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Wednesday, April 29, 2020
CBD, COVID-19 and cancer: The unfounded facts
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Franklin Food Pantry Purchases Building to Expand Services
The Pantry Looks to Renovate a Bigger Franklin Space to Better Serve Its Neighbors
Today (Apr 27, 2020) the Franklin Food Pantry announced that it has purchased a building to be able to better serve its neighbors. The building formerly known as Dante’s Motors, Inc. is located on 138 East Central Street and will undergo renovations to make it into a functional and expanded Pantry.
The new building will allow The Franklin Food Pantry to increase safety, accessibility, confidentiality and robustness of its current services and help The Pantry to develop new services to better fulfill the full mission of the Franklin Food Pantry. The Pantry will announce a Capital Campaign later in the year to help fund the renovations of the new space. In the meantime, The Pantry will continue to operate at its current location and appreciates the Support of Rockland Trust.
“For the past three years, The Franklin Food Pantry has been searching for a bigger space to be able to increase our assistance to our community. We are so thankful to Rockland Trust for loaning us our space and taking such good care of us over the past ten years, but we have outgrown the building,” said Lynn Calling, Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Through the generosity of our Board members and close friends of The Pantry we were finally able to make this happen. Because of the commitment of the Board - as volunteers, donors, and advisors - we have been able to secure a mortgage for this property.”
“We are so grateful for the incredible outpouring of support from our community as we meet increased demand due to Covid-19 and we are happy to be able to bring some good news to them,” said Tina Powderly, Board President. “This endeavor has been a long time coming and we’d like to thank community member Christine Bracci who worked with us so closely to help create a lasting legacy for her family’s business and to ensure the growth of the pantry.”
“This building has been in my family for a long time, and I’m so glad that I was able to work with the Franklin Food Pantry to give the building new life and another chance to serve the Franklin Community,” said Christine Bracci, previous owner. “I would like to thank my attorney Michael Heaney, Heaney and Small LLP for his help with making this deal possible.”
During the pandemic, the Franklin Food Pantry continues to operate to serve all new and existing neighbors. The Pantry has changed its hours to Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. The Pantry is distributing prepackaged bags of shelf stable items as well as fresh produce and proteins through a drive up service. Since March, the Pantry has seen a weekly increase of new neighbors needing to receive services and all donations have gone toward continuing to feed its patrons.
About the Franklin Food Pantry
Today (Apr 27, 2020) the Franklin Food Pantry announced that it has purchased a building to be able to better serve its neighbors. The building formerly known as Dante’s Motors, Inc. is located on 138 East Central Street and will undergo renovations to make it into a functional and expanded Pantry.
The new building will allow The Franklin Food Pantry to increase safety, accessibility, confidentiality and robustness of its current services and help The Pantry to develop new services to better fulfill the full mission of the Franklin Food Pantry. The Pantry will announce a Capital Campaign later in the year to help fund the renovations of the new space. In the meantime, The Pantry will continue to operate at its current location and appreciates the Support of Rockland Trust.
“For the past three years, The Franklin Food Pantry has been searching for a bigger space to be able to increase our assistance to our community. We are so thankful to Rockland Trust for loaning us our space and taking such good care of us over the past ten years, but we have outgrown the building,” said Lynn Calling, Executive Director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Through the generosity of our Board members and close friends of The Pantry we were finally able to make this happen. Because of the commitment of the Board - as volunteers, donors, and advisors - we have been able to secure a mortgage for this property.”
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| Lynn Calling, Executive Director, stands in front of the future home |
“We are so grateful for the incredible outpouring of support from our community as we meet increased demand due to Covid-19 and we are happy to be able to bring some good news to them,” said Tina Powderly, Board President. “This endeavor has been a long time coming and we’d like to thank community member Christine Bracci who worked with us so closely to help create a lasting legacy for her family’s business and to ensure the growth of the pantry.”
