Warrant issued for Franklin man
Former Franklin museum's fate yet to be determined
Franklin Senior Center programs
Franklin, MA
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Before getting into the particulars of today's announcement, it's worth noting two things. First, no one at the White House can be unaware of ongoing controversy over Walmart's labor practices. And the very public support for Walmart will not mean that the White House nutrition team, led by Sam Kass, will stop the work it is already deep into with other corporations and food manufacturers, and with many federal and state agencies, to improve access to fresher food and opportunities to exercise. But Walmart has a power across the entire supply chain, from farm to transportation to store, that no other marketer or grocer has. If and when it can choose to be a force for good—and if that impulse is largely the result of market demand and market share it doesn't want competitors to claim—the First Lady's team (and anyone else who cares about the country's health) would be foolish not to try to guide the company in the directions it wants to see the whole food industry head.What is the big news?
Of the "key elements" Walmart announced, several are ones I reported on last March: shorten travel distances between farm and distribution centers, support smaller farmers than it had previously bought from, bring back staple crops to areas where they had vanished because of competition from California and Florida, and bring fresh food into "food deserts" both in cities and, importantly, rural areas without supermarkets.Read the full article about Walmart's announcement here
Hi, this is Franklin Fire Chief Gary McCarraher with an important request which may affect your safety and that of your neighbors. The heavy snow storms over the past few weeks, have buried most of the more than 1,700 fire hydrants throughout the Town. You may have seen in recent new accounts where buried fire hydrant severely hampered area firefighters in combating building fires. Accordingly we are seeking your help to shovel clear the fire hydrant closest to your home. With your assistance we can insure that firefighters will have unimpeded access to the fire hydrant closest to your home in the event of an emergency. On behalf of the members of the Franklin Fire Department, I would like to thank you for your continued support and have a safe day!With more snow arriving today, please take some time to find a fire hydrant in your neighborhood and shovel it out. The life or house you save may be your own.
"Everybody in the room was pretty much on the same page," Holliston selectmen Chairman Andy Porter said yesterday. "We are frustrated and want to bring these issues to the forefront."
Medfield Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said officials want to band together to send a message to the state and to the public that changes are necessary to give towns and cities more control in dealing with rising costs.
"We're all facing the same problems, and we are getting very little help from the Legislature," he said.
Sullivan said officials at the meeting were frustrated that they are unable to change health care plans for public employees and retirees to save money. Cities and towns must first negotiate with unions to change plan designs, which officials say makes the job harder.
I asked Steve: wouldn’t it make more sense to stock the pantry with staples that are generally cheaper, and more nutritious? And I wandered away toying with the notion of writing recipes to submit to the food pantry along with donations of such staples - because in all likelihood if people aren’t cooking from staples, it is because they don’t know how.
Steve replied: “Michelle, I understand your desire for more of a healthy food request. We are heading in that direction. The Food Pantry instituted a farmer's market on Monday's last year to distribute the fresh produce we were able to obtain. We are working as part of the Community Gardens project to further that effort this year. By re-doing the Food Pantry website, we intend to incorporate a blog which will also feature healthy recipes. You also give me an idea that we can solicit recipes from the community (like yourself) as well as from other food and health writers. Thanks!”
Well, we certainly seem to be thinking along the same lines! So I’ve started writing down recipes. And not just recipes: I’m sticking to explaining the basics. What do you do with dry beans, uncooked rice, fresh kale, whole chicken, and the like? And perhaps just as important: how to you go about managing the often lengthy process of cooking from scratch with a hectic lifestyle in which the chefs may be working multiple jobs and raising children all at once?You can read her full posting here
Nutting suggested a $20 per sport fee per person added to the normal registration costs, although the amount could change and the fee could be structured differently. He said many local towns charge for field use.
Nutting estimated that the town could gain $100,000 per year to repair fields if the estimated 5,000 people who participate in sports paid a $20 fee.
