One tree, two trees
Big trees, little trees
Pick up time is your
Trash day this week!
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| One tree |
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| two trees |
"My inbox has been inundated with reports that our kids are literally dying because of excessive cell phone use. From an editorial in the Lancet to my local radio station, the news is alarming. In many cases, I’m told, our children are on their phones eight or more hours a day, with experts saying it should be limited to just two.Continue reading the article online
Jean Twenge’s new book iGen has been front and center, insisting that we do something and do it quickly. Kids are using their cell phones way too much and putting their mental health at terrible risk. National surveys are showing that kids today are more anxious than ever before, with spiking rates of depression and suicide. Twenge suspects that this uptick in problems (which every mental health professional knows is happening) occurred at just about the same time as cell phones became a common accessory for most teens. Correlation doesn’t imply causation, but in this case, one has to wonder if the very real increase in emergency room visits for mood disorders and self-reported anxiety among teens isn’t a byproduct of more accessible technology that both connects and isolates at the same time."
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| "Third, how about we rethink smartphones at school?" |
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| storm water fee mock-up (from a recent bill for my household, the actual one may look different) |
"Registration is open for our 1st Empty Bowls community event.
Join us 1/25 to help make ceramic bowls to prepare for the 5th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on 5/7.
This event is only open to the 1st 25 people who register, so sign up today!"Register here:
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| Empty Bowls community event - Jan 25 - Register now - only 25 spots open (Franklin Food Pantry photo) |
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| FHS boys hockey tie with Foxboro |
Huge day for the Franklin boys today! Smr (Flaherty, Ellis, Harrington, Brogan) win the Northeast Invite in 3:37.18 (school record by 18 seconds) and qualify for New Balance Nationals🔥🔥— FHS Boys XC+TF (@FHSPanthersTF) January 11, 2020
Dmr (Sieczkiewicz, Hanley, Zielinski, Calitri) takes 4th overall all with strong splits‼️
Boys Sprint Medley Relay takes first at the Northeast Invite today with a 3:37. That mark is also a school record by 18 seconds!— Coach Bailey (@FranklinHSXC) January 11, 2020
The Franklin Girls Track Team competed at the Northeast Invitational held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Lindsey Morse had an outstanding meet finishing 3rd in the high jump. The Franklin Panthers also scored in the 4x400 and 4x800 Relays— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 12, 2020
The Franklin Girls Track Team competed at the Northeast Invitational held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Lindsey Morse had an outstanding meet finishing 3rd in the high jump. The Franklin Panthers also scored in the 4x400 and 4x800 Relays.— Coach Bailey (@FranklinHSXC) January 12, 2020
Why am I not surprised? Go Kirshe! https://t.co/pl1IZ4ePKi— leightoj (@coachleighto) January 12, 2020
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| Left to Right: Rep Jeff Roy, Senator Karen Spilka, and MASC Exec Dir Glenn Koocher at the 2019 Legislative Forum |
"Call it a shopper’s dilemma.
A supermarket bin is down to its last banana or head of lettuce, and the food looks a little tired. There’s a slight bruise, or the color isn’t quite right, and you can’t decide if it’s worth the risk to shell out money for something that could turn out to be a dud.
Harsha Prakki, 19, of Franklin, might be on her way to developing a product that could solve such a problem, and could even put $1 million in her bank account if she wins an upcoming international competition.
Prakki’s invention, which is still in the design stage, is a “sticker” placed on fruits and vegetables to indicate their freshness level. She said many consumers throw away food by the manufacturer’s listed sell-by dates, believing it’s no longer fresh. However, many foods can still be eaten safely, and her sticker is designed to guarantee how long food remains fresh enough to eat."
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| if the sticker is in any shade of blue, then the item is still within its freshness period, and good to eat |
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| Middle School Glee Starts Feb. 3 - Register now |
Discussion:
1. Zoning Amendment proposal:
a. Ground Mounted Solar Bylaw Amendments in residential Zoning Districts;
b. A house cleaning items in Mixed Business Innovation (MBI) district; and .
c. A housecleaning item in Accessory uses for Agricultural with Poultry to comply with zoning setbacks.
