Franklin Matters

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

In the News: two items from Gov Baker's press conf on Monday, July 13

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced the state has launched a new website to provide directions to residents who want to report businesses that may not be following safety guidelines for COVID-19.

“If folks believe that a business or employer is not observing the safety guidelines, we’ve set up a process for people in the public or employees to reach out and communicate that,” said Baker.

Baker said a new page on the state website, Mass.Gov/Compliance (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/reopening-covid-19-compliance), would be activated to accept reports about businesses that were not in compliance with state-issued guidelines. He said reports can also be made through the 211 hotline.

“Investigations can result in enforcement measures if violations are discovered,” Baker said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200713/residents-can-use-new-state-website-to-report-businesses-not-following-coronavirus-safety-guidelines

"Traditional public schools sent students home and shifted to remote learning in March to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but that was not an option for residential schools that serve students with special needs.

Recognizing the costs for special education residential school providers to outfit their workforces with personal protective gear, to put in place enhanced facility cleaning plans, and in some cases to increase staffing levels, the Baker administration on Monday unveiled a relief package of more than $16 million to benefit 32 special education residential schools.

Gov. Charlie Baker made the announcement after touring the New England Center for Children in Southborough, which teaches, houses and supports more than 120 students with special needs. Baker said the center will receive about $2 million.

“The commonwealth’s special education residential schools do tremendous work educating and supporting students with special needs. Throughout the pandemic special education residential schools, like this one, have remained open,” Baker said. “The ability this community has shown to adapt to maintain a safe environment for students in their care and for their 24/7 staff has been a godsend. The schools incurred unanticipated costs related to the purchase of personal protective equipment, infection control measures, increased staffing costs and enhanced cleaning protocols over that period. We know this is difficult work, and we know that so many people, time and time again, found a way to simply get it done.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200713/gov-baker-visits-southborough-to-announce-that-residential-schools-are-getting-16-million-in-coronavirus-relief

The press release with details on the schools and amounts involved
https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-covid-19-funding-for-special-education-programs

Press conf video link = https://youtu.be/3Mg92Dc6Ciw

"symptoms could appear 2-14 days after exposure, most commonly around 4-5 days"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Congestion, runny nose, nausea and diarrhea are the four most recent COVID-19 symptoms that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added to its growing list of potential signs of the novel coronavirus.

The CDC previously said symptoms include chills, fever, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a new loss of taste or smell. The agency now lists 11 symptoms on its website.

The additions come as health experts continue to learn more about the disease, and care for very ill COVID-19 patients is improving. Even so, the CDC states the current list doesn’t include all possible symptoms for the virus.

Doctors have also identified a symptom informally dubbed “COVID toes” – the presence of purple or blue lesions on a patient’s feet and toes."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200713/cdc-adds-runny-nose-nausea-to-growing-list-of-covid-19-symptoms

The current symptom listing on the CDC page
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

The current symptom listing on the CDC page

Monday, July 13, 2020

Frank's Music with Frank Falvey "Let Freedom Sing" (audio)

Frank Falvey has a radio show called "Frank's Music". Self described as 'eclectic' you hear some good music and info about the songs and the performers. Frank records with Jim Derick as they "search for the meaning in music."

These shows are part of the Franklin Public Radio playlist and also available on SoundCloud. Franklin Public Radio is 102.9 on the local FM radio dial or anywhere in your browser at wfpr.fm

Thursday = 10:00a/1:00p/7:00p Frank’s Music – Frank Falvey
Frank explores a range of music genres and artists

The show repeats on Saturday at 10:00 AM

This session was prepared for the 4th of July week.

Audio link = https://soundcloud.com/user-653308056/let-freedom-sing

Frank's Music with Frank Falvey · Let Freedom Sing

"I urge them to listen to the science and act now before it’s too late"

“The fact that the responsibility to communicate this falls on me and other children should be seen for exactly what it is –a failure beyond all imagination”

I tried summarising the #climatecrisis from my own experiences in 12 chapters. Full text in @TIME

The link to Greta Thunberg's article in Time: https://t.co/AfAocy7Red?amp=1
The article/essay chronicles her trip to the US via sail boat and then to Davos.

Franklin radar picked this up via Twitter: https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1282243518853984259?s=09

Why? There is a small but active climate group here in Franklin, and there is a whole lot of us who pay attention far less often than perhaps we should. I read her article and I found it explains our problem succinctly, more so than anything else I have found. She suggests that we choose to follow the science and even if we do, we have little time left to act. How little? Maybe 6 or 7 years.
.
So as with many things I share here, I present the info, you make the choice to read, or not, and if you read, then maybe you can act upon the info. Greta writes:

"if you read between the lines you realise that we are facing the need to make changes which are unprecedented in human history."

From Chapter 6:

"So, in short: the temperature increases, the damaging mountain pine beetle survives the winter and dramatically increases in population. The trees die and turn into wildfire fuel which intensifies the wildfires even further. The soot from those fires makes the surface of the glaciers turn darker and the melting process speeds up even faster.

This is a textbook example of a reinforcing chain reaction, which in itself is just a small part of a much larger holistic pattern connected to our emissions of greenhouse gases.

There are countless other tipping points and chain reactions. Some have not yet happened. And some are very much a reality already today. Such as the release of methane due to thawing permafrost or other phenomena linked to deforestation, dying coral reefs, weakening or changing ocean currents, algae growing on the Antarctic ice, increasing ocean temperatures, changes in monsoon patterns and so on."

https://time.com/5863684/greta-thunberg-diary-climate-crisis/

Thunberg arrives in New York City after a 15-day journey crossing the Atlantic on Aug. 28, 2019. Courtesy of Greta Thunberg

Franklin Senior Center: Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory - Jul 16

Join us to hear from Dr. Andrew Budson talk about Managing Your Memory

Event Date: Thursday, July 16, 2020 - 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Email adoggett@franklinma.gov to receive the link to attend.

Based on his award-winning book, Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do About It, Dr. Andrew Budson will explain how individuals can distinguish changes in memory due to Alzheimer's versus normal aging, what medications, diets, and exercise regimes can help, and the best habits, strategies, and memory aids to use, in seven simple steps.

Educated at Haverford College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Budson is Chief of Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology and Associate Chief of Staff for Education at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Director of Education at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and Lecturer in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory - Jul 16

Shared from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-senior-center/events/264781

"solar projects accounted for a quarter of all development of natural lands"

From the Boston Globe, articles of interest to Franklin:

"Massachusetts has been a national leader in solar power and now boasts more of the renewable energy than most other states. But it has come at a cost to forests and woodlands, and environmental advocates — not a group ordinarily prone to voicing doubts about renewable sources — say misguided state incentives have encouraged building solar farms on undeveloped land.

Now, with the coronavirus already causing major job losses and great uncertainty in the solar industry, state officials are planning to issue new rules that will sharply limit where solar farms can be built.

“We need to minimize the loss of these valuable natural assets to all forms of development,” said Heidi Ricci, an author of a Mass Audubon report this year that called for the protection of natural land. “We need this natural land to absorb the rain and clean our water, as storms become more intense from climate change.”