WMRC Finalizes Negotiations With Entercom to Broadcast the Red Sox Through 2016

WMRC-First Class Radio has just completed negotiations with Entercom of Boston, and has finalized an agreement that will insure that Boston Red Sox Baseball will be broadcast throughout this market through the 2016 season. 

Since signing with WMRC back in 1990 the Sox have won 4 American league East Titles, played in 7 American League Championship Series, and won 3 World Series Titles. 

WMRC 1490 - AM

Returning voices of Dave O'Brien and Joe Castiglione 

Sox greats since 1990 include Mo Vaughn, Trot Nixon, Roger Clemmens, Jason Varitek, Johnny Damon, Pedro, Schilling, Mike Lowell, Papi, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes 

Future Stars include Jackie Bradley Jr., Zander Boggarts, Will Middlebrooks
Tom McAuliffe Says "This is a fantastic partnership for WMRC, our listeners and our loyal Red Sox sponsors, and I'm thrilled to have the negotiations behind us, and know that the Sox will be on WMRC-First Class Radio for the next 3 seasons."

In the News: Carol's Christmas, donations to non-profits

TO DO THIS WEEKEND: FPAC debuts ‘Carol’s Christmas’

Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) premieres a new holiday musical, Carol’s Christmas, on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 2 p.m. at the Thomas D. Mercer Auditorium, 224 Oak St., Franklin.

Milford National donates $28,000 to non-profit organizations

The Milford National Charitable Foundation has donated more than $28,000 to various non-profit organizations throughout the Greater Milford area during 2013. 

The mission of the Charitable Foundation is to provide financial assistance for the benefit of the community, charitable, educational and other benevolent purposes as they relate to non-profit organizations.

"A river runs through"

The community mural project that was worked on at Jane's Frames during recent Franklin festivals is now on display in the lobby of the Municipal Building.

community mural - "A river runs through"

The mural will be displayed in additional locations throughout Franklin before being auctioned off to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry.

More about the mural can be found on the Franklin Downtown Partnership website
http://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2013/12/community-mural-project-at-janes-frames.html

Franklin Debt Service

One of the fiscal policies Franklin operates with is using up to 3.5% of the general funds for debt service. This is an easy way to fund medium term capital projects without getting a debt exclusion approved. This has allowed the new fire stations, the Senior Center and other building or renovation projects to occur. The worksheet use to calculate the FY 2014 debt as a percent of the general funds can be see below. This was reviewed with the Finance Committee during their December meeting.




This worksheet also handed out and reviewed with the Finance Committee at their December meeting, is more of an eye challenge. The current available capacity is gradually growing and will be almost $1M by 2016.

"Eradicating the entire infestation is all but impossible at this point"

The Milford Daily News reports on invasive plants found at the DelCarte Property.

Three invasive plant species have taken a foothold in the newly christened DelCarte recreation park, prompting the town’s tree warden and Conservation Commission to try to attenuate the infestation. 

The species are: kudzu, which, according to The Nature Conservancy, a charitable environmental organization, "is quite a killer, overtaking and growing over anything in its path"; oriental bittersweet, an invasive vine; and polygonum perfoliatum, known, among other names, as the mile-a-minute vine because of how fast it can spread. 

The state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has called invasive non-native plant species one of the two biggest threats to biodiversity in Massachusetts.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915454113/Invasive-plants-threat-to-Franklins-DelCarte-park#ixzz2np2D7g9B

one bright day in October

These three plants are in addition to the one reported growing in the water.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/the-phantom-ecologist-can-do-better.html

On the web from Franklin: homemade thin mint cookies, shedding light on the new FHS

Berry Insurance is running a series on 12 Cookies of Christmas

Don’t let the short recipe fool you – Staci Mone’s Homemade Thin Mints will have you wondering if it’s Girl Scout Cookie season! These Homemade Thin Mints are sure to spark some holiday cheer among your family and friends.

