Make Change for Change FUNDrive - May 13

The Make Change for Change FUNDrive is May 13th. By donating gently-used clothing, shoes, accessories, book, linens, and small household items (no furniture), you can help raise funds to help erase homelessness in MA.

Help us reach our $2,000 goal – Make Change for Change will get paid for every pound of goods donated!

Donate goods now – and get in on the competition

Don't wait until the last day of the Drive to gather up your goods. You can drop off goods at The Sugar Shoppe. We can arrange to pick-up and store any donations you collect prior to the May 13th. Simply email Amy Gilman amy@makechangeforchange.org or contact her at 857-363-8935.

Make your pledge at: https://fundrive.savers.com/e/fundrive_58

Volunteers needed!

Want to join in on the FUNDrive Day fun? Spend a couple of hours volunteering with us on May 13th. We need help between 10am and 2pm. Check out our online sign-up at http://signup.com/go/gCJMj8.

Let's get together and stuff that truck!

http://www.sugarshoppe.org/

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 4/7/17 - THU 4/13/17

FRIDAY 4/7/17
10:30am   Knitting Circle for Adults @ Franklin Public Library
7pm   Once On This Island @ FHS
8pm   The Fat City Band @ The Black Box

SATURDAY 4/8/17
9am-2pm   Electronic Recycling at Charter School parking lot
10-1pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
11:30am   4th Annual Dean Dash 5K @ Dean College
4-7pm   Beer Extravaganza: Spring Fling! @ Pour Richard's
4-10pm   3rd Annual Scavenger Hunt to benefit PMC Franklin Kids Ride @ Adirondack Club
7pm   Franklin SEPAC: Comedy Night Fundraiser @ CBS Scene, Patriot Place
7pm   Night Out to support Franklin Softball @ Coachmen’s Lodge
7pm   Once On This Island @ FHS
7:30pm   Celtic Concert - Burning Bridget Cleary @ OCC, Wrentham MA

SUNDAY 4/9/17
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast @ Franklin Rod and Gun Club
11am-3pm   Celebrate Spring! @ Daddario Hardware
11am-3pm   Soil Testing by the URI Master Gardeners @ Franklin Agway
1-4pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
1:15-2:45pm   Trip Down Franklin's Memory Lane (second in series) @ Franklin Historical Museum
2-3pm   Celebrating Ireland in Story and Song @ Franklin Public Library

MONDAY 4/10/17
4pm   WordPlay @ Franklin Public Library
7-8:30pm   Learn To Cope Franklin Chapter Meeting @ FUSF

TUESDAY 4/11/17
1pm   Franklin Downtown Partnership: Networking Luncheon @ Dean College
5-8pm   Annual STEAM Night for families @ Remington MS
7pm   Yankee Quilters Guild Meeting (open to public), speaker Debbie Wendt: Binding Ideas @ St. John’s Episcopal Church
7pm   Spring Jazz Night @ FHS
7:30pm   Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Meeting (open to public) @ Franklin YMCA

WEDNESDAY 4/12/17
5pm   Lego Club @ Franklin Public Library
6pm   FEF’s Trivia Bee @ Horace Mann MS
6:30pm   Teen Advisory Board Meeting @ Franklin Public Library
7:30pm   Franklin Newcomers and Friends Meeting @ 3 Restaurant

THURSDAY 4/13/17
9-10am   Rep Roy Open Office Hours @ Franklin Senior Center
2:15-7pm   Cut-a-thon and Style-a-thone @ Tri-County RVTHS
3pm   Cupcake Wars! @ Franklin Public Library
4pm   Family Coloring Book Club @ Franklin Public Library
5-8pm   Franklin Historical Museum Open
5:30-7:30pm   Night of Arts @ FHS
6:30pm   Franklin Odd Fellows Speaker’s Forum Series Public Talk (identity theft, scam and fraud prevention…) @ Franklin Public Library
7pm   Franklin Wine Club Event: Wines from Abruzzo in Central Italy @ Franklin Liquors
7-8pm   Healing Hearts Community Support Group @ Franklin YMCA
7:30pm   Stony Brook Camera Club @ Anglican Church of the Redeemer (31 Hayward St)

For the Town of Franklin Public Calendar click HERE.

For all other events and Franklin happenings click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email FranklinMAHappenigs@gmail.com and/or shersteve@gmail.com

“We’ve haven’t hired new staff for the DPW in 20 years"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Finance Committee voted this week to recommend a $120 million operating budget to the Town Council, which will take up the matter next month. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the committee made its decision after hosting three hearings on the budget. 

“The Finance Committee split up the operating budget of the town, and had all the departments come in, one by one,” he said. 

Hellen said the budget figure represented about a 2.5 percent increase from last year’s $116 million figure. The number, he noted, includes the water, sewer and solid waste disposal enterprise funds as well as the school budget."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170406/franklin-council-to-consider-120m-budget

My live reporting on the two budget hearings this week can be found in the links below. No budget documents are available at this time. Per Susan Gagner, she was waiting to produce those after the large 'budget book' was reviewed by the Finance Committee. The docs are expected to be available in the next week or so.

