Women's Success Network invites you - Feb 3

Women’s Success Network (WSN) invites you to join us for an evening of networking and connecting on Wednesday, February 3 from 6 – 9PM at Lake Pearl in Wrentham. The program is conducted by WSN’s own members and it consists of Table Topics: a selection of topics of expertise based on the women who are speaking. Come learn about everything from Health and Wellness to Investments and Real Estate, and Legal, from Mediation to Social Media and Blogging and many other topics.

screen grab of Women's Success Network webpage

WSN is one of the oldest and largest women’s networking group in Massachusetts. WSN offers a supportive environment for women to grow their businesses and build strong and lasting relationships. The monthly meetings feature networking, dinner and speakers related to business or personal growth. WSN members are fun, supportive, and energetic. The evening is geared for women to network with one another and we welcome guests to join our monthly meetings.

Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. To register for the next meeting and find out more details please visit https://www.wsninc.org by Tuesday, January 26th, 2016.

Senior Center: Memory Cafe for January

This month's Memory Cafe will be held as usual on the third Thursday of the month, January 21st at 3:00 at the Franklin Senior Center. 

The Memory Cafe is for Caregivers and their loved ones living with memory loss. It is a safe and supportive environment where families can socialize and feel at ease.

This month we are happy to have three or four Franklin middle and high school students who will be playing some older familiar tunes on the violin and viola. They will be led by Kathleen Woods Studio.

The Cafe is open to all in the community and free of charge. For more information please call Elaine Owens at 508-520-4945. We encourage you to sign up so that we have an idea as to how many we will have at each cafe. Refreshments are served!

Senior Center - Legislator feedback - Fri Jan 15th

Annual Report - 2015: Treasurer-Collector

Fiscal 2015 has been another very busy year in the Treasurer-Collector’s office.

The fiscal year began and ended with very low investment interest rates (MMDT – .20%). On the borrowing side, the low rates had a positive effect. In February of 2015 we refunded bonds from 2006 and 2007 for $6,920,000. The refinancing will generate total savings of $603,906 over the remaining life of the Bonds. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC was the winning bidder on the Bonds with an average interest rate of 1.931%.

Prior to the sale, Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services, a municipal credit rating agency, affirmed the Town’s AA+ bond rating. The rating agency cited the Town’s very strong economy, strong management with good financial policies, strong budgetary flexibility, very strong liquidity, very strong debt and contingent liability position and strong institutional framework as positive credit factors.

In May of 2015 we issued a 1 year Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) for $3,250,000. It included $3 million for continued FHS construction and $250,000 for Library planning and design. TD Bank was the winning bidder on the BAN with a weighted average interest cost of .3747%.

During FY 2015, $152,140 was collected in back property taxes, interest and fees. Fourteen property owners paid off all outstanding taxes and redeemed their properties out of tax title. We continue to pursue delinquent taxes through the foreclosure process and there are currently 30 properties in Land Court. Since 2001 we have foreclosed on 55 properties. Some properties will eventually be auctioned off and the rest will remain as town property.

There were 899 Municipal Lien Certificates issued by the Treasurer-Collector’s office generating revenue of $44,950. Also collected was $2,856.00 in fees for duplicate bills and files that we supplied to tax services and escrow agents. During FY15, the Treasurer-Collector’s office printed and mailed 43,632 Real Estate Tax bills; 2,140 Personal Property Tax bills; 32,821 Motor Vehicle Excise Tax bills; and 39,359 Utility bills. The following Demands were also printed and mailed; 588 Real Estate Tax, 98 Personal Property Tax, and 4,422 Motor Vehicle Excise Tax. There were 2,013 Motor Vehicle warrants issued in FY15. There were 14 Betterment releases (water, sewer and road) generating revenue of $56. We also collected $96,600 for backflow testing and $63,500 for Sprinkler/Hydrant charges.

The Treasurer also acts as the town’s parking clerk. Our deputy collector, Kelley and Ryan Associates of Hopedale, handles the billing and collection of parking tickets. During FY15 we collected $30,890 for parking violations.

I would like to thank all town departments for the timely and accurate turnover of fees to the Treasurer-Collector’s office. I also would like to thank the first-class staff of the Treasurer-Collector’s office for their continued hard work. Finally, I thank the citizens of Franklin for their continued support.