One of the ingredients is Ritz crackers....

Check out and try the recipe here  
http://www.mainsurancejuice.com/2013/12/12-cookies-of-christmas-day-4-homemade-thin-mints/

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The Franklin High School student run blog, Pantherbook is starting to get busy.

In a recent interview, Principal Light described the improvements that students, teachers, and administrators will enjoy when the new school opens in September. 

According to Mr. Light, the first floor of the new school will be dedicated to electives. The other classrooms will be separated by grade level rather than by subject. “The second floor will be juniors and seniors, because they’re going to be the ones that go up and down stairs the most, because they take more electives, and then the third floor will be freshmen and sophomores,” Light said. 

The read the full posting here: http://pantherbook.org/top-stories/2013/12/16/mr-light-sheds-light-on-new-school/#sthash.Dp0MioFt.dpuf

MassBudget: Job Posting and Announcement of New Board President

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Job Announcement: Policy Analyst MassBudget is seeking a Policy Analyst to work largely, although not exclusively, on education policy research. We're seeking candidates who have strong policy analysis skills, work well in teams, and can communicate information effectively to diverse audiences. A full job description and information on how to apply can be found here.  MassBudget Board has elected Joel Barrera as its new Board President Additionally, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has elected Joel Barrera as its new President of the Board. He replaces Peter Enrich, professor of law at Northeastern University, who served in that role for 10 years. Joel is the Deputy Director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council where he has expertise in municipal government, municipal finance and health insurance. In addition to his work at MAPC, Joel runs the Commonwealth Seminar which he co-founded over 10 years ago. The Seminar provides training and networking opportunities to help diverse leaders in Massachusetts learn about the state government.   The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

CPR and First Aid Training

Good Morning,

My name is Nick Spencer and I am a local CPR and First Aid Training company located in Franklin.

Act 1st CPR

Frank from Padula Insurance asked for me to write to you and see if we can add some events to your website and calendar. I am located right across from the hall from him at 247 East Central Street in Franklin.

Our website is http://www.actfirstcpr.com and our number is 1-800-255-5660.

We will be holding CPR and First Aid training sessions at our Franklin office on

• Sat Dec 22 - 2:30 pm
• Sat Dec 28 - 2:00 pm
• Sat Jan 4 - 2:00 pm
• Sat Jan 11 - 2:00 pm
• Sat Jan 25 - 2:00 pm

The normal cost for CPR and First Aid training is $95 per person. All of the above classes are discounted to $35 per person with the Discount Code: JAN2014. That's a savings of $60 per person!

People can register at www.actfirstcpr.com/open for any of our trainings.

--

Best Regards,

Customer Care - Act First CPR

P: 800-255-5660
W: www.ActFirstCPR.com



"Your Training is Only a Heartbeat Away!"

Learn about our Referral Rewards program - Click Here

Franklin, MA: Planning Board - Agenda - Dec 16. 2013

The agenda document for the Planning Board meeting Monday, Dec 16 at 7:00 PM can be found here






You can also find this document on the Planning Board page of the official Franklin website
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Bcomm/planning

If you really want the updates, please subscribe

Companies using Facebook pages have found it increasingly difficult to reach their audience through unpaid, organic promotion. Even those with thousands of fans see only a tiny fraction of their posts actually being viewed in newsfeeds. Many have suspected for some time that Facebook is pushing businesses to use Sponsored Posts, just to get them seen by people who already Like the brand. 

Facebook now admits that businesses will need to pay in order to get their companies posts and information in user newsfeeds.

Franklin Matters

You can read the full story here

Facebook treats the Franklin Matters page as a 'business' and I can't blame them, they are attempting to creating a business that makes money from advertising. I don't spend on advertising as this is purely a volunteer operation and my charity dollars are better served going elsewhere. 

In order to receive timely updates you are better off to subscribe via email. Once daily you'll get an email with whatever has been published the prior day. Most of what is published that day is generated that morning before the email will hit your Inbox about 9:00 AM. This is the freshest local news you can get.

