The presentation document scheduled for the update to the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Sep 16, 2020
A Senior Coffee Hour with local and state officials is scheduled for this Thursday, September 17 at 8:30 AM.
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| Senior Coffee Hour with Local and State Officials - Sep 17 |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"The MetroWest region’s unemployment rate has been consistently lower than the statewide numbers for the past three decades thanks in part to an influx of biopharmaceutical, information technology and analytics as well as medical device companies moving to the area.
But the increase in new businesses coming to the region has created some challenges, such as increased traffic congestion, according to a new profile of economic and demographic trends released Monday.
The Westborough-based 495/MetroWest Partnership and the Public Policy Center at UMass Dartmouth released the new profile, which indicates the region continues to enjoy a number of strategic advantages while continuing to confront challenges related to transportation and housing."
From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:
"Scientific American, the magazine that has delved into scientific topics for 175 years, is endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time, picking Democrat Joe Biden over Republican incumbent President Donald Trump.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
“The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science,” the magazine’s editorial said. “The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges.”
The magazine said it was urging people to vote for Biden, “who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment. These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous and more equitable future.”
“It’s time to move Trump out and elect Biden, who has a record of following the data and being guided by science,” the magazine said.
Laura Helmuth, the magazine’s editor-in-chief tweeted that a vote for Biden would support “science, health, the environment, evidence-based policy, and reality over disinformation."
Scientific American editorial https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/
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| "We’ve never backed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history—until now" |
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| Get ready to ZOOM with the Franklin Art Association at upcoming meetings in Oct/Nov |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"A group of organized thieves from Connecticut that targets unlocked cars to steal and to burglarize has hit communities not only in MetroWest and Greater Milford, but throughout the state.
They come quick. They hit fast. And they leave town often before anyone knows a crime has been committed.
A group of organized thieves from Connecticut that targets unlocked cars to steal and to burglarize has hit communities not only in MetroWest and Greater Milford, but throughout the state, as well as Rhode Island and Connecticut."
"Servers carrying massive trays laden with tureens of Venus de Milo soup will no longer be a commonplace sight at SouthCoast celebrations.
Venus de Milo owner Monte Ferris is closing the Swansea banquet facility and putting it up for sale with an asking price close to $5 million. The Venus de Milo soup and other signature fare, including baked stuffed lobster, will still be available through a new company, Venus Foods.
The closure, said Ferris, is a result of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings. With no company holiday parties or New Year’s Eve celebrations in sight, Ferris said he had no choice but to close the banquet facility, resulting in close to 100 people losing their jobs permanently. The staff had already been reduced to bare bones with what he hoped to be temporary layoffs back in March when Gov. Charlie Baker issued stay-at-home orders.
“We do a lot of revenue from that Thanksgiving to New Year’s period. The money was in events, but we do alright with takeout and we’re going to keep takeout going,” said Ferris, adding the COVID-19 pandemic and the results of it have lasted a lot longer than expected. Additionally, faced with huge overhead costs for operating such a large venue, the takeout business, which has been in operation since the shutdown, is slower in the warm weather months."
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS for Massachusetts residents will rise by an average of 7.9 percent at the beginning of next year, despite insurers having profited from declining health care costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kevin Beagan, deputy commissioner for the health market at the state Division of Insurance, said the higher premiums reflect several factors, including uncertainty about what health care will look like next year. “Every company highlighted the uncertainty associated with 2021,” Beagan said during a presentation before the Health Policy Commission on Tuesday.
The biggest increase will be for the lower-cost offerings of Tufts Health Plan on the Massachusetts Health Connector. Beagan said the Division of Insurance is “definitely not happy with” Tufts’ 12.2 percent planned increase. But the division chose not to challenge the increase and conduct a hearing process because that would have prevented the plans from being available in time for October’s open enrollment period on the Health Connector.
Among the other largest health plans in the state, a Boston Medical Center plan that is also available to low-income patients on the Health Connector will see an average 2.5 percent premium increase. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s HMO Blue plan, a commercial plan that covers 80,000 members, will see a 5.4 percent premium increase. Always Health Partners and United Healthcare both are planning increases of at least 9 percent, while members with different Tufts health plans will see increases of at least 7 percent. Harvard Pilgrim’s HMO plan members will see a 5.5 percent increase on average."
