Franklin receives $30K Green Communities Grant Award

The Town of Franklin is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $30,000 grant towards the purchase of electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Green Communities Division. 

$15,000 is earmarked for the purchase of two electric vehicles and $15,000 is earmarked for the purchase of electric vehicle charging stations, which will be installed at the Municipal Building and Franklin Public Library.

Shared from Twitter

https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1299391724079415298

Franklin receives Green Communities Grant Award

MIAA Sports Rule Modifications for Fall 2020

MIAA (@MIAA033) tweeted at 0:02 PM on Fri, Aug 28, 2020:

Read the #MIAA statement regarding Fall 2020 sport modifications
#OneTeamOneMIAA  @MASchoolsK12 @MassEEA

==>https://t.co/7BHpt3Q2lf    https://t.co/7ae8ACNfiI
(https://twitter.com/MIAA033/status/1299376792294260736?s=03)

Go to the MIAA page for the individual sport modification requirements  or follow the links shown here  http://miaa.net/contentm/easy_pages/view.php?sid=38&page_id=317

(Editorial note: In my opinion, a quick review of some of the modifications change the nature of the game being played. I would also expect that statistics from such a season would be marked with an asterisk as they would not be comparable to prior seasons.)

• Cross Country   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/CrossCountryModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Field Hockey   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/FieldHockeyModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Golf   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/GolfModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Gymnastics  http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/GymnasticsModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Soccer   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/SoccerModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Swimming & Diving   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/SwimDiveModificationsFall2020.pdf
• Volleyball   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/VolleyballModificationsFall2020.pdf
• MSAA - Dance   http://miaa.net/gen/miaa_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/DanceModificationsFall2020.pdf

“You’re right, the soccer purists aren’t going to be happy with all these”

An inside view at the New England Soccer Journal: https://www.nesoccerjournal.com/breaking-down-the-miaa-guidelines-for-massachusetts-high-school-soccer/

The MIAA released guidelines and modifications Friday, which sent shockwaves across Massachusetts. (Dave Arnold Photography)

Commonwealth Magazine: "Healey argues that Baker has broad discretion under the Civil Defense Act"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER filed a court brief on Friday defending his use of a 1950 Civil Defense Law to declare a COVID-19 state of emergency, equating the virus to the “natural causes” referenced in the law and pointing out that the Legislature has not balked at his use of emergency powers to shut down the state’s economy. 

The brief, which includes citations to Alexander Hamilton and The Federalist Papers, is the first time Baker has publicly spelled out in any detail his legal authority for declaring a state of emergency. 

Attorney General Maura Healey filed the brief on behalf of the governor in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of business owners and pastors who say the Civil Defense Law is not applicable to COVID-19 and the governor’s many sweeping orders to deal with the coronavirus infringe on powers granted to the Legislature under the state constitution. The parties are scheduled to appear before a single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court on September 11. 

The Civil Defense Act of 1950 was passed at the beginning of the Cold War, a time when the United States was increasingly worried about the spread of communism and military threats from the Soviet Union. The law allows the governor to declare a state of emergency when the state is threatened by enemy attack, sabotage, riots, fires, floods, earthquakes, droughts, or “other natural causes.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)  
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-defends-emergency-orders-under-civil-defense-act/

A COVID-19 testing tent outside the Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester. (Photo by Michael Jonas)

In the News: "the position is typically held by FDA civil servants, not political appointees"

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

"The credibility of two of the nation’s leading public health agencies was under fire this week after controversial decisions that outside experts said smacked of political pressure from President Donald Trump as he attempts to move past the devastating toll of the coronavirus ahead of the November election. 

The head of the Food and Drug Administration grossly misstated, then corrected, claims about the life-saving power of a plasma therapy for COVID-19 authorized by his agency. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its guidelines to suggest fewer Americans need to get tested for coronavirus, sparking outrage from scientists. 

Trump’s own factual misstatements about COVID-19 are well documented, but the back-to-back messaging blunders by public health officials could create new damage, eroding public trust in front-line agencies. That’s already raising concerns about whether the administration will be forthcoming with critical details about upcoming vaccines needed to defeat the pandemic. 

“I do worry about the credibility of the FDA and CDC, especially at a time when the capacity of the federal government to advance public health should be a priority for all policymakers,” said Daniel Levinson, former longtime inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees both the FDA and the CDC."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20200828/health-agencies-credibility-at-risk-after-week-of-blunders?rssfeed=true 

 

Please find links to current information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak from State and Federal agencies

In the News: "UMass Amherst puts 850 workers on indefinite furloughs"

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

"Citing the “incredible financial cost” associated with not fully reopening its campus this fall, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has calculated nearly $169 million in budget losses and is now placing 850 workers, including dining and residence hall staff, on indefinite furloughs effective Sept. 13. 

“Because their union representation agreed to a furlough rather than a layoff, they will retain their UMass benefits, including health care, while still being entitled to unemployment benefits,” Subbaswamy wrote in an email Thursday to the campus community. “This agreement will also enable a smooth re-employment process when the campus resumes normal operations.” 

And there will likely be additional labor impacts at the flagship UMass campus. 

“While some permanent layoffs are expected in the coming weeks, we are doing everything possible to lessen the number of layoffs and are currently in discussions with other staff labor unions with the hope of reaching an agreement that prioritizes temporary reductions in hours and furloughs, which will likely impact approximately 450 additional campus employees,” according to Subbaswamy."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200828/umass-amherst-puts-850-workers-on-indefinite-furloughs?rssfeed=true 

Commonwealth Magazine has a related article on the UMass cuts  

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/public-higher-ed-staff-resources-being-cut/

 

What to do when you (and your kids) are online at home

What to do when you (and your kids) are online at home by Jennifer Leach, Associate Director Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC If you have kids in school, there's a good chance they're kicking off their school year…in your living room. All the while, you might be working away, yourself, in some carved out corner at home. Read more https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/08/what-do-when-you-and-your-kids-are-online-home This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Reminder: THE BLACK BOX: Montgomery and Marshall Duo - Aug 28

THE BLACK BOX welcomes the Montgomery and Marshall Duo with two shows on August 28 at 6:30 and 8:15 PM in the theater’s parking lot.  

James Montgomery and Bruce Marshall are celebrating 26 years together as a duo in 2020.  They started in 1994 after Bruce Marshall auditioned for the James Montgomery Band and asked James if he was interested in acoustic work as a duo. Their first gig was opening for the Band at the State Theater in Providence, RI and old friend Rick Danko introduced the pair as “the real deal”. Although Marshall didn’t get the electric gig, he ended up forging an enduring musical and personal relationship with James that continues to flourish.  

Get tickets online or call the box office  https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1398&month=08&year=2020

THE BLACK BOX:  Montgomery and Marshall Duo - Aug 28