MA State News: Unemployment insurance bill avoids issue; MCAS can't be skipped per Feds

 

"Unemployment insurance bill kicks the can"

"A BILL BEING CONSIDERED  by the state Legislature to freeze businesses’ unemployment insurance payments may be a short-term fix, but it does not solve the longer-term problem of how to keep the fund solvent in the future.

“This is a perfectly reasonable, short-term fix for our unemployment insurance shortfall, but it’s a missed opportunity to address the fact that we were underfunding this system well before the COVID crisis,” Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, said after the bill was released."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/unemployment-insurance-bill-kicks-the-can/

 

 

"Riley says feds won’t let Massachusetts skip MCAS"

AS SCHOOL OFFICIALS have been pressuring the state to cancel this year’s MCAS tests, state education commissioner Jeff Riley said the decision is not his – it belongs to the federal government.  

“The federal government is still requiring we test our students,” Riley said, speaking at a Tuesday budget hearing before the Ways and Means Committees. “It provides a little wiggle room but won’t allow us to not test kids.” 

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/riley-says-feds-wont-let-massachusetts-skip-mcas/

 

Tom Dooley - Wednesday March 17 at 2 PM

We look forward to seeing you at our Tom Dooley Event, Wednesday March 17 at 2 PM!

 

Mr. Dooley, a fictional Chicago barkeep who "lived" from 1893 to 1926 thanks to the talented pen of journalist Finely Peter Dunne, will be the subject of a presentation by one of his many admirers, local Franklin historian Alan Earls. Alan will attempt to recount the high points of Dooley's often hilarious existence and perhaps even bits of his fantastic Irish brogue! ……  

Click below to join Tom Dooley March 17th at 2pm
https://zoom.us/j/99733888772?pwd=N3FoQ2RNUE5mbmZJVGRVQkJDSHVzUT09

Meeting ID: 997 3388 8772
Passcode: 656400

One tap mobile
+13126266799,,99733888772#,,,,*656400# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,99733888772#,,,,*656400# US (New York)

Meeting ID: 997 3388 8772
Passcode: 656400
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ab6UYJtQ3s

--

Ariel Doggett

Virtual Program Coordinator

Respite Coordinator

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

There is no act of kindness too small

National News: FBI facing challenge on background check; wood stove certification found lacking

"FBI facing allegation that its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh was ‘fake’"

"The FBI is facing new scrutiny for its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh, the supreme court justice, after a lawmaker suggested that the investigation may have been “fake”.

Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator and former prosecutor who serves on the judiciary committee, is calling on the newly-confirmed attorney general, Merrick Garland, to help facilitate “proper oversight” by the Senate into questions about how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. "

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/16/fbi-brett-kavanaugh-background-check-fake

 

"Natural but deadly: huge gaps in US rules for wood-stove smoke exposed"

"In 2015, the US government required that newer models of wood stoves perform better and began spending millions of dollars to subsidize the transition away from older models. Now, an investigation by state environment officials is revealing a critical flaw in that plan: the latest stoves might not be any less polluting than the previous ones.

A review of 250 wood-burning stove certifications found unexplained data omissions and atypical lab practices. When the officials retested about a dozen of the heaters in their own labs, they were not able to reproduce the certification results. They found many stoves were polluting as much as the previous models. One was producing so much pollution that it wouldn’t have met the Environmental Protection Agency’s first-ever standards from 1988."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/wood-smoke-alaska-state-regulators-air-quality

50+ Job Seekers Group - Upcoming Events

Mark your calendar!