2. Lot line Clean up #1: Areas near Highland, Maple and Lincoln Streets.
3. Lot Line Clean up #2: Areas near Oak Street and Daily Drive.
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| The solar farm being installed at Mount Saint Mary's in 2013 |
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| Franklin Children's School Open House - Jan 25 |
"The Taunton boys basketball team delivered a message to the rest of the Hockomock League on Friday night.
At the expense of visiting Franklin, that message was sent loud and clear.
The Tigers, locked in at both ends of the floor from start to finish, had one of their best all-around games since joining the league nearly a decade ago, earning a dominating 83-52 win over the previously unbeaten Panthers.
“That was one of the best games we’ve played on both ends of the floor,” said longtime Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey."
Loving the #senior banners at tonights meet against Mansfield & former swimmers who came out to supprt @fhsgvswim1 @FHSBoysSwim1 #pantherpride #fhsswimming pic.twitter.com/5uLLkQVZXl— Coach Balliro (@coachB_fhs) January 11, 2020
I say it every meet. This is a special crew. And sorry @PaulPeri9 I deff cut you out of the team selfie!! Thank you for showing your support and your kind words about the team!! pic.twitter.com/J3nEDQLF1s— Coach Balliro (@coachB_fhs) January 11, 2020
TWO solid wins tonight for FHS swimming!— CoachP_FHS_Swim (@CoachP_FHSswim) January 11, 2020
Girls defeat Mansfield 107-56
Boys remain UNDEFEATED as they defeat Mansfield 92-73
Shout out to Sophomore Alice Taddeo for her first win in the 100 breaststroke
AMAZING TEAM WIN TODAY!!! Dory goes to @kathrynchew15 for qualifying for sectionals in her 500 Free!!! Also a huge thank you to @PaulPeri9 for coming to support us today, it meant a lot to our team! pic.twitter.com/n5xyCAQIHw— FHSGVSWIM! (@fhsgvswim1) January 11, 2020
What an incredible group of FHS student-athletes! What an incredible team culture! Proud of these teams!!! #pantherpride #proudprincipal pic.twitter.com/HQYtKE39by— FranklinHighSchool (@FranklinHS) January 11, 2020
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| LAUGH MORE IN 2020 |
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| Let’s Laugh Today in Franklin |
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| Franklin Police: Man receives 7 years for Franklin stabbing |
"This week the House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act, which President Trump has threatened to veto.
The bill would set deadlines for the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce ongoing releases of toxic fluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS, and to set a drinking water standard for two notorious PFAS chemicals.
“It’s never been clearer that it’s time for Congress to set tough deadlines to reduce PFAS releases into the air and water, set PFAS drinking water standards, and clean up legacy PFAS pollution,” said EWG Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber. “If the Trump administration won’t take the necessary steps to protect the public from PFAS, it’s up to Congress to act."
In other news about the PFAS Action Act, EWG broke down EPA’s history of inaction when it comes regulating PFAS and told the story of a military firefighter pushing for Congress to act on the PFAS crisis."
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| Environmental Working Group |
"State higher education officials on Friday approved a new set of regulations that will govern how they screen colleges and universities for financial risks and potential closures.
Education Secretary James Peyser said the Board of Higher Education’s vote marked a “watershed moment.”
“On the one hand, it’s an incremental shift,” Peyser said. “On the other hand, it’s really a major change in the nature of our relationship as a board and as a state in terms of our responsibility for ensuring the health of our higher education system writ large, not just the public system.”
The sudden 2018 closure of Mount Ida College in Newton drew new attention to the challenges faced by small, private colleges grappling with enrollment declines and other demographic trends, and sparked calls to protect current and prospective students from being blindsided by a closure."
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| In the News: college closure rules "a milestone" |
"Construction costs for Polar Park have increased by $9.5 million over initial estimates, while costs to acquire the properties needed for the ballpark, relocate businesses and prepare the site for development have run roughly $20 million more than what was anticipated.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
That has prompted city officials to negotiate changes to the agreements with the ballclub that will be playing at Polar Park starting in 2021 and for the private development that will be built as part of the overall $240 million redevelopment of the Kelley Square/Canal District area.
Those revisions, which are detailed in an 11-page report to the City Council for its meeting Tuesday night, primarily deal with actions to generate more revenue to cover those additional costs.
It also includes a bigger private development program that will be brought online and generate new tax revenues sooner."
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| Franklin Public Schools: An Important Message from the Superintendent |
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| Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Jan 10 to THU - Jan 16 |