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/04/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/04/live-reporting-finance-committee-april-3.html

new greenery to maintain downtown

FPAC to present Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play, the classic American drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society. Set in 1692, the story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft. 

The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie, and it is there that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others. 
 

FPAC To Present Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

While set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials, Miller’s masterful drama is an allegory of the McCarthy-era witch-hunts of the 1950s. The Crucible is a timeless work with a universal message about the power of false accusations, mass hysteria, fear, and intolerance.

FPAC presents The Crucible as part of the company’s 26th season. The production is sponsored by NETA Cares. Tickets are $24, with general admission seating. For tickets and more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call (508) 528-3370. 

Franklin Police: Media Release - Stewart Street Update

As a result of an investigation which started on 3/15/2017 at 84 Stewart Street the Franklin Police Department has submitted a complaint to the Wrentham District Court. A criminal summons has issued against Paul D. Therieau, resident of that address for the following violations of Massachusetts General Law:

• 94C/32A/E; Manufacturing of a Class B drug, methamphetamine
• 94C/32A/G; Possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug, methamphetamine
• 94C/32A/G; Possession with intent to manufacture a Class B drug, methamphetamine
• 274/6; Attempt to manufacture a Class B drug, PCP
• 274/6; Attempt to manufacture a Class A drug, GHB
• 274/6; Attempt to manufacture a Class B drug, MDMA
• 274/6; Attempt to manufacture a Class B drug, Barbiturates
• 94C/32/C; Possession of a Class B drug, Phenyl 2 Propanone (P2P)

http://www.franklinma.gov/police-department

At this time an investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges may result after findings from laboratory testing. The Franklin Police Department would like to thank our partners at the Franklin Fire Department, Massachusetts State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Clandestine Laboratory for their assistance with this investigation.

The information contained in this press release does not imply listed individuals have been convicted in a court of valid jurisdiction of the crimes for which they were charged or arrested. All individuals are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court with proper jurisdiction over the matter(s) for which they were charged or arrested.



You can also find this information on the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/2017_media_release_therieau.pdf

Ali Brigham - Girls Basketball Underclassman of the Year

Girls Basketball Underclassman of the Year

"Franklin sophomore center Ali Brigham has been named the 2017 HockomockSports.com Girls Basketball Underclassman of the Year; the fifth season that this award has been given out to the top freshman or sophomore in the league. Brigham is the first Franklin player, first center, and the first freshman to earn this award. 

Over the course of her freshman season, Brigham was an imposing figure in the paint for the Panthers on both ends of the court. She scored 236 points, while pulling down 237 rebounds and blocking 56 shots for a young Panthers team that bounced back from an 0-6 start to come within one win of reaching the state tournament. 

“Franklin had a lot of turnover in its roster and took a little while to get going, but with Ali in the middle there was a foundation on which to build,” said HockomockSports.com Managing Editor Josh Perry. “Ali’s footwork on the block and her touch on the offensive side of the floor is rare for such a young post player."

Continue reading the article and review all the Girls Basketball Awards
https://hockomocksports.com/awards/girls-basketball/2016-2017/

HockomockSports.com Second Team - Girls Basketball

Ali Brigham – Franklin – Center

Franklin freshman center Ali Brigham made an impressive impact in her first season with the Panthers and became one of the top post players in the league during her rookie campaign. The HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year (see below) scored 236 points, pulled down 237 rebounds, and had 56 blocks, helping a young Franklin team bounce back from an 0-6 start to get within one win of making the tournament. Franklin coach John Leighton said, “Ali came in and made an immediate impact as a freshman. She led us in most defensive statistics and her ability to block shots and rebound really limited what opponents could do.”

Tri-County RVTHS Students Win Massachusetts NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

Three Tri-County RVTHS Seniors, Adriana Oliveira of Seekonk; Cara Wolfe of Attleboro; and Ashley O'Handley of Plainville, have received the Massachusetts NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. The award, sponsored by the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), Bank of America, BATEC, Microsoft, Science Club for Girls, UMass School of Computer Science and Wellesley College, recognizes young high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. All three Tri-County students plan to continue their education pursuing various degrees in Computer Science.

A total of 32 award-winners were selected from high schools across Massachusetts for their outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology and computing, solid leadership ability, good academic history, and plans for post-secondary education. Each award-winner received two engraved awards, one for the student and one for her school’s trophy case.

“Encouraging young women’s interest in technology careers is critical: our workforce needs their creativity and their innovation,” said Lucy Sanders, CEO and Co-founder of NCWIT.

Tri-County RVTHS Students Win Massachusetts
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

“Tri-County is proud that three of our students who received this prestigious award,” said Superintendent Stephen Dockray. “Tri-County continues to offer Computer Information Systems as a part of its curriculum, recognizing its value to students’ future success.”

The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) works to correct the imbalance of gender diversity in technology and computing because gender diversity positively correlates with a larger workforce, better innovation, and increased business performance. Increasing the number of women in technology and computing also has the potential to improve the design of products and services to better serve a more diverse population, and increase economic and social well-being by providing more women with stable and lucrative careers. Find out more at www.ncwit.org.

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.