In the News: HMEA recognizes McNulty, zoning bylaw change discussed

Douglas McNulty, of Franklin, received the Outstanding Employee Award at Horace Mann Educational Associates 26th annual awards night Oct. 7. 

HMEA.org

McNulty received the honor for his work in HMEA’s Hopedale Employment Program. This award is given to a person who is an exemplary co-worker at a supported employment site and/or one who has most increased the number of hours worked in supported employment. McNulty is employed as a dining room attendant at Dean College in Franklin an average of four days per week. 

Horace Mann Educational Associates is a human services provider that serves individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities across Central and Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151009/NEWS/151005720/1994/NEWS

A zoning bylaw amendment proposes to make demolishing and rebuilding commercial structures easier for developers. 

The Town Council held a public hearing on the proposal Wednesday night.
Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said the change would allow developers to demolish and rebuild a building that currently does not meet town zoning regulations by obtaining a special permit. 

"Right now, they have to get a variance, which is a higher legal standard," he said. "This streamlines the process, but still allows for review."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151009/NEWS/151005535/1994/NEWS

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 10/9/15 - THU 10/15/15

FRIDAY 10/9/15
12-6pm   Franklin Farmers Market at The Town Common
3:30-4:30pm   Science Friday: Mission Space at Franklin Public Library (grades K to 4)
4:30-6:30pm  Franklin Liquors: In Store Tasting - Spiked Seltzers
6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
8-9:50pm   Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena

SATURDAY 10/10/15
1-2pm   Adult Coffee and Craft at Franklin Public Library: Flying Bats

SUNDAY 10/11/15
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast at Franklin Rod and Gun Club (meals $5-$8, kids $3, bottomless coffee, tea, milk or juice). Every Sunday until end of April.

MONDAY 10/12/15
1-3pm   Plaster Pumpkins at the Franklin Art Center

TUESDAY 10/13/15
1-3pm   FREE Flu Shot Clinic for Franklin Residents (6 months and up) at the Franklin Senior Center (bring your insurance card, wear short sleeves)
7:30pm   Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Monthly Meeting - open to public, new members welcome.

WEDNESDAY 10/14/15
5-7pm   Annual Preschool Fair sponsored by Franklin MOMS Club at the Franklin Public Library

THURSDAY 10/15/15
3pm   Memory Cafe for caregivers and their loved ones, registration required, please call the Franklin Senior Center
4-8pm   October Stroll Downtown Franklin: music and entertainment, food, crafters, vendors, free giveaways, children’s games and activities, museum tours
4-8pm  Annual Fire Dept Open House at West Central St station
4-6pm   Family Outdoor Concert: Jessie Liam Rock and Roll Band at Franklin Public Library
6:30pm   Open Mic Night at The Cake Bar, free event, acoustic and a cappella performers welcome
7pm   Franklin SEPAC Workshop: Financial Planning and Special Needs presented by Michael Weiner, Franklin Town Hall

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

Downtown Partnership: Networking Luncheon Friday - October 16th

The Franklin Downtown Partnership

Networking Luncheon

Friday, October 16, at 1 p.m. at

Dean College's Smith Dining Center.

Dean College - Smith Dining Center

Enjoy good conversation, meet other professionals, and share ideas while sampling the delicious and affordable lunch offerings at the Smith Dining Center.

Please RSVP to event coordinators Matt Lechter, mlechter@dean.edu
or Gary Donelan, gary.donelan@middlesexbank.com

Franklin Library: Adult coffee and craft

With Halloween around the corner, have a coffee with neighbors and make a scary flying bat in the craft activity.

When? Saturday October 10th at 1:00 PM at the Library

Library - adult coffee and craft - flying bats

This was shared from the Franklin Library page
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2015/10/make-decorative-halloween-craft.html

In the News: Youth Baseball directors, House passes drug legislation, Council creates revolving fund

The Franklin Youth Baseball Board of Directors elections will be held 8 p.m. Nov. 18, at the East Coast Driving School, 25 E. Central St. 

Franklin Youth Baseball

Election to the Board of Directors is determined by a vote of the general membership. All positions are open and newcomers are welcomed. 

In addition to the usual positions, there are three new additional roles that need to be filled: Barnstormer representative, CORI Officer and social media manager.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151008/NEWS/151006672/1994/NEWS

The state House of Representatives, with the help of a local politician, passed a bill Thursday making it illegal for illicit drug dealers to traffic fentanyl, a common and deadly cutting agent typically mixed with heroin. 

The combination of heroin and fentanyl, a powerful opioid used with anesthesia to help prevent pain after surgery, creates a lethal mix and is 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin, according to the DEA. 

Under current law, drug traffickers can only be charged with manufacturing, dispensing or possessing fentanyl.

According to state Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford, the number of drugs tested by the state police crime lab tested positive has grown from five to more than 475.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151008/NEWS/151005905/1994/NEWS

The Town Council voted this week to establish a means to sustainably fund the Council on Aging's caregiver respite program. 

