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| Commuter Rail notice: Include the MBTA in your New Year's Eve plans |
"In Massachusetts, automatic voter registration begins Jan. 1 as directed by legislation that state lawmakers passed and Gov. Charlie Baker signed in 2018.
When Baker signed the election-reform bill two summers ago, Massachusetts became the 14th state, plus Washington, D.C., to adopt an automatic-voter registration system.
Now, beginning immediately in the new year, the state registers eligible citizens to vote when they interact with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth and Health Connector – unless they opt out. The system will be in place ahead of the presidential primaries in March, according to Secretary of State William F. Galvin."
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| Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Dec 27 to THU - Jan 2 |
"Sometimes, it takes a map to locate historical treasures -- the proverbial “x” marks the spot on a faded document, in ink turned brown.
But at the Franklin library, it is a map that is actually the treasure: An age-stained, 26″ x 20 3/8″ document that provides a view of the town’s layout when Henry Clay sat in the oval office -- about to be defeated by Andrew Jackson -- and Princess Victoria was still five years shy of ascending the throne of Great Britain.
Recently, a custom-framed reproduction of the map was put up for display in the hallway by the circulation desk on the first floor of the library, so it could be shared with the public. The original, restored through the efforts of the Friends of the Franklin Library, is carefully stored in the library’s new climate-controlled archives room.
“It was found rolled up in a drawer, as I’m told, during packing up for the renovations,” said Phil Sweeney, president of the Friends board, referring to the renovation and expansion project completed in 2017."
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| In the News: map at the Library restored; |
"Each year, Americans spread more than 48 billion pounds of salt on roadways to ward off the effects of winter weather. But it comes at a cost: De-icing salt degrades roads and bridges, contaminates drinking water and harms the environment, according to a slate of scientists expressing growing alarm.
“The issue of road salt has been out in front of us for decades but has received very little attention until the past five years,” said Rick Relyea, a biological scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute near Albany, New York. “Then we see, my goodness, it is everywhere, and it is a growing problem.”
It’s a problem that’s growing exponentially.
The country used about 164,000 tons of road salt in 1940, U.S. Geological Survey data shows. It broke one million tons in 1954, 10 million in 1985, and now averages more than 24 million tons a year."
ABOUT US: Lifelong Community Learning is a program of the Franklin Public Schools Lifelong Learning Institute, dedicated to providing diverse and enriched education and experiences for all area residents and children – a resource for all ages.
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| Lifelong Community Learning: 2020 Winter / Spring Registration Open |
"You won’t need 20/20 vision to see the artistry of Franklin next year when the town launches its first visual art installation project, painting its town buildings with collaborative art pieces created by residents of all ages.
The end product – which will be a surprise up until it’s mounted – will reflect the culture and character of Franklin, said Anne Marie Tracey, Marketing and Communications Specialist at Franklin Public Schools (FHS) and the town of Franklin.
Late last week, the town of Franklin announced the project – called Franklin Community Arts – with the goal to permanently display at least five pieces of collaborative artwork around in town buildings, like the Town Hall, library, and the Senior Center, said Tracey. Each two-dimensional painting or mixed-media piece will involve 32 to 40 participants, and once combined, mounted and framed, the final image will result in a large-scale visual piece with the subject matter relating to Franklin and/or its artists.
Each project will require two workshops to complete, said Tracey. The first workshops are scheduled in January and will be geared towards children ages 10-14. The workshops are free and are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Another set of workshops will be scheduled for late February/early March and will involve a different age group of artists working on another collaborative piece for display in a different location, she said, the trend continuing with each piece."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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| Step by step process for the website navigation |
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| https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/franklin-community-arts-project |
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| Franklin Downtown Partnership 2020 Calendar of events |
"State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, sits in his office gesturing at a table with maps of high-speed rail in Massachusetts. In 2014, the former Obama White House staffer came home and ran for state Senate – his pitch to voters included plans for an ambitious infrastructure project.
Five years later, he has large printouts of the final six options the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has come up with.
A feasibility study – which failed to pass the House in 2015, was vetoed in 2016, and didn’t pass again in 2017 – is finally expected to be completed next spring. Lesser wants to create an economic corridor that will equalize quality of life and housing across the state and take cars off the road, despite roadblocks such as building through mountains.
“The technology is not the issue, the logistics are not the issue, the issue is building the political will,” he said. “For us in western Massachusetts that’s always been the challenge because we have a relatively small share of the state’s population so getting attention and investment and focus on western Mass. projects has always been a challenge.”Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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| MassDOT is conducting a study to examine the costs, benefits, and investments necessary to implement passenger rail service from Boston to Springfield and Pittsfield |
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| Merry Christmas |
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| Trash delayed one day this week for those scheduled for Wed-Thu-Fri (Franklin DPW Facebook photo) |
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| Glen Pharma Distillery gained approval for their tasting license |
"Franklin sophomore Olivia Quinn has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, for Dec. 15 through Dec. 21. Quinn is the 13th player chosen as Player of the Week for the 2019-20 school year and the second for the winter season.
Quinn has gotten off to a great start to her second season on varsity, helping the Panthers win their opening three games and scoring at least 17 points in all three, including 20-plus in both games this week. Her emergence as an inside-out threat has added a different dimension to the Panthers’ attack and helped them score 80 points twice and win by an average margin of 38 points per game.
“Olivia has work tremendously hard during the off season,” said Franklin coach John Leighton. “She has developed into a threat from the wing as well as in the paint. We are excited to see her continue to grow as a player.”
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| FHS' Olivia Quinn = HockomockSports.com Player of the Week |
So proud of the teams win today! Way to go girls!! @FHSSports @HockomockSports @MetroWestSports @FHSPantherbook @milforddaily @FranklinHS @FranklinMatters pic.twitter.com/MwzVabUfDZ— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) December 23, 2019
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| So proud of the teams win today! Way to go girls!! |
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"Results of a district-wide demographic study of the town’s school population is expected to be ready in January, according to Superintendent Dr. Sara Ahern.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Meanwhile, school officials continue to define the scope of a facilities adequacy study of Davis Thayer School, as well a functional space study of all of the town’s schools as part of determining whether to shutter the Davis Thayer building.
“The first step for the space study will be to assess the current use of all facilities,” Ahern wrote in an update sent out last week.
At a recent meeting of the school board, a three-person subcommittee was formed to work with Ahern on a Davis Thayer closing analysis."
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| Davis Thayer School sign from May 2019 |