“This building has been in my family for a long time, and I’m so glad that I was able to work with the Franklin Food Pantry to give the building new life and another chance to serve the Franklin Community,” said Christine Bracci, previous owner. “I would like to thank my attorney Michael Heaney, Heaney and Small LLP for his help with making this deal possible.”
During the pandemic, the Franklin Food Pantry continues to operate to serve all new and existing neighbors. The Pantry has changed its hours to Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. The Pantry is distributing prepackaged bags of shelf stable items as well as fresh produce and proteins through a drive up service. Since March, the Pantry has seen a weekly increase of new neighbors needing to receive services and all donations have gone toward continuing to feed its patrons.
About the Franklin Food Pantry
The Franklin Food Pantry offers supplemental food assistance and household necessities to over 1,100 individuals. Clients have access to a variety of fresh, frozen and nonperishable foods on monthly scheduled shopping trips as well as Walk-in Fridays. They can visit the Pantry daily for fruits, vegetables, bread and pastry. As a nonprofit organization, the Pantry depends entirely on donations, and receives no town or state funding. In 2019, 302,336 pounds of food was provided to clients. Other programs include the Weekend Backpack Program, Carts for Clients, Mobile Pantry, emergency food bags and holiday meal packages. Visit www.franklingfoodpantry.org for more information.
FM #255 State Representative Jeffrey Roy 4/27/20 (audio)
FM #255 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 255 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares my conversation with our State Representative Jeffrey Roy. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
We started by talking about the weekend and trying to take a break from COVID-19; the family of foxes that briefly lived in his backyard; the work of the Legislature and how that is progressing during this pandemic. The State budget is starting to be worked on by the House, later than normal, and it is likely that the entire State budget timeline will be later than normal. We talk about legislation on enabling voting by mail for the State primary in Sept and then the regular election in November.
We also talk about Jeff's work on the higher education committee and how that is helping to prepare for the broader discussion on what the State can do for higher education in MA; the economic impact of higher education, and then shifted into the arts and culture arena which also provides considerable economic value to the Commonwealth.
The recording runs almost 40 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jeff. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HB8QvYQ7
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
Note: I had the opportunity to join Rep Roy for his tour of UMass Medical, Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester State College on Friday, November 1, 2019
This session of the radio show shares my conversation with our State Representative Jeffrey Roy. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
We started by talking about the weekend and trying to take a break from COVID-19; the family of foxes that briefly lived in his backyard; the work of the Legislature and how that is progressing during this pandemic. The State budget is starting to be worked on by the House, later than normal, and it is likely that the entire State budget timeline will be later than normal. We talk about legislation on enabling voting by mail for the State primary in Sept and then the regular election in November.
We also talk about Jeff's work on the higher education committee and how that is helping to prepare for the broader discussion on what the State can do for higher education in MA; the economic impact of higher education, and then shifted into the arts and culture arena which also provides considerable economic value to the Commonwealth.
The recording runs almost 40 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jeff. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HB8QvYQ7
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
- If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| Rep Roy listening as part of the tour of the 'maker space' at Quinsigamond Community College (Nov 2019) |
Board of Health approves mandate for face coverings for employees of essential businesses
I took my notes with Twitter to capture the gist of what was happening at the Board of Health meeting, Monday, April 27, 2020. The meeting had two agenda items. The agenda doc can be found linked below.
Effectively, the Board of Health approved a mandate for employees of essential businesses to wear facial coverings and to reinforce the advisory that residents should wear facial coverings when visiting retail establishments. This is an interim step to be effective 4/29. There is another meeting to be scheduled for next week as a follow up and to review a new item that came up during the meeting (a clarification on golf per Governor's revised statement).
My Twitter notes were all tagged as #boh0427. As I went from this meeting to the Economic Development meeting (which had started at 5:50) I made a few mistakes by tagging some of the EDC notes with this same #boh0427 tag instead of #edc0427 - oops.