The council voted Wednesday to establish a revolving account for the program, which helps give regular breaks to those caring for elders. Senior Center Director Karen Alves said caregivers are often in need of a break, and are more susceptible to get sick because of the strain the role takes on them. 

"The Council on Aging is committed to helping caregivers," said Alves. "This program provides a trained companion so a companion can get out and have some respite."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151008/NEWS/151005888/1994/NEWS

FHS field hockey wins, volleyball gets shutout and golf loses by 1 stroke!

From Hockomock Sports we share the results of Thursday FHS Sports action. The FHS field hockey team topped Canton. The volleyball team dropped all three sets to Canton. The golf team went to the 5th card to lose by one stroke against Mansfield.

Field Hockey

Canton, 0 @ Franklin, 2 – Final 

– The Panthers scored a pair of goals in quick succession midway through the second half. Caroline Lounsbury put Franklin ahead off an assist from Kelsey McPhee and one minute later, Dana Lewandowski converted a pass from Taylor Reutlinger. Samantha Jones notched her seventh shutout in net with three saves.

Golf

Mansfield, 211 @ Franklin, 212 – Final (5 cards)  

– Mansfield’s Jason Hindman shot a 38 for the Hornets, Matt Chirichiello shot 39 and David Norris carded a 42. Matt Dao and Kacey Donahue each shot 38 for Franklin

For all the results around the Hockomock League on Thursday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-100815/

Hockomock Sports photo - Canton vs. Franklin volleyball

In a battle of division leaders, it was the visiting Canton Bulldogs that jumped out to a big lead in the first set and went on to grind out wins in the next two for a sweep over Franklin, 3-0. 

“We got a good start, a really fast start, which is something we’ve really been working on,” Canton head coach Pat Cawley said. “We did very well with that. It’s the game of volleyball, one team comes out flat and one team doesn’t but we knew the match wasn’t over. We did not feel like we were in the drivers seat, we knew they would come back. And the second two sets proved that, it was pretty even the rest of the way.” 

Within a matter of minutes, Canton found themselves with a 10-1 lead on the Panthers and never looked back in the first set. A block kill from senior Elizabeth Hamilton made it 13-3 and then a kill from Emma Murphy just a few plays later made it 18-4, forcing Franklin to take its second timeout. The Panthers didn’t help themselves out in the first set with 16 unforced errors however, Canton did its part by being nearly perfect while serving. The Bulldogs made just one error while serving, which helped create their big lead.

Continue reading the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/canton-uses-fast-start-for-road-sweep-at-franklin/

Additional photos from the volleyball match can be found here
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20152016/Fall-2015/Franklin-Canton-Volleyball/i-F5bhMSD

FHS boys soccer and golf teams tops North Attleboro

From Hockomock Sports we share that the FHS boys soccer and golf team topped North Attleboro on Wednesday.

Boys Soccer

North Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 1 

– Final – Kevin Hall scored a goal inside the final 10 minutes off an assist from Austin Kent to lift the Panthers.

FHS Panthers

Golf

North Attleboro, 170 @ Franklin, 165 – Final


For all the results around the Hockomock League on Wednesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-100715/

Candidates Night: Town Council (audio)

From the Candidates Night held on Oct 6, 2105. This is the segment with all fourteen candidates for the nine seats on the Town Council. The candidates had 1 minute for their intro, and closing and answered 2 questions allotted at 1 minute each for the response.

---- ---- ----

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

If you like this, please tell a neighbor.
If you don't like this, please tell me.

Through this feedback loop, I can continue to provide good information for you

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their  permission.

You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

Candidates Night: School Committee (audio)

From the Candidates Night held on Oct 6, 2105. This is the segment with all eight candidates for the seven seats on the School Committee. The candidates had 1 minute for their intro, and closing and answered 2 questions allotted at 1 minute each for the response.

---- ---- ----

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

If you like this, please tell a neighbor.
If you don't like this, please tell me.

Through this feedback loop, I can continue to provide good information for you

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their  permission.

You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

Candidates Night: Town Clerk (audio)

From the Candidate Night held on Oct 6, 2105. This is the segment with all four candidates for the Town Clerk. The candidates had 1 minute for their intro, and closing and answered 2 questions allotted at 1 minute each for the response.

---- ---- ----

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

If you like this, please tell a neighbor.
If you don't like this, please tell me.

Through this feedback loop, I can continue to provide good information for you

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their  permission.

You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

Candidates Night: Board of Health (audio)

From the Candidate Night held on Oct 6, 2105. This is the segment with the two candidates for the Board of Health. Two did not appear. The candidates had 1 minute for their intro, and closing and answered 2 questions allotted at 1 minute each for the response.

---- ---- ----

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

If you like this, please tell a neighbor.
If you don't like this, please tell me.

Through this feedback loop, I can continue to provide good information for you

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and East of Shirley. The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their  permission.

You can also subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

Senior Center: Memory Café - Thursday, Oct 15th

Do you want to learn more about a "Memory Café"? A memory café is a safe and supportive social environment for families who have a loved one with Dementia. 

