Franklin Matters

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Franklin Public Library: December 2020 News & Events

Library News

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Franklin Public Library is currently closed to the public. Curbside Pickup is available Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the vestibule of the entrance at the top of the parking lot ramp. Library Staff are available by phone (508-520-4941) and email (frkill@minlib.net) Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday hours are not available at this time.

The Library will be closed and Curbside Pickup will not be available on December 25-27, 2020 and January 1-3, 2021. The Library will be closing at 2:00 p.m. on December 24th & December 31st.

No donations are being accepted at this time. Please do not place them in the return bins or outside the building.

Curbside Pickup

Not sure how Curbside Pickup works? Unsure how to return your materials? Follow these steps to get started!

https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/curbside-pickup

How to Get a Library Card While the Library is Closed

Apply for a Minuteman Library Card Online! Your card allows you to place requests and provides access to our online resources.

https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/get-library-card

Curbside Printing

The Franklin Public Library is now offering Curbside Printing! Library staff will now print black and white documents up to ten pages in length free of charge. Send your file to frkill@minlib.net . Your document will be printed and placed in a sealed envelope for your privacy. Once you have been notified that your document is ready, pick it up under your last name on the Cubside Pickup carts in the glass vestibule at the top of the parking lot ramp. For documents over ten pages or in color, please email frkill@minlib.net for further information.

New Materials

See the latest additions to the Franklin Public Library's collection of books, movies, and music for all ages!

https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/new-materials

Programs for Children and Teens

Weekly Virtual Events for Kids!

Wake Up Wiggles! Mondays 10:30AM on Facebook Live!
Zoom Tummy Time for Babies! Tuesdays @9:30AM
email Miss Caleigh at ckeating@minlib.net to register for Tummy Time!
Zoom Toe Tapping Tuesdays! (Super Silly Dance Class for Ages 2+!) Tuesdays @4:00PM
email Miss Bree at bcomeau@minlib.net to register for Cool Cruisers!
Bookworm Bounce! Thursdays @4:00PM on Facebook Live!

Teen Advisory Board, 2nd Wednesday of the Month on Zoom @7:30PM!

Teens! Want to get involved at the library from a distance? Join us as we plan teen-centric events, book displays, revamp our website and more! The perfect way to earn community service hours remotely! Email ckeating@minlib.net to get involved!

Special Programs for Families

Winter StoryWalk at DelCarte Reservation!

The Franklin Recreation Department and the Franklin Public Library are teaming up again for a cozy winter StoryWalk at DelCarte Reservation! Bundle up, mask up, and check out this season's story, Got to Get To Bear's! by Brian Lies! The StoryWalk will be up from early December to mid-January!

Zoom Cooking Class: Holiday Cupcakes! Saturday December 19th, 1:00 p.m.

Join Miss Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen for a special zoom cooking class for kids and their grown-ups! We will be making holiday themed cupcakes! To register and receive the recipe and zoom link, please email ckeating@minlib.net!

Teen Noon Year's Eve Mystery Party! December 31st, 12:00 p.m.

Join us on Zoom for a teen-centric celebration, as we ring in 2021 with an interactive mystery! To register and receive the zoom link, please email ckeating@minlib.net!

Adults

Kitchen Table Art Workshop: Secret Pockets, Sunday, December 6, 3:00 p.m.

Got a secret? Secret Pockets are collage card creations that become secret pockets for more images, messages, quotes, and treasures, keepsakes and whatever else you might like. They can be created as intuition or inspiration cards, as mini-diaries, or artists' trading cards – the possibilities are endless. This workshop is for adult and young adult artists and non-artists, no experience needed. A limited number of kits containing materials and tools to be used in the workshop will be available for pick up curbside at the library. More info and registration at www.thecreativitycurator.com. Please register early if you would like to receive one of the kits since quantities are limited. Priority for Franklin residents. Registrants who don't receive a kit will be provided with a supply list to assemble their own. Contact Jacqueline Burke Volpe thecreativitycurator@gmail.com .

Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are with Marjorie Turner Hollman,Wednesday, December 9, 7:00 p.m.

Getting outdoors can be exciting and challenging. For some, it's especially challenging. You, or those you love, may have health and/or mobility issues that preclude venturing onto rocky or rooty trails. Your children may have special needs. You may have toddlers, or older parents who can no longer venture onto the demanding trails they used to.

If you are like many these days, you are spending a lot more time outdoors. Getting out on trails has taken on new appeal. But do you worry about finding a safe place to park when you consider visiting a local trail? What are the best clothes to wear? Things to bring with you? Regardless of your challenges, the outdoors is not off-limits.

"How do you find all these trails?" Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are is the answer. You'll learn how to discover Easy Walks when visiting a new area, find new places to walk nearby as well, and so much more. Author Marjorie Turner Hollman loves the outdoors, and has completed three guides to Easy Walking trails in Massachusetts. With limited mobility, she uses hiking poles when heading outdoors. She has been published in local, regional, and national publications. For more information, please visit https://marjorieturner.com/easy-walks/ .

To register for this Zoom program, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkfu6tqz8vH9WgKXxj1R0STVp13y6...

Franklin Public Library Book Club, Tuesday, December 22, 7:00 p.m.

The book for discussion is Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah.

Trevor Noah's unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents' indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa's tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother--his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

To reserve a copy of the book or for more information, please contact Assistant Library Director Kim Shipala at kshipala@minlib.net . To register, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuqupjgoGd0XAfQuUAIIChGwkzL... .