Respectfully submitted,

James P. Dacey
Treasurer-Collector

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"Prior to November 1 of each year, the Town Clerk shall cause to be prepared and made available to the inhabitants of the Town an annual report for the preceding fiscal year which shall include: the annual Town budget, the reports of all Town officers, the records of all Town Council bylaw amendments and resolutions, an abstract of births, marriages and deaths, and the wages, salaries, or other compensation of all Town employees." [Added 5-2-2012 by Bylaw Amendment 12-681]

http://ecode360.com/10432729?highlight=annual%20report,reports,annual,report#10432729

Shared from the full and complete PDF version of the Town of Franklin Annual Report for 2015

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2015report.pdf

For additional information you can visit the Treasurer-Collector's page
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Treasurer/index

screen grab of online bill payment service for Franklin

You can pay your water/sewer/trash bills online
https://unipaygold.unibank.com/Default.aspx?customerid=721

Radiolab - "The Fix" (audio)

Radiolab is one of the podcasts I have queued to listen to on the commute or when it is convenient. This episode is particularly catching as it discusses some hopeful advances on the addiction front.

"This episode we take a sober look at the throbbing, aching, craving desire states that return people (again and again) to the object of their addiction … and the pills that just might set them free. 

Reporter Amy O’Leary was fed up with her ex-boyfriend’s hard-drinking, when she discovered a French doctor’s memoir titled The End of My Addiction. The fix that he proposed seemed too good to be true. But her phone call with the doctor left her, and us, even more intrigued. Could this malady – so often seen as moral and spiritual - really be beaten back with a pill? 

We talk to addiction researcher Dr. Anna Rose Childress, addiction psychologist Dr. Mark Willenbring, journalist Gabrielle Glaser, The National Institute of Health’s Dr. Nora Volkow, and scores of people dealing with substance abuse as we try to figure out whether we're in the midst of a sea change in how we think about addiction."

via Radiolab - (Photo Credit: Jonathan Cohen/Flickr)

You can find additional reference link on the Radiolab webpage for this episode here
http://www.radiolab.org/story/addiction/

FHS basketball results; girls post win, boys lose tight game to Taunton

The FHS boys basketball team dropped a tight game against Taunton while the girls team won on Monday night. The results courtesy of Hockomock Sports.

Boys Basketball

Taunton, 57 @ Franklin, 53 – Final 

– Taunton outscored Franklin 20-10 in the final quarter to secure the win. Five different players scored in double figures for Taunton: Quan Roberson had 14 points, Tommy MacLean had 11 points, four rebounds and seven assists, Carlos Borrero had 11 points and five assists, Dominique Smith had 11 points and six rebounds and Jose Mercado had 10 points and eight rebounds. Franklin’s Tim Prunier had 15 points and four assists, sophomore Connor Peterson had 11 points and Kevin Gill had 10 points for the Panthers.

FHS Panthers

Girls Basketball

Franklin, 50 @ Taunton, 32 – Final 

– Lauren Rudolph was the top scorer for the Panthers with 15 points and Carli Koffinke added 11 for Franklin.

For all the results around the Hockomock League on Monday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-010416/



Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief of Hockomock Sports, provides an in-depth report on the boys game against Taunton:

With a two point lead and just under a minute to play, Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey called a timeout. With the inbounds coming just over half court, the Tigers tried to run a double screen to get junior Tommy MacLean an open look but Franklin covered it perfectly. 

Instead, senior point guard Carlos Borrero took off to the basket, drew a defender and used a perfect bounce pass to hit Dominique Smith for an easy bucket to extend the lead to four with just 40 seconds to play. 

Taunton’s defense held off Franklin’s ensuing chance and picked up a key 57-53 win on the road over the Panthers.

Continue reading the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/tauntons-late-push-earns-win-on-the-road-at-franklin/

"Porter Ranch Natural Gas Leak Spews 150 Million Pounds of Methane, Will Take Months to Fix" (video)

In light of the proposed expansion of the gas pipeline through Franklin, this story should see daylight. 

"In the nation’s biggest environmental disaster since the BP oil spill, a runaway natural gas leak above Los Angeles has emitted more than 150 million pounds of methane. Thousands of residents in the community of Porter Ranch, California, have been evacuated and put in temporary housing. The fumes have caused headaches and nosebleeds. The company responsible, Southern California Gas Company, says it could take 3 to 4 months to stop the breach. 

