Wednesday, June 17, 2015

MassBudget: New Federal Revenue Affects State Spending Trends




MassBudget  Information.
  Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center  Democracy.


New Federal Revenue Affects State Spending Trends

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act affects the state's fiscal condition in a number of ways. Most significantly, the law provides substantial new federal revenue to the state. It actually provides more in federal revenue than the net state costs of implementing provisions of that law. This is good for the state's overall fiscal health, but complicates any analysis of state budget trends.

As has frequently been noted, the overall state budget was growing by more than 6% between 2014 and 2015, before budget cuts in February. That appears to be - and in most circumstances would be - an unsustainable rate of growth. New Federal Revenue Affects State Spending Trends finds, however, that overall state own source spending grew only 4%--about the same rate as our overall economy. The difference between this 4% figure and the commonly cited figures over 6% was new federal money that flowed through our state budget to provide health care coverage for people covered by the Affordable Care Act. This was a one-time increase to a new level of federal reimbursement (which will largely be sustained), that does not affect future growth rate trends and did not reflect state own source spending this year.

While overall spending for MassHealth and health reform grew 8.6% from 2014 to 2015, net state spending for those programs grew 2.3%. Health care cost growth certainly remains a long term challenge, but the one-time increase in federal revenue that fueled this year's spending increase should not be seen as constituting a trend. And the administration's commitment to a thorough redetermination process should help to hold down cost growth next year.

To read the full factsheet, please click HERE

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
TwitterFacebook

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

Hockomock League Lacrosse MVP's from Franklin

Both the FHS girls and boys lacrosse teams have several players named to the All Star teams with Emily Jeffries and Jack Vail each named as the MVP for the league according to voting by the coaches released by Hockomock Sports.


Girls Lacrosse All Stars

FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Julia Jette
Emily Jeffries (MVP)
Julianne Pisani
Sam Jones
Nicole Ellin

Honorable Mention
Mackenzie Pleshaw

Boys Lacrosse All Stars


Jack Vail (MVP)
Eric Civetti
Austin Kent
Kyle Lundgren
Mike Sullivan
Alec Borkowski
Sean Lockhart
DJ Shea

Honorable Mention
Kyle Filbert


The full listing of the All Stars for the girls and boys can be found here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/the-2015-hockomock-league-girls-lacrosse-all-stars

http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/the-2015-hockomock-league-boys-lacrosse-all-stars

In the News: road rage incident, no parade on the 4th



A 46-year-old Waltham man spat in a woman's face and threatened her with a metal pipe during a case of road rage Sunday in the area of Constitution Boulevard, police said. 
James M. Foley was arrested Sunday on West Central Street and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, disorderly conduct and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. 
Foley was held on $250 bail Monday at his Wrentham District Court arraignment.
Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150617/NEWS/150616881/1994/NEWS


There is a glaring absence in the schedule of events for the Fourth of July celebration: The parade. 
Organizers have cancelled this year's parade in response to concerns about the condition of the roads along the route. They also cited road construction in the downtown area and the safety of parade participants and spectators. 
“Suppose a horse breaks a foot, someone in the band trips in a pothole or an antique car breaks an axle,” said Warren Revell, long-time co-chairman of the Franklin 4th of July Coalition. 
Revell said the coalition did not discuss its plans to nix the parade with town officials.
Continue reading the article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150616/NEWS/150616906/1994/NEWS

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Franklin Downtown Partnership says "THANK YOU"



Posted: 12 Jun 2015 10:43 AM PDT

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Thursday's 13th annual Strawberry Stroll was a sweet success! Nearly one thousand people came to downtown Franklin to enjoy the warmth (89 degrees F), good company, delicious treats, toe-tapping entertainment, sidewalk sales and the Partnership's Famous Strawberry Shortcakes! Thank you everyone for spending time in downtown Franklin.


Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Many thanks to our sponsors who helped us make this all possible.







Platinum Sponsor: Dean Bank
(special thanks to Nicole and Jen
for co-chairing the event!)

Gold Sponsors:
Dean College, SolarFlair Energy

Silver Sponsor: Digital Credit Union

Bronze Sponsors: Chestnut Dental Associates, Franklin Ford, Franklin Health & Rehabilitation Center, Keefe Insurance Agency, Middlesex Savings Bank and The Estate at Franklin.

Friends of the Festival Sponsors: Garelick Farms, Jane's Frames, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Nexamp and Simon's Furniture.

Thanks to Dean College for donating the sliced strawberries and shortcakes, and to all our volunteers who handled the setup and cleanup. Last but not least, thank you Franklin DPW and the Franklin Police Department for your help.  

Here are a sampling of photos from the event. There are many more photos on our Facebook page. More photos will be posted here on our website in the days to come.


Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)

Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
Strawberry Stroll - 2015 (FDP Photo)
This was shared from the Franklin Downtown Partnership page


#ShopFranklin: Kooky Critters

Via Kiernan Reed:

For this week’s #ShopFranklin Spotlight, I sat down with Holly Ricker Sennott of Kooky Critters! 
Arts and crafts are in Holly’s blood. Her grandmother painted and fired china, her other grandmother was a seamstress who taught her to crochet and sew, her great-grandma was a tailor, her mother sews, and her father enjoyed woodworking. “It definitely came down through the genes,” says Holly.  
Kooky Critters
Kooky Critters
The Kooky Critters themselves were born on a rainy summer day several years ago, when Holly and her three kids had gone through all of their craft supplies, watched every movie they had, and exhausted every other possible activity. Holly finally brought her family to the bookstore, where they found a book on how to make your own stuffed animals. While the kids loved the book’s ideas, Holly told them, “Guys, we can do better than this! You draw what you would want me to make.” 
The result was the first Kooky Critter, an adorable monster with crooked teeth and crazy eyes, but Holly didn’t stop there. “I was ready for something other than just being Mom,” Holly says, but she wanted to find something to do that would still allow her to be at home with her kids. When the monster t-shirt she made for her neighbor’s son was a huge hit with his friends, Holly’s neighbor suggested she turn it into a business, and the rest is history. 
Holly tries to “make items that are functional and helpful – they’re not just toys.” Holly makes several varieties of customizable Critters, including ones that keep kids’ lost teeth safe for the Tooth Fairy, but she’s most proud of her Worry Critters, Wilson and Willow. The Worry Critters grew out of Holly’s feeling of helplessness when one of her children experienced crippling anxiety. 
Several years later, a friend of Holly’s asked for a customized Critter that would help her child deal with his own anxiety issues, and the Worry Critters were the “culmination of her idea and my design.” The concept is simple: parent and child can work together to write down the worry on a slip of paper, which they put into the Worry Critter’s mouth and the Critter eats it. The worry is safe with the Critter, and the child can “be free of it for a little bit” and return to it when they’re ready to deal with it. “I call it my million-dollar idea that’ll never make me a million dollars, and I’m OK with that,” says Holly. 
Kooky Critters can also produce custom items based on kids’ drawings, which Holly says is a huge gift idea around the holidays. Even the #ShopFranklin community is getting into the fun, with a custom Kooky Critter now gracing the bagel rack at Elizabeth’s Bagels, and more in the works for other businesses around town. As a long-time resident of Franklin, community giving and support is important to Holly, and Kooky Critters gives away at least one Critter per month to school auctions, local foster children, families dealing with serious medical issues, and more. 
No matter what the design, every Kooky Critter is completely handmade, and it’s important to Holly to “be able to put my hands on every piece.” In order to grow her business without sacrificing that personal attention to each Critter, Holly is working on expanding her offerings to include patterns so that other people can sew their own Critters based on Holly’s designs. Holly’s family also helps out with the business, with her son handling website maintenance and her daughter creating custom graphics for the Kooky Critters Facebook page. 
While Holly and her husband originally settled in Franklin because of its easy accessibility to their jobs and families, Franklin’s support for the visual and performing arts has also been a plus for Holly’s family, particularly the music program in the Franklin schools. “If you have children, get them involved at some level. You will not regret it,” Holly says. As a business owner, Holly also appreciates the “tremendous support” Franklin offers for local businesses. “I love that sense of community that Franklin has,” says Holly.

Kooky Critters are sold through Holly’s website and Etsy store. Check out the Kooky Critters Facebook page for the latest on what’s happening in Holly’s workshop!

This was shared from Living In Franklin
http://livinginfranklin.com/2015/03/28/shopfranklin-spotlight-kooky-critters/


Franklin TV Broadcast: It Takes A Village: Drug Panel


The panel discussion lead by Dr Anne Bergen and Franklin's town leaders on the crisis around opiate use and misuse will be aired on Verizon (channel 26) and Comcast (channel 8) on the following days this week:

  • Tuesday, June 16th - 9:00 am
  • Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 am
  • Franklin TV
    Franklin TV
  • Saturday, June 20 at 8:30 pm


The interview with Norfolk Country District Attorney on the same issue will be aired on Thursday evening, June 18 at 6:30 pm.



For the full listing of shows on the broadcast schedule for this week, check here
http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

Hockomock 2015 Track and Field All Stars

Congratulations to the Franklin High School representatives on the Hockomock Track & Field All Stars as voted on by the coaches in the league.

Girls Track

Jess Kroushl

Honorable Mention - Beth Neal
FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Boys Track

Logan Mitchell

Honorable Mention - Ryan Spelman


For the full listing of girls on the Hockomock All Stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2015-hockomock-league-girls-track-field-all-stars

For the full listing of boys on the Hockomock All Stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/2015-hockomock-league-boys-track-field-all-stars