guidelines for holding public events.
Get your team of trivia masters together and register today. Entries at the door will be integrated into whatever teams have space remaining at their tables. There will be a cash bar available during the event.
Register and prepay: http://www.franklinmassoddfellows.org/trivia2021/
Download the flyer as a reminder -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/133QIpuopY5ohYYMvs3X5TXV-jyrOQUcM/view?usp=sharing
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| Franklin Odd Fellows: Trivia Extravaganza - Aug 1 |
"Summer is a particularly difficult time for families facing hunger, since kids, teens, and even college students are not receiving regular school meals.Growing Healthy Futures: Sponsored by MathWorks will benefit all of GBFB’s summer children and family hunger relief initiatives, ensuring students have access to enough food during the summer months.MathWorks will generously match all gifts (through 9/30/21), dollar-for-dollar, up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS to multiply our impact! Our collective efforts will sustain and bolster the GBFB network and allow communities most impacted by the pandemic to re-emerge stronger."
"Do you have a susceptibility to authoritarianism that deeply influences your viewpoint and possibly your voting behavior?This is your chance to find out, on the privacy of your own laptop, cell phone, or iPad, with results for you alone to see. Simply by clicking your level of agreement or disagreement with 20 statements, you can learn where you stand in comparison with other Americans.The Boston Globe’s online authoritarianism exam measures your inclination toward authoritarianism using a scale developed by Robert Altemeyer, a retired professor of psychology who has spent decades studying, researching, and writing about authoritarianism.Do you dare? That is, do you want to know?"
In the spirit of open communication, “the Committee will hold a public participation segment (also called Citizen’s Comments) about matters not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made…. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment…. The Committee will hear public comments related to an agenda item when the Chair deems appropriate during the Committee meeting. Topics for discussion during the meeting must be limited to those items listed on the Committee meeting agenda for that evening…. ” - from Policy BEDH
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| Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - July 27, 2021 |
a. Update from the Superintendentb. Superintendent’s Evaluation Evidencec. Superintendent’s Evaluation Process and Timelined. Discuss School Committee’s Goalse. School Committee Presentations 2021-2022
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| Franklin, MA: School Committee Workshop - July 27, 2021 |
And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.
And, thank you for watching.
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| We Are Convened - In Order to Form a More Perfect Union |