Online Resources

Even though we are closed to the public, the Library still has so much to offer! Here are updates and information regarding the Library's services during this closure:

Our digital library is still open! Explore our collection of audiobooks, ebooks, and more at https://minuteman.overdrive.com/ . On your phone or tablet, download the Libby and Minuteman Library Network apps!
Learn a new language with Rosetta Stone, or try out Kanopy, hoopla, and Consumer Reports on the Featured Databases page (exclusively available to Franklin residents).
Learn something new, find articles for school assignments, read newspapers like the New York Times, or pick up a new skill using the links on our Databases & Research Resources page.
Tune in to our Facebook page for streaming storytimes, book discussions, and other live programs. https://www.facebook.com/FranklinPublicLibrary/
For email Reference service, or help with your library account, send questions to frkill@minlib.net . Inquiries will be answered within 24 hours.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!

A Statement from House Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Spilka - Nov 30, 2020

“Today, we are pleased to announce the filing of An Act Relative to Justice, Equity and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth, the result of the deliberations of the conference committee on police reform and racial justice.

The compromise reached, which is intentional in bringing better transparency and accountability to policing in Massachusetts, represents one of the most comprehensive approaches to police reform and racial justice in the United States since the tragic murder of George Floyd.

Our approach strikes a balance that will provide greater protections for the rights of all residents through a strong police officer certification process via a new, independent agency, and setting clear standards for training and use of force, while providing a wider range of tools for law enforcement to provide for the safety of the public.

While there is still much work to be done, we are proud of the foundation laid by this bill as we continue to build toward racial justice and equity.

We would like to sincerely thank Senators Brownsberger and Chang-Díaz and Representatives Cronin and González for their efforts in advancing this important legislation.”

For the legislation itself visit => https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2963

An overview on the legislation =>

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiE6naRd4izD0I-oJ_4BCB0_PeVks7LT/view?usp=sharing

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2963

CommonWealth Magazine: police reform compromise reached; state budget fails funding schools

From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:

"AFTER FOUR MONTHS of closed-door negotiations, six members of the House and Senate reported out compromise police reform legislation on Monday that establishes a certification system for officers and punts the contentious issue of immunity to a special legislative commission.

The bill released by a House-Senate conference committee would create a civilian-led Peace Officer Standards and Training commission that will establish standards for police, investigate misconduct claims, and decertify officers found in violation.

The proposed legislation bars the use of deadly force unless all de-escalation tactics have been used and failed. Chokeholds, similar to what killed Eric Garner in 2014, and restraining of the neck are prohibited. The legislation also requires that, if an officer witnesses another using deadly force improperly, he or she is required to intervene."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/criminal-justice/compromise-police-reform-bill-reported-out/

"AFTER MONTHS OF limbo, the state budget working its way through Beacon Hill obscures a difficult truth—funding levels will fall short of what our schools, particularly those that are the most under-resourced, need to successfully educate their students for the rest of the year. The challenges will remain even if the COVID-19 pandemic subsides over the coming months. We need targeted, progressive tax revenue to give our schools the resources to successfully navigate this crisis.

So far, the state’s answer to the pandemic is to repeatedly lower the bar for how it defines a safe return to school rather than providing adequate resources so schools can really be safe. One in 10 of the 1,800 school buildings in the state is over a century old, a figure that is true for one in five in our Gateway Cities which educate many of our state’s lowest-income students. Making these buildings safe for both students and faculty requires upgrading airflow and ventilation. Districts also must provide safe transportation for students. This costs money. Given the link between community wealth and the historical legacy of racism, kids of color and the schools that educate them tend to have fewer resources than those in wealthier districts. "

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/state-budget-plan-fails-our-schools/

FTC Consumer Alert: Giving wisely in the time of COVID

Consumer Alerts from the Federal Trade Commission

Giving wisely in the time of COVID

by Rosario Méndez, Attorney, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC

Thanks to COVID-19, many charitable organizations are faced with greater demand for their services, but less in donations as people have less to give. Now, more than ever, it's important to make sure that your donation will be used wisely and well. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and as you consider new places to send your donations, now and throughout the holiday season, don't forget these four tips for giving wisely:

This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

In the News: Town Council candidate statements

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

"Election season is not yet quite over for Franklin, which is holding a special town election next week — unusually on a Saturday — to fill a vacancy on the Town Council.
Franklin's special town election will fill a seat on the Town Council.
There are four candidates seeking the post left behind this fall by nearly three-year member Eamon McCarthy Earls, who exited the top governing board to pursue law studies. Candidates include Greg Chiklis, Alan Earls, Cobi Frongillo and KP Sompally.
The special election is set to take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. next Saturday. Polls will be open at Franklin High School, 218 Oak St.
Candidates all provided statements, which appear here in the order candidates will be listed on the ballot."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/2020/11/27/four-seek-council-seat-franklin-special-election/6419639002/

For all the relevant info for the special election scheduled for Dec 5 to fill one Town Council seat visit the "election collection" https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html

2020 Election Collection

Monday, November 30, 2020

Franklin (MA) School Committee - budget workshop - Dec 1

The School Committee has a budget workshop scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 1, 2020. This is the second one this year. Recall five of the seven members were new to the committee for the first workshop held in January 2020 (pre-COVID-19) was both learning experience as well as preparation for the FY 2021 budget cycle.

The world has changed a little bit since January 2020. The School Committee is now somewhat more 'experienced' albeit during this pandemic period. This workshop is designed to help them prepare for the FY 2022.

(Note: the fiscal government calendar runs from July 1 to the next June 30, with the year called as the ending June year. So we are operating in Nov 2020 in the FY 2021 fiscal budget and planning for the budget that would fund operations for July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 - hence FY 2022).

There is a lot of information in the prelease packet for this workshop. To continue to frame the budget process is this overview.