The subscription process is two steps (1) you provide your email (2) you acknowledge the email confirmation that is sent to you. once completed, you'll receive the daily email. This email listing is not sold to anyone. Only on very special occasions will the email listing generate an email other than just after 9:00 AM.

You can subscribe here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Franklin Business in the news: Emeritus at Franklin

1

Emeritus at Franklin Offers Free December Educational Seminars for Seniors and their Caregivers

This spring, Emeritus at East Franklin will open its doors to provide a premier community designed for seniors whose needs range from assisted living to memory care. For the holidays, Emeritus at Franklin is offering an educational series for seniors, caregivers and the public that will provide helpful care tips for seniors who are living with dementia, as well as their caregivers. Refreshments will be served. 

"How to Make the Most of Each Day - Living with Dementia" Wednesday, Dec. 18, 4-5:30 p.m.Place: Hampton Inn Franklin, 725 Union St., Franklin, MA 

Please RSVP to (413) 224-2200 or Franklin-ED@emeritus.com. Seating is limited.

2

Emeritus at Franklin Names Executive Director

Emeritus Senior Living has named Christine Smith as Executive Director of Franklin's newest senior living community, Emeritus at Franklin. This new community will open its doors at 656 King Street in spring 2014. 

"Christine has a wealth of experience managing a senior community that is a vibrant and caring place for seniors to spend their golden years," said Charlene Young, Emeritus Regional Director of Operations. "This makes her a perfect fit for Emeritus at Franklin." 

Smith has more than 28 years of experience in healthcare. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director at The Inn at Robbins Brook, an assisted living community in Acton, Mass. Under her leadership, the community received a perfect state survey in 2012. 

"I am really looking forward to welcoming residents into this beautiful new community," said Smith. "Besides the wonderful location and living environment, I'm excited about the care and programs we will be providing to enhance the quality of life for each resident." 

Reservations for this premier community are now being accepted at (413) 224-2200

 For more information on Emeritus at Franklin you can visit their website here
https://www.emeritus.com/massachusetts/franklin/emeritus-franklin

"working diligently to have the show ready"

"The Great Gatsby" is scheduled to be performed by Franklin High School students on Wed and Thu this week. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults. Both performances start at 7:00 PM

In addition to the cast, the Franklin Arts Academy junior class has been involved in constructing, designing, and painting the sets, composing original music for the entire production, and recording sound effects. 

In order to utilize space in a small area with many different scenes, periaktos were constructed by the students with help from Dean College. These periaktos, when set up, change almost effortlessly, causing the audience to be instantly transported into the heart of New York and Long Island. 

Join the cast as they travel back to the heart of the Prohibition era, when parties were extravagant, money was abundant and life was easy. Gaze into the heart of Mr. Jay Gatsby as his mysterious intentions are revealed. Watch as Nick comes to realize all the people who surround him, with their secrets masked by money, are not what they appear to be.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915453337/-Gatsby-on-stage-at-Franklin-High-School#ixzz2ndLC4Z6R

The wikipedia entry for periaktos

Snow and the bells of St Mary's (video)

Stopped by the Town Common 4:00 PM Saturday afternoon as the snow was beginning to fall. Captured the video of the snow fall and was about to end with the bells of St Mary's started to ring. Good timing!




Enjoy!

Free holiday parking downtown Franklin (video)

The practice instituted last year with free parking for the holiday season in downtown Franklin has returned this year.

Last year, the parking meter covers were not quite as festive as this years.

This year, the meter covers fit the season nicely!

parking meter cover

And if you haven't seen the sign with the scrolling message, you can view it here:

In the News: holiday challenges, utility scam

Holidays can bring added challenges for elders

It's the hap-happiest time of the year, at least for many people.

Utility company warns of ongoing scam

NStar is again warning the public of a scam targeting the utility's  customers.