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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
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Franklin native Leah Silipo was recently awarded the Harvard Club of Boston 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Silipo was one of five high school teachers in New England to be selected as a recipient of the award this year. She joined other teachers and over 200 student winners of the Harvard Club’s Prize Book Award at a celebratory breakfast on Oct. 7, held in their honor at the Harvard Club of Boston.
Salipo was raised in Franklin and is a 2000 graduate of Franklin High School and a 2004 graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She has been teaching at Sharon High School for 12 years.
The Franklin Housing Authority will have a groundbreaking ceremony next week for a housing building on Plain Street.
The event, set for Monday morning, will celebrate the beginning of work on an eight-unit facility set to house state Department of Developmental Services clients.
Lisa Audette, the town's Housing Authority agent, said the work is an exciting development for the authority.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for DDS clients," she said. "There is a need for this type of housing."
Franklin Federated Church will present this year’s annual Christmas concert, “Peace on Earth,” 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the church at 171 Main St.
The concert will feature an arrangement of classical music and Christmas melodies performed by “Quartet Duviteux,” a string quartet of young musicians who met as students at the New England Conservatory of Music. Maria van der Sloot, violin, is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; Luther Warren also plays violin and comes from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Linda Numagami plays viola and comes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and cellist Marza Merophi Wilks was born in Peru and spent her high school years in Ithaca, New York.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling the church office at 508-528-3803.
Franklin Performing Arts Company will present “Snow White and the Seven Elves,” an original panto, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12, and 2 p.m. Dec. 13, at the Black Box, 15 W. Central St.
The production follows in the tradition of a British panto, a type of show that retells a well-known fairy tale in an exaggerated style filled with audience participation, popular songs, slapstick comedy, jokes and dances.
Starting on Thanksgiving day, all state parks and forests will be free and open to all residents.
The free entry from Nov. 26 through Nov. 29 by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation is being done as a thank you to those currently serving or have served in the armed forces.
Find out more information on parks and forests nearby at mass.gov/dcr.
What are kids really doing on-line when we think they are doing homework? Amy Leone, a therapist who is a leader on the coalition to fight the disease of addiction, is so concerned about how kids are using social media, she came back on the program to share her insights with parents on this topic.
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Franklin TV |
Her interview on "It Takes a Village.." (Comcast Channel 8 and Verizon 26) will be aired on Tuesday morning at 9:00 and again on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.
Kids are using all kinds of apps to go off the parent radar, sexting is increasing, access to internet porn is easier and easier and there are some unknown dangers lurking behind the most innocent of video games.
"Remember those new commuter rail schedules that were supposed to cut down on delayed trains?
They’re being delayed."That is what the Boston Globe wrote at the beginning of November. Well, the schedules for the commuter lines out of South Station are now scheduled for release in the spring.
“Just call an apple an apple,” said Ellen P. Connolly, a Haverhill line rider. “Don’t tell me you’re doing schedule changes when you’re doing a schedule cut.”
The future schedules, set to go into effect Dec. 14, have already prompted lawmakers to send a letter to the MBTA and Keolis about their concerns for the Haverhill and Lowell lines, which will have fewer trains scheduled.
Overall, the MBTA’s commuter rail will operate two fewer trains in and out of North Station daily under the new schedules, according to Corey Lynch, deputy director of railroad operations at the MBTA."You can read the full article here
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MBTA train leaving Franklin/Dean Station headed to Forge Park |
According to the Community Preservations Coalition (a non-profit group dedicated to supporting CPA communities) close to $1.4 billion in funding has been raised to date, with the bulk of the money coming from modest local option taxes.
But there’s a hidden bonus in that number: Depending on annual state distributions intended to enhance CPA funds raised locally, earmarked fees from country registries of deeds and the state legislature go exclusively to CPA communities. That’s adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars – not a bad deal when you consider the hard cash that accrues when matching funds can be between one-fifth to half of local funding. Every time a home or commercial property changes hands in Massachusetts a slice of the transfer tax goes directly to CPA communities. Money from your community goes to those fees, whether or not it’s adopted the CPA.
The state contributes money to local CPA funds, which can only be spent on historic preservation, affordable housing, open space or recreation, but it has no say in how it is spent. Adopting the CPA requires a community referendum vote. A local CPA committee recommends projects for CPA funding, but not a dime is spent unless it is approved by the local legislative body.You can read the full editorial here (subscription may be required)
Ballot Question 1Yes - 1528No - 2174
The Community Preservation Act did not pass.
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FHS Panthers |
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Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School |
The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) next weekend will present "The Nutcracker," bringing special guest artists, world-class musicians and more than 100 area dancers to one suburban stage.
FPAC invites audiences to fall under Drosselmeyer’s dreamy spell and join Clara and her Nutcracker prince on a journey full of surprises and wonder. A popular holiday tradition for more than two decades, "The Nutcracker" remains a highly anticipated and treasured part of the FPAC season. Set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, the ballet delights the imaginations of audiences young and old with festive magic and colorful splendor.
FPAC will present "The Nutcracker" on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Franklin High School auditorium, 218 Oak St., Franklin.
Now in its fourth year, the Turkey Trot Family 5K Fun Run aims to both entertain and help to better the community in this giving season.
Runners can pay to enter the race - which starts on Thanksgiving at 8 a.m. - in two ways: by either paying a $20 entry fee or donating 20 non-perishable food items.
Krystal Whitmore, the race's organizer, said all proceeds benefit the Franklin Food Pantry.
"My son started it four years ago as an Eagle Scout project," she said. "We got such a great response."
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donations to the Food Pantry at the 2013 Turkey Trot |
Attorney General Maura Healey today announced that a study commissioned by her office has determined that the region is unlikely to face electric reliability issues in the next 15 years and additional energy needs can be met more cheaply and cleanly through energy efficiency and demand response.
The study was designed to, first, determine whether the region is facing electric reliability challenges through 2030 and, second, identify the most cost-effective and clean solutions for addressing any of those challenges.
“As we make long-term decisions about our energy future, it’s imperative we have the facts,” said AG Healey. “This study demonstrates that we do not need increased gas capacity to meet electric reliability needs, and that electric ratepayers shouldn’t foot the bill for additional pipelines. This study demonstrates that a much more cost-effective solution is to embrace energy efficiency and demand response programs that protect ratepayers and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
image from Attorney General webpage |
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FEF photo - Harlem Wizards game Nov 13 |
one of the boys races at Stanley Park, Westfield (Hockomock Sports.com photo) |