Town Councilor Stephen Whalen said charging a fee for field maintenance would be a fair balance since the entire town paid for the construction of the fields.
"I think we should do it," Whalen said, adding "in our situation, I think we have to look at things like this."
But we have this combination of an area that's thought to be involved in self-monitoring, turning off, and this area that's thought to be autobiographical, or self-expressive, turning on.
More than 1,000 Franklin residents served in the war, but only about 160 World War II veterans still live in Franklin, Fahey said.
"Earl Lang is just an amazing guy," Fahey said. "He's living history."
Lang said he appreciated adding the medal to his collection of war honors, including a letter from the White House he received in November for his 92nd birthday and a plaque recognizing his role as the grand marshal in Franklin's 2001 Fourth of July parade.
"It was very nice and kind of surprising," he said of receiving a replacement medal.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News
Boulter was one of about 35 students who explored the pros and cons of solar panels, geothermal heating, green roofs and ways to improve bathrooms with low-flush toilets, automatic hand driers and motion-activated faucets at an event at the school yesterday.
"All of these things we're seeing on projects," said Christopher Alles, a project manager at the School Building Authority, mentioning the school's coming upgrades. "This gets students thinking about green design."
Students rarely take such an active role in researching such ideas, Alles said, with parents, town officials and administrators normally proposing them.
While concepts such as geothermal heat may not be possible in Franklin, project designers are considering some of the students' proposals, including making bathrooms more environmentally friendly, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said.I love this collaboration. This is a great practical educational opportunity. Read more about the student work in the Milford Daily News here
After this week's bills are tallied, Franklin Department of Public Works Director Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi said he expects the town to have spent $500,000 to $550,000 of its $750,000 snow removal budget.
"I am concerned," he said. "It hasn't been a good winter to save money. ... We've had over 43 inches of snow in Franklin, and that's what we normally get in a year."
Cantoreggi experimented with only applying salt to main streets and hills earlier in the season to reduce costs. But 50 residents called with complaints about slippery patches in other areas. Public works crews then salted those stretches, he said.
The entire town needed to be salted for Wednesday's storm because the snow was heavy, making it difficult to scrape the roads clear with plows, he said.
"The impact of going to a half-day program would ... lead to a reduction in our foundation budget, which would significantly impact our Chapter 70 money," Goodman said, adding the district's foundation budget for kindergarten is $3.4 million for this school year.
Goodman said it is too early in the budget process to determine exactly how much money Franklin would lose by switching programs.
The district might save money in fiscal 2012 because next year's state aid is determined using October 2010 enrollment, but Franklin would likely lose money in subsequent years, Goodman said.
"This analysis really shows, at least from my perspective, that over the long run financially it's a loser," School Committee member Ed Cafasso said. "The financial evidence is fairly overwhelming that one year of savings would be wiped out every other year."
Joel D'Errico proposed 10 single-bedroom apartments for the building in November, but told the Planning Board Monday he plans to build eight apartments instead. The new building would supplement an existing 10-apartment building.
The reduction may not appease many neighbors who said the building is still too large for the lot at the corner of Summer and Winter streets.
"It's inappropriate for the neighborhood," said Robert Landry, who has lived on Summer Street for 65 years. "There'd be too many cars. It's too big of a building, and it's not conforming with the neighborhood."
D'Errico said his development is a good fit since 21 of 31 residential lots in the area have multifamily buildings. One of those properties has 28 apartments, he said.
"The neighborhood character is 2-to-1 multifamily," he said. "It's changed. It's not what it was 50 years ago."
Due to the anticipation of large snowfall, curbside trash and recycling will be delayed one day. Please remember to make sure carts are placed in a stable location so they do not tip over or hit by snow removal equipment. Cart lids must be closed for pickup and any additional trash placed in orange overflow bags available at the PW office.
Bulk burnable items (i.e. sofa or chair) must be called in today by 3 pm and placed for collection by Thursday at 7:00 AM. They will be picked up on Thursday or Friday.