Franklin Matters

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

In the News: election information

The two 10th Norfolk candidates face off tonight for the first time at Medway High School. Next week, the meet again at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin.

Eustis, Roy meet Tuesday in first debate in Medway

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

So while both sides of the ballot joined to urge voters to pass on the question, AAA has decided to split from the coalition and step in to urge a vote anyway. An issue that was already confusing has gotten more so!

Despite new law, AAA urging people to vote for right-to-repair on ballot

by Colleen Quinn

Kennedy, Bielat debate the economy

by Lee V. Gaines/Wicked Local

Monday, October 15, 2012

Food channel choices

The food shopping choices for Franklin are varied. Stop and Shop and Shaw's have been joined by the Big Y. Market Basket is in Bellingham. Trader Joe's in Foxboro. These are the 'traditional' food outlets. BJ Warehouse, Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and then the smaller stores sell food as well. I had been working on an article to discuss what the introduction of the Big Y is doing to my family's shopping but the Globe has beaten me to the punch.

The Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday had a good article on the growth and evolution of supermarkets. Currently, we are shopping at more than one each week finding the best deals. The super stores that Walmart introduced have cut into the overall food sales of traditional supermarkets.

In part the article says:

Seventy-six percent of Americans now visit at least five “channels” for food — places like supermarkets, drug, and dollar stores — according to an August 2012 report from SymphonyIRI Group, a research firm in Chicago. Only 3 percent of us visit only one or two channels. Even my mom now shops at four.

On average, a Boston-area family spends $8,066 a year on food, according to government statistics, but nearly half of it goes to things like restaurants and takeout. That leaves everyone selling groceries to tussle over only $4,870 per family. And for some time now, the traditional supermarket has been losing ground in the fight.

Once the only game in town, supermarkets today only get about half of US grocery sales. Twenty-five percent goes to Walmart, which only introduced its Supercenters in 1988. Target is squeezing full food sections into many of its locations, including dozens in Massachusetts in recent years. Walgreens and CVS are now carving out more space for food on their shelves, and dollar stores across the country are adding freezers for items like pie crust and frozen vegetables.

Offered this smorgasbord of options, today’s shoppers have become incredibly picky. Our sole loyalty, Rand says, is to our ability to find the best food at the best deals, behavior that increased during the Great Recession and still continues.

The online version of this article will require registration and/or subscription to the Globe
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/10/13/how-grocery-shopping-got-personal/P3Fgfalj8jB4bNQ8fGnU7K/story.html

"Miracle Workers" (video)

I spent the last four days at the Geraldine R Dodge Poetry Festival, an amazing gathering of poets and lovers of poetry. Among the many poets there, Taylor Mali stood out as one of the more dynamic performers.

He taught for several years in New York and built his reputation in the 'slam poetry' world. This video of his poem "Miracle Workers" was recorded in 2007. I saw Taylor perform this in almost the same way this weekend.

Taylor says:

I wanted to say, "All I did was give you what I knew you needed before you knew you needed it. Thank you for the compliment but education is the miracle, I am just the worker. I am a teacher and that is what we do."

Enjoy!

For more Taylor Mali visit his webpage here: http://taylormali.com

Tri-County recognized for career program by Cisco

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Tri-County recognized for career program by Cisco

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports on 10/14/12

The Tri-County RVTHS Computer Information Systems (CIS) career program was recently recognized with a special plaque by Cisco Systems, Inc. for 10 years of active participation in the Cisco Networking Academy.

Things you can do from here:

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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Oct 17, 2012

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
September 19, 2012

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29.

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
COA Appointment - Suzanne Wade

F. HEARINGS
Alcoholic Beverage License-Failure to Pass Compliance Check – 7:10 PM
Franklin Wine and Spirits

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-70:Appropriation - Insurance Recovery Account

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS
For Future Legislation

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN

The full set of documents for this agenda can be found here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/101712.pdf

Spilka endorses Roy

Senator Karen Spilka endorses Jeff Roy for the 10th Norfolk seat to replace Rep Jim Vallee.

''I cannot rectify it,'' he said, ''with the woman I know.''

'I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results ... that she would turn into someone who did something like that. ... That isn't the person I remember,'' said John Warner, an instructor who gave her A's and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

''Obviously, things can happen to people,'' he said. ''Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story.''

Dookhan's struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 - including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab - may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.