We are joined by two guests: renowned consumer advocate and legal researcher Erin Brockovich, who helped win the biggest class action lawsuit in American history and is now working to seek justice for victims of the Porter Ranch gas leak, and David Balen, president of Renaissance Homeowners Association, which is located just outside of the breached well site."

http://ecowatch.com/2016/01/04/porter-ranch-methane-leak/?utm_source=EcoWatch%20List&utm_campaign=c62da27979-Top_News_1_4_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-c62da27979-86023293





Other resources reporting on this story:

http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/11/23/55836/porter-ranch-methane-leak-increasing-california-s/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/epa-probes-porter-ranch-natural-gas-leak/story?id=36052183

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0104-gas-leak-20160104-story.html

http://www.dailynews.com/business/20160104/socalgas-expanding-resource-center-dealing-with-porter-ranch-gas-leak

Electric Youth 2016 Debuts Two Shows At THE BLACK BOX

Electric Youth (EY) 2016, the international touring ensemble of talented singer-dancers trained at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), headlines at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin on Saturday, January 9, debuting two shows at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Backed by an eight-piece band of world-class musicians, Electric Youth delivers a fun, high-energy evening of family entertainment with an extensive range of contemporary pop, classic rock, Broadway and country hits for audiences all ages. The EY shows at THE BLACK BOX will feature fully choreographed performances of Adele, Pat Benatar, Beyonce, The Black Crowes, Gladys Night, Queen, Sugarland, Stevie Wonder and more.

Electric Youth - 2016

Selected annually by audition, the group is chosen for superior musicianship, stage presence, and “triple threat” accomplishments in voice, dance, and acting. This season’s ensemble of performers, ages 14-18, studies multiple dance disciplines, voice, and acting at FSPA. Electric Youth 2016 includes Madison Asgeirsson, Brooke Collins, Aaron Frongillo, Jocelyn Jones, Lauren Szczepanowski and Melissa Wyner of Franklin; Michael Fajardo of Hopkinton; Sam Evans and Colie Vancura of Medfield; Katie Gray of Milford; Kylee Rollins of North Attleboro; Griffin Wilkins of Walpole; and Jenna McDermott and Susauna Wickstrom of Wrentham.

The EY singer-dancers are backed by Boston musicians who’ve performed, recorded and toured with music legends Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Van Morrison and many others.

“The band that tours with EY really raises the level of experience for our singer-dancers and audiences alike,” says Director Raye Lynn Mercer. “These musicians have performed with A-list entertainers, and the music is first-rate. The arranging team for Electric Youth, including several of the band members, writes custom arrangements for EY that allow the group to take classic songs and make them their own.”

EY’s show band features Kenny Hadley on drums, Arnie Krakowsky on tenor saxophone, Bill Miele on bass, Artie Montanaro on trombone, Walter Platt on trumpet, Ken Reid on baritone saxophone, Mark White on guitar and Mercer on piano. Under the direction of Mark Poniatowski, musical arrangers for Electric Youth are Rick Hammett, Jeff Perry, Walter Platt, Poniatowski, Mark White and Ben Whiting. Hallie Wetzell is Electric Youth’s Vocal Director. Choreographers include Mercer, Casey Andrade, Cheryl Madeux, Nick Paone and Kellie Stamp.

Electric Youth has released six professional albums and toured Europe 12 times, with performances at England’s Arundel Festival, Disneyland Paris, professional theaters in Bristol, London and Windsor, and such renowned venues as Sanremo’s Ariston Theatre and Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Musikverein and Schonbrunn Palace. 

EY has also headlined Fourth of July shows for U.S. troops and their families stationed in Italy at Camp Ederle, Camp Darby, and Aviano Air Force Base. The ensemble has performed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, on Fox-TV and WBZ Radio, and at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Mechanics Hall, the Smithsonian Museum Theater and the United Nations. EY’s music, including the 2014 album Power Chord is available at amazon.com and iTunes. Electric Youth 2016 will tour Austria and Italy this summer.

Tickets for Electric Youth In Concert at THE BLACK BOX are $26, with $18 tickets available for children 12 and under at the first show only. To purchase tickets, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com, stop by the box office at 34 Main Street in Franklin, or call (508) 528-3370. THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. Light pub fare and cash bar are available. For more information about Electric Youth, visit www.electricyouth.com.