It is a place to relax and socialize and typically have some form of entertainment. A place where families can be with others in similar circumstances. Come spend some time with us! We always have a good time!

This month's memory café features a pet therapy visit. We will have a small, therapy trained dog to visit with us.

This month's memory café is October 15th (always the third Thursday of the month) at the Franklin Senior Center from 3:00-4:30. 

If you would like to learn more about the café or just want to call to let us know you would like to attend, please call Elaine Owens at the Franklin Senior center at 508-520-4945. We hope to see you there!

Franklin Senior Center

MassBudget: Supports That Help Vulnerable Children and Families Thrive

Services That Help Vulnerable Children and Families Thrive  The goals of our child protective services are to help families and to make sure that children are safe and receive the supports they need to thrive. MassBudget's new report, Funding Opportunities: Services that Help Prevent Kids in the Child Welfare System from Entering the Juvenile Justice System, examines funding levels for our state programs that strengthen families and help prevent negative outcomes for children.  These services include family support and stabilization efforts, supports for children in foster care, family resource centers that help connect families with supports in the community, mental health services, and social workers who help families and children in crisis. While Massachusetts is making efforts to provide the resources necessary to make sure all of our vulnerable children receive the supports they need to succeed, there have been significant shortfalls historically with social workers handling caseloads substantially higher than national experts recommend. This report is part of MassBudget's KIDS COUNT project. It is being released with a companion report from Citizens for Juvenile Justice (a member of the KIDS COUNT Advisory Council): Missed Opportunities: Preventing youth in the child welfare system from entering the juvenile justice system. This report documents a troubling pattern of young people who have been served by our child welfare system ultimately becoming involved in the juvenile justice system. It also offers best practices for supporting positive youth development throughout our child welfare system. To read MassBudget's report, please click HERE. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108 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

In the News: School Committee, Board of Health and Town Clerk candidates

"Candidates for School Committee touched on the Common Core curriculum and focused on the whole student during comments at a forum Tuesday evening.

The eight people - Vanessa Bilello, Trevor Clement, Kevin O'Malley, Cynthia Douglas, Anne Bergen, Denise Schultz, John Jewell and Mary Jane Schofield - seeking the committee's seven open seats were all present for the "Candidates Night." The event also featured those running for Town Council, Town Clerk and the Board of Health."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151007/NEWS/151006447/1994/NEWS

"The candidates vying to replace longtime Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri, as well as those seeking seats on the Board of Health, made their cases to voters Tuesday night.

Town clerk candidates Teresa Burr, Diane Padula-O'Neill, Elizabeth Simon and Paul Cheli were all present for Tuesday's "Candidates Night." They fielded questions as to whether the position should be elected or appointed, how to better serve the public and their qualifications for the job."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151007/NEWS/151006437/1994/NEWS

FHS sports teams all record wins on Tuesday

From Hockomock Sports we can share that for all the FHS results posted for Tuesday, there was success! Both boys and girls soccer teams topped their counterparts from Milford.  Field hockey topped Foxboro. Boys cross country ran ahead of Taunton. The girls cross country result was not posted. And last but not least, the golf team beat Foxboro.

FHS Panthers

Boys Soccer

Franklin, 3 @ Milford, 0 – Final 

– Franklin’s Kevin Hall scored 10 minutes into the second half off an assist from Brian Czuba to break a scoreless stalemate. Farley Asmath doubled the lead off an assist from Austin Kent and Czuba then created an opportunity that resulted in an own goal.

Girls Soccer

Milford, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final 

– Victoria Stowell scored two goals and had an assist for Franklin. Alexis Stowell, Jess Kroushl and Emily Mastaj each had goals for the Panthers and Megan Georges had a pair of assists. Brianna Braza and Rachel LeBlanc played well for the Hawks, according to head coach Jay Mastaj.

Field Hockey

Franklin, 2 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final 

– Alex Sullivan gave Franklin the lead 10 minutes into the game and Dana Lewandowski doubled the lead with just 12 minutes left to give the Panthers a key win on the road. Head coach Lisa Cropper said Samantha Jones made four big saves on excellent scoring chances to get the shutout. With the win, Franklin qualified for the state tournament.

Cross Country - Boys

Taunton, 37 @ Franklin, 23 – Final 

– Franklin’s Ryan Spelman finished first in 16:26 and then the Panthers took fourth through eighth place. Tyler Marchioni (4th, 17:03), Jeff Wu (5th, 17:09), and Jimmy Robbins (6th, 17:10) all finished within 10 seconds. Taunton’s Trevor Wysong finished second and Dylan Lynch finished third.

Cross Country - Girls

(no score provided)

Golf

Foxboro, 180 @ Franklin, 170 – Final 

– Franklin Sophomore Bryan Woelfel shot a 41 for the Panthers and David Hardin shot a 42. Tim Luciano and Brandon Wasserman each shot 44 for Foxboro.

For all the Hockomock League results on Tuesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-100715/