Hello 50+ Job Seeker!   Here is a snapshot of what we have coming up for you in the coming weeks:   Thurs, Mar 25th: 10-1130am: What Now? Long Term Stress Management Featuring Guest Speaker: Dr. William Sharp   Come and share your experiences as our guest speaker, Dr William Sharp, Psychoanalyst, guides us through ways to identify and manage the long-term stress created by this "new normal" we find ourselves living in. See flyer   *Advanced Registration for this Special Event is Required* https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vduGgrDIjGNZeCneWpSP1CeCs0Pp4XjYZ Register Here Thurs, Apr 8th: 10-1130am: Volunteerism - A Pathway to Purpose & Employment   Interactive Panel Event with: Kara Cohen-AARP Stacey Sirios - Commonwealth Corp/Mass Service Alliance Donna Morelle - Empower Success Corp [ESC] David Guydan - Discovery Centers   Join our panel to learn about ways in which volunteering with anyone of these organizations can change your life and the lives' of others. Gain an understanding of the value of volunteering as it relates to your job search. See flyer  *Advanced Registration for this Special Event is Required* https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuduqspzktGNTLlJPMXSqZBtwr2-i9oMjX Register Here Feel free to share the attached Promotional Flyers for these special events with your network!   50+ Interactive Workshop Series schedule in March-April is: Session #6: LinkedIn Profile: Tues 3/23-10am; Fri 3/26-1pm; Mon 4/5-630pm Session #7: Using LinkedIn: Fri 4/9-1pm; Tues 4/13-10am; Mon 4/19-630pm G2G Networking Sessions: Mar 16th and April 6th at 10am.  Four attendees of each G2G Networking session will be randomly selected to receive a free, 20-minute 1-1 Speed Coaching with one of your Group Leaders! EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! COMING IN APRIL!! We are excited to be partnering with MassHire Career Centers to launch a 3-part Bilingual Workshop Series for 50+ Job Seekers in the Latino communities of the Commonwealth.  April 21, 1-3pm: Skills Assessment and New Career Pathways May 19, 1-3pm: Turn your Resume into a Marketing Tool June 16, 1-3pm: Network your way to a New Career   If you know someone in your community who could benefit from our 50+ interactive workshops offered in a bilingual modality, please share the flyers below for additional information and registration. English Flyer Spanish Flyer Please visit our website for additional information! For questions, contact 50plusjobseekersadmin@mcoaonline.com

Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging | 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 306, Easthampton, MA 01027 Sent by susan@sdkelly.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Franklin Art Association: Pisini Virtual Gallery (video)

The latest Virtual Gallery, devoted to Victor Pisini's work, is up on the FAA and All About Franklin Facebook pages and the FAA YouTube channel.  

 

The link to get you to it is https://youtu.be/4J_XtZdd72Y

Franklin Cultural District ArtWALK/Celebration Planning Meeting - Mar 25

Dear Cultural District Partners,

We hope you are doing well and that you have been able to enjoy some of this sunny weather.

 The Franklin Cultural District Committee was pleased to learn that we had been awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant.

As a result we were able to fund the requests of eight of our Cultural District partners. These grants will help to support exhibits, events, and performances during the ArtWALK/Celebration which will take place during the weekend of June 11th.

As we begin the planning for this event we are inviting all partners to our first planning meeting. This meeting which will be held virtually on the Zoom platform, will be on Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 PM. We hope that you will all join us for this meeting.

Below you will find the zoom link for the meeting.

The Cultural District Committee is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Cultural District Committee, Cultural District Partners Event Planning Meeting
March 25, 2021 7:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting   =      https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83387368806

Meeting ID: 833 8736 8806
One tap mobile   =      +13017158592,,83387368806# US (Washington DC)

Dial by your location           +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 833 8736 8806
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVvZiUkbc

We look forward to working together to plan a wonderful event celebrating the arts and culture in Franklin.

Regards,

Nancy Schoen
Chair, Cultural District Committee
nschoenfranklinculture@gmail.com 

Franklin Cultural District ArtWALK/Celebration Planning Meeting - Mar 25

 

FM #491 - Talk Franklin - 03/12/21 (audio)

FM #491 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 491 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talk about: 

Pandemic and recovery, vaccines (not locally delivered), re-opening (Library 3/22)

Budget cycle starting

• FinCom got preview of revenues
• budget subcommittee meeting Weds
• SchComm budget previewed Mar 9

ThinkFranklinFirst

Earth Day Registration

Senior Coffee hour 3/18 at 8:30 AM

Franklin Matters Q&A 3/18 at 1:30 PM

Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 31 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie.  Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e1f74225-b958-4790-8883-e1cb0ddbc442

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Town of Franklin COVID-19 page = https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/vaccination-and-covid-19-data 

Finance Committee meeting - revenue estimates
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-490-finance-committee-meeting-031021.html 

School Committee meeting budget first view
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-486-school-committee-mtg-030921-p2.html 

#Project Envoy - March schedule = https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/project-envoy/ 

Dan Feerick interview =  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-484-dan-feerick-for-project-envoy.html 

#ThinkFranklinFirst gift cards = https://franklingiftcard.com/

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

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/ or www.franklin.news/

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"

 

FM #491 - Talk Franklin - 03/12/21 (audio)