10th Norfolk: Eustis and Roy state positions

The first debate, really a series of position statements, was held at Medway High School Tuesday evening. Richard Eustis and Jeff Roy faced off on a series of five topics. They'll face off again next week in Franklin. My notes from the session will be posted soon. The Milford Dailt News writes in part:

The state representative candidates for the 10th Norfolk District seat sparred in an hour-long debate, co-sponsored by Medway’s Republican and Democrat committees, atop the stage inside the high school auditorium. 

The district consists of Franklin and precincts 2, 3 and 4 in Medway. Democrat James Vallee previously held the seat. 

Both attorneys, Roy and Eustis still managed to draw bold distinctions between one another's background. And they disagreed on what the State House has done, or not done, to improve Massachusetts.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1831579813/Election-2012-Roy-Eustis-spar-over-health-of-the-state#ixzz29Xx9e3zt

"developing a comprehensive digital catalogue"

In the article, the Milford Daily News writes about the effort to catalogue the collection at the Franklin Historical Museum.

Spearheading the effort, Delwyn Arnold estimates that 90 percent of the items now on display have been recorded. He said that more than 1,000 items, currently stored in the museum's basement, have not been entered into the system. 

The bulk of the collection consists of newspapers, town reports, documents and photographs dating back to the 1800s. 

So far, the commission hasn’t unearthed any hidden gems — significant artifacts in the collection that members had no idea existed. But Arnold said it’s still a possibility. 

At present, members don't have a timeline for when the database will be complete.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1890060168/Franklin-Historical-Commission-works-to-catalog-museums-collection#ixzz29S7EVnVc

The Museum will be putting together a display of military uniforms for November to honor the veterans. Have you stopped by to see yet? It is quite the place to visit!

Experience Life as Upper, Middle, or Low Income Citizen at Dean College Hunger Banquet

Experience Life as Upper, Middle, or Low Income Citizen at Dean College Hunger Banquet

Dean Community Outreach invites guests to an interactive learning experience banquet promoting hunger awareness, featuring a complimentary meal & guest speaker.

Franklin, MA (October 15, 2012) – Taking a "can drive" one step further, Dean College invites the Franklin and surrounding communities to a public "Hunger Banquet" on Tuesday, November 13, in which participants will experience a meal either as an Upper Income citizen, Middle Income citizen, or Lower Income citizen.

Dean Community Outreach students conceptualized and will emcee this learning experience where guests will be assigned a class upon arrival and will experience life as a member of that class for the duration of the program.  Upper income class guests will receive a scrumptious meal served to them in an upper class setting at a roundtable.  Middle income class guests will experience their meal middle class meal at rectangular tables, while the lower income class experiences their meal on the floor.

"The stunning visual aspect of this meal is unfortunately an accurate representation of the issue of Hunger in the United States, and beyond," said Shannon Overcash, Staff Adviser to the Dean Community Outreach student group.  "While most people are aware that hunger is a problem out there, many do not realize it can be a problem very close to home, even here in Franklin.  Bringing you're children, friends, or spouses to experience it first-hand will be very beneficial to yourself and the community."

Guests are invited to experience this program free of charge, however, Dean Community Outreach students ask that each guests bring with them a canned food donation which will go to the Franklin Food Pantry.  In addition to the meal experience, a representative from the Franklin Food Pantry will speak to guests about the hunger and poverty in the Franklin area.

Event Details: When: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 7:00pm Who: Dean Community Outreach, Franklin Food Pantry Where: Dean College Campus Center (109 W. Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038) Why: To help promote awareness surrounding poverty & hunger in the local community & beyond.

Franklin area Preschool Fair - Oct 25

The MOMS Club of Franklin, in cooperation with the Franklin Public Library, invites the public to attend a preschool fair. This fair, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Franklin Library on Thursday, October 25th from 5:30-8:00 p.m. 

Representatives from local preschools in Franklin, Bellingham, Medway, Millis, Norfolk and Wrentham will be on hand to answer any questions and provide information to parents seeking preschools for the 2013-2014 school year. 

Please join us in the Community Room of the Library at 118 Main Street in Franklin.
For additional information about the fair contact Kelly Boucher (508)400-5246 or Krystal Myers (508)868-8230.

Taste of the Region - Oct 23

Sample the variety of delicacies offered from around the region at The United Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual Taste of the Region event. This fun-filled food festival features an eclectic mix of restaurants serving a variety of dishes. Enjoy wonderful music and bid on exciting items in a silent auction.

The Taste of the Region is Tues., Oct. 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tri-County Regional Vocational High School, 147 Pond St., Franklin.

Tickets are available at The United Regional Chamber of Commerce offices in Attleboro (40 Union St.) and Franklin (4 West St.). Tickets cost $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Call 508-528-2800, 508-222-0801 or 508-695-6011 for more information.

In the News: election information

The two 10th Norfolk candidates face off tonight for the first time at Medway High School. Next week, the meet again at the Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin.

Eustis, Roy meet Tuesday in first debate in Medway

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

So while both sides of the ballot joined to urge voters to pass on the question, AAA has decided to split from the coalition and step in to urge a vote anyway.  An issue that was already confusing has gotten more so!

Despite new law, AAA urging people to vote for right-to-repair on ballot

by Colleen Quinn

Kennedy, Bielat debate the economy

by Lee V. Gaines/Wicked Local

Food channel choices

The food shopping choices for Franklin are varied. Stop and Shop and Shaw's have been joined by the Big Y. Market Basket is in Bellingham. Trader Joe's in Foxboro. These are the 'traditional' food outlets. BJ Warehouse, Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and then the smaller stores sell food as well. I had been working on an article to discuss what the introduction of the Big Y is doing to my family's shopping but the Globe has beaten me to the punch.

The Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday had a good article on the growth and evolution of supermarkets. Currently, we are shopping at more than one each week finding the best deals. The super stores that Walmart introduced have cut into the overall food sales of traditional supermarkets.

In part the article says:

Seventy-six percent of Americans now visit at least five “channels” for food — places like supermarkets, drug, and dollar stores — according to an August 2012 report from SymphonyIRI Group, a research firm in Chicago. Only 3 percent of us visit only one or two channels. Even my mom now shops at four. 

On average, a Boston-area family spends $8,066 a year on food, according to government statistics, but nearly half of it goes to things like restaurants and takeout. That leaves everyone selling groceries to tussle over only $4,870 per family. And for some time now, the traditional supermarket has been losing ground in the fight. 

Once the only game in town, supermarkets today only get about half of US grocery sales. Twenty-five percent goes to Walmart, which only introduced its Supercenters in 1988. Target is squeezing full food sections into many of its locations, including dozens in Massachusetts in recent years. Walgreens and CVS are now carving out more space for food on their shelves, and dollar stores across the country are adding freezers for items like pie crust and frozen vegetables. 

Offered this smorgasbord of options, today’s shoppers have become incredibly picky. Our sole loyalty, Rand says, is to our ability to find the best food at the best deals, behavior that increased during the Great Recession and still continues.

The online version of this article will require registration and/or subscription to the Globe
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/10/13/how-grocery-shopping-got-personal/P3Fgfalj8jB4bNQ8fGnU7K/story.html