MIAA 2021 Preseason Top 50 TeamsTeams 50-26Rankings will be updated throughout the Fall II season. https://t.co/cTMnR9C7A6
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| Massachusetts HS Football Coverage: MIAA 2021 Preseason Top 50 Teams |
Dear Franklin Cultural District Partners,
The mission of the Franklin Cultural District is to foster and encourage culture and the arts in our community.
To support this mission the Franklin Cultural District Committee (FCDC) and the Franklin Art Association (FAA) are working collaboratively to plan an ArtWalk event through the Franklin Cultural District. These groups are excited to feature several local Franklin artists and to support our local businesses.
The hope is that by offering this visual art display we will encourage more foot traffic through the Franklin Cultural District and the downtown area.
At this point in time the project is in the planning stages. We will have more details to share when we hear about the plan of our Cultural District Partners.
Currently the FCDC and the FAA are looking for:
If you would be interested in participating in this event, please contact Nancy Schoen at nschoenfranklinculture@gmail.com by Friday, February 19, 2021.
We hope that many of you will be willing to participate!
Regards,
The Franklin Cultural District Committee and The Franklin Art Association
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| ArtWalk in Planning Stages, if businesses are interested please respond by Feb 19 |
Greetings!
We hope this email finds you well and you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Life at The Pantry remains as busy as ever as we continue to provide our neighbors with fresh fruit and vegetables, proteins, and shelf-stable items. We are so grateful for your continued support over the past year, we could not continue to do the good work we do without you. While things may look a little different at The Pantry right now, our community is still such an important part of our organization and we wanted to share some internal changes with you.
We are pleased to announce that the Chair of the Board of Directors, Tina Powderly, will become our Executive Director and that Lynn Calling will move to the newly created position of Director of Development and Community Engagement.
Tina Powderly
In her new role, Lynn will be spending her time on the new building Capital Campaign as well as work more closely with the individuals, groups and corporations who contribute to our mission. Tina will be responsible for the day-to-day Pantry operations and long-term strategic goals. Besides Tina’s move, our Board will remain the same with our current Treasurer, Jim Roche serving as the Interim Chair. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2021.
While this past year has been a challenge, we are proud of how we have continued to serve our neighbors. We surprised our neighbors with restaurant and supermarket gift cards, fresh flowers, special treats, and a choice table. We instituted weekly kids bags for families during the pandemic and still were able to do our annual Thanksgiving and winter holiday distribution. We continued a twice weekly drive-up distribution service so that even during the darkest days of the pandemic, our neighbors did not go hungry.
If you have any questions about The Pantry or just want to say hello, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at either: Tina Powderly or Lynn Calling. We look forward to a bright future and a reimagined Pantry!
Regards,
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| Changes at the Franklin Food Pantry |
"A COALITION OF early education advocates will introduce an ambitious proposal Tuesday to completely overhaul the state’s early education system. The legislation would provide universal, affordable early education in Massachusetts, turning childcare from a system that is now largely private pay to one that is primarily publicly funded.
The plan would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and the coalition has not yet proposed how to pay for it. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has shed a spotlight on the importance of childcare to the economy –– and the fragility of the existing childcare system – the plan, while unlikely to pass, could provide a foundation for broader discussions about how to make childcare more accessible. It is being introduced at the same time as new powerful coalitions – a business organization and a philanthropic group –– are beginning to focus intensely on how to improve early education."
"SOME OF THE MOST encouraging news coming out of the pandemic has been the ability of Massachusetts companies to quickly pivot and meet suddenly changing needs. Shoe manufacturers are making face masks. Distillers are producing hand sanitizer. A greeting card company is using it’s die-cutters to produce face shields. Companies quickly pivoted, found ways to utilize their assets and kept their skilled employees working.
Commuter rail needs to follow the example of these firms and pivot by finding new uses for the skilled workers and the equipment that are being made surplus by the reductions in service currently taking place. Commuter rail should be experimenting with new services, particularly with extending service to additional communities outside its current service area."
"The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will hold a virtual public hearing Feb. 24 to discuss temporary schedule changes that will go into effect in March and April, the agency said in a statementThe meeting, which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., will allow participants to ask questions and give feedback on the changes, according to the statement."
Terrific article by @KamiRieck with insight from @dankennedy_nu @BrendanCrighton & @jasonpramas. TY Speaker @RonMariano for this important new law and for appointing me to the new 23-member commission. I look forward to digging in! https://t.co/unm9Wgo3jF
"The growth of “news deserts” in Massachusetts and the possible solutions to improving local journalism in underserved communities will be the focus of a new commission approved in the final hours of the last legislative session.The initiative by Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, and Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn, was part of the massive economic development bill approved by lawmakers and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker last month. It will examine the sustainability of local press business models and the sufficiency of news coverage in communities across the state.“Local journalists tell the community stories that bind us together,” Ehrlich said. “They tell us who we are, and where we’ve been and where we’re going. Local news is also essential to ensuring a healthy democracy.”
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| "Talk Franklin" features vaccine distribution readiness, Davis Thayer, stormwater, "Hearts of Kindness" and #Project Envoy |
