School cuts put libraries in danger

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

School cuts put libraries in danger

via Boston Globe -- Globe West by Rachel Lebeaux, Globe Correspondent on 4/22/09

A budget squeeze is forcing Franklin officials to consider laying off school librarians as one measure toward closing its deficit. It is seen as a grim possibility, one that other communities have also faced.

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10th Annual Charles River Earth Day Clean Up

The 10th Annual Charles River Earth Day Clean Up will be held this Saturday (4/25/09) from 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon all along the Charles River and its tributaries.

David Dobrzynski is the site supervisor for the Bellingham/Franklin/Medway/Millis/Norfolk portion of the Charles River Watershed for this event and would be happy to sign up anyone who would like to pitch in with this effort.

David will be manning the volunteer sign in site at the Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, MA beginning at 9:00 AM. People interested in volunteering can drop by and get an assignment for a specific area that needs to be cleaned up.

Full details about this event can be found at: http://www.crwa.org/cleanup.html

"I want to change their way of thinking"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Apr 23, 2009 @ 12:12 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Marina Smoske, an eighth-grader at Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School, looks and sounds no different than any other 14-year-old.

She is energetic, beautiful and loves theater. She can't wait to join other kids who know all the lyrics to musicals at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick where she has been accepted. She is just crossing her fingers, praying that she'll get the scholarships she needs to attend her dream school.

And she definitely knows what she believes - she's got strong opinions and enjoys expressing them.

But Smoske is different than most of her peers: She was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, , at age 4.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Web site.

Read the full article about Marina's effort in the Milford Daily News here

Concerned about Franklin's Finances?

Concerned about Franklin's Finances?

GET THE FACTS

Long-Range Financial Planning Committee
Monday, April 27th
7 PM Horace

Mann School
(Mercer Auditorium)

IT’S TIME WELL SPENT

Cafe Dolce - Music - Sat 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

John Kinney

Café Dolce

Café Dolce is featuring John Kinney April 25, 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Come and listen to acoustic music inspired by Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Ray LaMontange, and many more!

Rain barrels discounted for Franklin residents

 

 

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

 

 

Rain barrels discounted for Franklin residents

via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by Staff reports on 4/22/09

Brutus Cantoreggi, director of Public Works, has announced New England Rain Barrel will be holding the annual rain barrel sale.
 
Orders may be placed until May 8, 2009.  Pick up day is Wednesday, May 13 at 150 Emmons St. from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Rain barrels will be offered to Franklin residents at  the retail price of $72.50 , instead of the regularly price of $119.95, by The New England Rain Barrel Company.

The rain barrels are made from 55-gallon blue plastic recycled containers. The barrels have a 6-inch diameter inlet opening covered with a screened louver to keep insects and debris out. The barrels have two brass spigots, one to connect a hose for watering and the other for overflow. They feature a 5-foot hose with a shutoff valve. Multiple barrels can be linked together for additional capacity.  

To contact New England Rain Barrel, call 877-977-3135 or log on to www.nerainbarrel.com.

 

 

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Google has a powermeter?

How much does it cost to leave your TV on all day? What about turning your air conditioning 1 degree cooler? Which uses more power every month — your fridge or your dishwasher? Is your household more or less energy efficient than similar homes in your neighborhood?

Our lack of knowledge about our own energy usage is a huge problem, but also a huge opportunity for us all to save money and fight global warming by reducing our power usage. Studies show that access to your household's personal energy information is likely to save you between 5–15% on your monthly bill, and the potential impact of large numbers of people achieving similar efficiencies is even more exciting. For every six households that save 10% on electricity, for instance, we reduce carbon emissions as much as taking one conventional car off the road (see sources and calculation).

Read more on the Google Energy Information site here.