Sunday, February 21, 2021

Franklin Senior Center: Memory Cafe - Feb 22 - 2 PM

Please join us at our "Where's The Toast?" Memory Cafe' on Monday Feb. 22 at 2 PM.  Shelley Otis will be entertaining us with her beautiful harp music. 

Listen to Shelley play "Heaven" by Bryan Adams  https://youtu.be/q508lMfNEZg



We look forward to seeing you Monday at 2 PM!

Click below to join "Where's The Toast?" Memory Cafe' with Shelley Otis
https://zoom.us/j/98625081878?pwd=d05HMzFKd09kaldIcjhGWXNBRE1sUT09

Meeting ID: 986 2508 1878
Passcode: 059521


--
Ariel Doggett

Virtual Program Coordinator
Respite Coordinator

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll
There is no act of kindness too small

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#ThinkFranklinFirst adds businesses to the listing!

"We are excited to share that 2 new businesses are accepting the #ThinkFranklinFirst gift card! You can now use your card at Mirchi Indian Cuisine and at Night Owl Farm!  

Do you have a Franklin Gift card?  Check out the 40 different businesses where you can redeem them!  These cards are helping our local economy by boosting local spending AND covering processing costs thanks to our generous sponsor, Dean Bank!  

Businesses are redeemed 100% of the funds spent at their locations! Random Smile Project has helped make this initiative possible by donating their time and energy to assist with administrative tasks.  We are so lucky to live in such a supportive community! 

Gift cards are always available both online and at Dean Bank.  www.franklingiftcard.com #supportlocal #shoplocal #giftlocal"


Shared from the Town of Franklin page on Facebook: 
https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=461047405262367&id=109645590402552

A full listing of the participating businesses can be found

#ThinkFranklinFirst adds businesses to the listing!
#ThinkFranklinFirst adds businesses to the listing!

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CDC: "Essential Elements of Safe K-12 School In-person Instruction"

From the Executive Summary of the CDC guidance on reopening schools released recently: (RED text for my emphasis)

"As communities plan safe delivery of in-person instruction in K-12 schools, it is essential to decide when and under what conditions to help protect students, teachers, and staff and slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It is critical for schools to open as safely and as soon as possible, and remain open, to achieve the benefits of in-person learning and key support services. To enable schools to open safely and remain open, it is important to adopt and consistently implement actions to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 both in schools and in the community. This means that all community members, students, families, teachers, and school staff should take actions to protect themselves and others where they live, work, learn, and play. In short, success in preventing the introduction and subsequent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools is connected to and facilitated by preventing transmission in the broader community."


There is no easy short list, the essential elements to reopen safely are complex. Take time to read through them to understand them.

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“We are colliding with a future of extremes”

 

"Even as Texas struggled to restore electricity and water over the past week, signs of the risks posed by increasingly extreme weather to America’s aging infrastructure were cropping up across the country.

The week’s continent-spanning winter storms triggered blackouts in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and several other states. One-third of oil production in the nation was halted. Drinking-water systems in Ohio were knocked offline. Road networks nationwide were paralyzed and vaccination efforts in 20 states were disrupted.

The crisis carries a profound warning. As climate change brings more frequent and intense storms, floods, heat waves, wildfires and other extreme events, it is placing growing stress on the foundations of the country’s economy: Its network of roads and railways, drinking-water systems, power plants, electrical grids, industrial waste sites and even homes. Failures in just one sector can set off a domino effect of breakdowns in hard-to-predict ways."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

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Remember H1N1? There are more, one is H5N8

"A H5N8 strain of bird flu has been detected in humans for the first time, among seven workers who were infected at a Russian poultry plant in December.

There is no evidence of the strain being transmitted between humans, but Russia has reported the transmission to the World Health Organization.

The workers now feel well, and “the situation did not develop further”, according to Dr Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor. She said the workers had been infected during an outbreak of the strain at the plant."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 
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Saturday, February 20, 2021

FM #466 - Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P1 of 4 (audio)

FM #466 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 466 in the series. 

This session shares part of the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2021. 

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: most members of the Town Council, selected guests, and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, at least one member of the Council was remote along with the public via the Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

I’ve split the full three hour fifty minute meeting into four logical segments:

  • *** First segment *** covers the opening through the Community Preservation Committee appointments and a two minute recess (51 minutes)
  • Second - returns from the recess to cover the Complete Streets presentation/discussion as well as the Town Administrator review and discussion (58 minutes)
  • Third - opens with the Legislation for Action and covers the items through the authorization of the fire trucks (40 minutes) 
  • Fourth - covers the technical adjustments to the three Storm Water Articles I, II, and III with the discussion running off course (again - with confusion around the proposed storm water utility fee - not in these three articles) through to the close of the meeting (approx. 1 hour and 13 mins)

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda. 

Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting of Feb 17, 2021. Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/4e9abe73-7e69-402d-97c8-6930470c0524

--------------

Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF) 
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/2-17-21_town_council_agenda_0_0.pdf
Town Council ‘quarterbacking session’ with Chair Tom Mercer
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/02/couldnt-spend-hours-with-town-council.html 

--------------

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?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don't like something here, please let me know

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FM #466 Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P1 of 4 (audio)
FM #466 Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P1 of 4 (audio)


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FM #467 - Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P2 of 4 (audio)

FM #467 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 467 in the series. 

This session shares part of the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2021. 

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: most members of the Town Council, selected guests, and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, at least one member of the Council was remote along with the public via the Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

I’ve split the full three hour fifty minute meeting into four logical segments:

  • First - covers the opening through the Community Preservation Committee appointments and a two minute recess (51 minutes)
  • *** Second segment *** returns from the recess to cover the Complete Streets presentation/discussion as well as the Town Administrator review and discussion (58 minutes)
  • Third - opens with the Legislation for Action and covers the items through the authorization of the fire trucks (40 minutes) 
  • Fourth - covers the technical adjustments to the three Storm Water Articles I, II, and III with the discussion running off course (again - with confusion around the proposed storm water utility fee - not in these three articles) through to the close of the meeting (approx. 1 hour and 13 mins)

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda. 

Let’s listen to this segment of the Town Council meeting of Feb 17, 2021. Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/66056b80-08cb-4098-b742-bcd557d22746


--------------

Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF) 
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/2-17-21_town_council_agenda_0_0.pdf
Town Council ‘quarterbacking session’ with Chair Tom Mercer
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/02/couldnt-spend-hours-with-town-council.html 

--------------

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?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don't like something here, please let me know

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FM #467 - Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P2 of 4 (audio)
FM #467 - Town Council Meeting - 02/17/21 - P2 of 4 (audio)


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