Labor Day Weekend: Travel Safely

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Labor Day Weekend: Travel Safely

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 8/29/12

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation encourages safe travel during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend.
Heaviest Labor Day traffic on I-90 is expected Thursday and Friday westbound and Monday afternoon-evening eastbound. 
In 2011, the number of toll transactions on the Turnpike from Weston to the New York border on the Friday before Labor Day was approximately 358,000, third highest in 2011. 

MassDOT suspends all road and bridge construction on major roadways from Noon Friday through start of normal business on Tuesday.

Before you travel, check out MassDOT statewide live traffic cameras. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says all traffic lanes on both the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges on the Cape Cod Canal will remain open through the Labor Day weekend.

Free coffee will be served at the 18 service plazas along I-90 and other major state highways on Monday night into Tuesday morning, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. 

To save time, money and gas, if you have not yet done so, consider joining E-ZPass (FAST LANE) to avoid waiting in line at cash toll booths.

The Massachusetts Safe Driving Law bans texting while driving and cell phone use while driving by 16 and 17 year old drivers.  Drivers are reminded to travel safely and avoid distracted driving such as using cell phones.  

The MBTA service schedule for Labor Day, Monday, September 3, follows:  

All subway trains, streetcars, buses, trackless trolleys, and commuter rail trains will run on a Sunday schedule.

Hingham boat service will not operate.  Quincy and Charlestown Service will operate on a weekend schedule.

For additional information on routes, schedules, and fares, please call the MBTA Customer Service Center at (617) 222-3200 (hearing impaired TDD 617-222-5146).

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"Vallee has left enormous shoes to fill"

The three Republican candidates for the MA 10th Norfolk District got together for their only debate before the primary next Thursday, Sep 6. The Milford Daily News reports on the event by writing in part:

Facing questions from moderator state Rep. Daniel Winslow, R-Norfolk, on Tuesday night, C. Stolle Singleton, Richard Eustis and John Jewell all came forward as fiscal conservatives — staunch proponents of reining in government spending. 

The candidates derive from different parts of the political spectrum: Singleton from state government, Eustis from law and Jewell from town government. 

And they chase a seat formerly held by Democrat James Vallee, in a district that includes Franklin and precincts 2,3 and 4 in Medway. Vallee made a mark on Beacon Hill that the three candidates have said they can only hope to replicate.

Will one of these three attempt to fill Vallee's shoes? Your vote on Thursday, Sep 6th will help decide.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1405836088/10th-Norfolk-GOP-hopefuls-want-to-shrink-government#ixzz24vSY0RIV

New doors at Parmenter

Work on the school facilities hits prime time during the summer. One example of work around the district is shown here with new doors for the Parmenter School.

In progress (Aug 24):

Completed (Aug 25):

"tested positive for West Nile virus"

It was only a matter of time before this happened!

West Nile found in Medway, Franklin, Bellingham

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

On August 17th, the Board of Health had posted on Franklin's website:

As this unprecedented mosquito season continues, we again urge residents to take all steps necessary to prevent mosquito bites. 

• Avoid outdoor activities during the peak hours of mosquito activity; generally between dawn and dusk. 
• The use of a repellent containing up to 30% DEET, permethrin or picaridin provides protection against mosquitoes. 
• Permethrin products should not be applied directly to the skin, but only used on clothing. 
• We recommend that residents drain all standing water on their property. Birdbaths, buckets/pails, wheelbarrows and children’s inflatable pools all provide ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes.

Franklin Food Pantry website update

We apologize for the issues with the website. The data and information is still here but if you can't find it then it doesn't do much good.

At least for now, you can find us at franklinMAfoodpantry.org

You already remember "franklinfoodpantry" just stick a "ma" right after Franklin and you should arrive to the website properly!

This should buy us some time while we sort out the issues with the original "franklinfoodpantry.org" problem and return to a normal operation.

In the meantime, the Food Pantry is continuing to operate. We remain open and active during our normal business hours.

National Grid invests $60M to prepare for severe weather seasons

I think it interesting to find this from the Providence area news and not yet reported on by MA news.

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

National Grid invests $60M to prepare for severe weather seasons

via PBN.com - Latest Stories by By PBN Staff Twitter: @ProvBusNews on 8/27/12

National Grid is investing $60 million in a new system to prepare for the severe weather season and make sure customers who lose power get it back more quickly.

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Primary election - Thursday, Sep 6th

The primary is coming up next week on Thursday, Sep 6th. Yes, we'll get to go to the polls to vote on a Thursday not a Tuesday as we normally do. The regular election on November 6th will be on a Tuesday.

The three Republican candidates get to debate tonight. They will gather at the Town Council Chambers at 7:00 PM. I'll catch the replay on video as the Franklin Food Pantry holds their monthly Board meeting this evening at the same time.

If you missed the Democratic Debates, you can view the first one here and the second one here