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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 |