The individual tweets can be found with this search result:
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23boh0427&src=typed_query
The new FDA update on masks as mentioned during the meeting is found here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bckh-j1LwwNztxa52Jdsk4K5fVQALY_G/view?usp=sharing
Effectively, the Board of Health approved a mandate for employees of essential businesses to wear facial coverings and to reinforce the advisory that residents should wear facial coverings when visiting retail establishments. This is an interim step to be effective 4/29. There is another meeting to be scheduled for next week as a follow up and to review a new item that came up during the meeting (a clarification on golf per Governor's revised statement).
My Twitter notes were all tagged as #boh0427. As I went from this meeting to the Economic Development meeting (which had started at 5:50) I made a few mistakes by tagging some of the EDC notes with this same #boh0427 tag instead of #edc0427 - oops.
The individual tweets can be found with this search result:
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23boh0427&src=typed_query
- Real time reporting underway for Board of Health mtg
- New guidelines from Attorney General referenced. Consider mandate for employees of essential business to do so as a step. Reserve N95 for health and first responders
- Some of the citizen complaints to the Health Dept are around lack of grocery store employees not wearing cloth coverings (mask) #boh0427 . Health Director prefers advisory rather than mandate
- Concerns expressed about the mental health of the residents as we won't be observing the smiles of neighbors. Fear of going out because people are observed wearing masks.
- New FDA update on masks and types of just came out today. Mandate for employees, suggestion for residents to be clear. No single metric is perfect for effective of enforcement
- Questions and discussion around enforcement, in some cases would need to be by the retail business, BoH not wanting to get Franklin Police involved, they have other and better things to do
- Motion to adopt mandate for employees of essential business, recommended for posting of residents recommended to wear, motion approved; discussion on what effective date #boh0427 by close of business by April 29, notification coming, approved 3-0
- Hopefully the incremental approach will bring results, if not we can go further
- Discussion on expanding items for sale by restaurants and essential business, modify temp food permit to provide the steps/guidance for the business to do so. #boh0427 Health Director to come up with listing of items
- Motion for food establishments to sell grocery items, approved by 3-0 vote. Golf question came up in chat, can't add to this agenda. Will consider for next week meeting TBD #boh0427 motion to adjourn, passed via roll call
The new FDA update on masks as mentioned during the meeting is found here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bckh-j1LwwNztxa52Jdsk4K5fVQALY_G/view?usp=sharing
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| screengrab of Zoom meeting early in the meeting |
Attention Veterans: Project Toy Box - Response due Weds Apr 29
The United Way of Tri-County has received a major donation of new toys and games to distribute to children in out of work or low income veterans' families. We're calling this program Project Toy Box and have a goal to reach children in need who may have limited access to new activities, especially during this difficult time when many people are homebound. A variety of toys and games for children ages 5-12 will be distributed in the next few weeks.
If you are a veteran who has children and you may benefit from this, please let me know by end of day, Wednesday, Apr 29.
thanks
Dale
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Dale Kurtz
Veterans Service Officer
Towns of Avon and Franklin
10 Daniel McCahill Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-613-1315 (O)
508-520-4917 (F)
If you are a veteran who has children and you may benefit from this, please let me know by end of day, Wednesday, Apr 29.
thanks
Dale
--
Dale Kurtz
Veterans Service Officer
Towns of Avon and Franklin
10 Daniel McCahill Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-613-1315 (O)
508-520-4917 (F)
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| Attention Veterans: Project Toy Box - Response due Weds Apr 29 |
Beaver St. Recycling Center Open Regular Hours Now With the Addition of Thursday - Noon-3 PM
Beaver St. Recycling Center Open Regular Hours Now With the Addition of Thursday - Noon - 3 PM for This Week -- Brush and Yard Waste Drop-Off Only All Days
In order to meet the needs of our residents and still follow the Governor's directive, as well as provide the appropriate level of safety to our residents and public works employees, we are going to re-open the Beaver Street Recycling Center with the following guidelines.
• The Recycling Center opens for the drop-off of yard waste and brush only.
• No other recycling products will be accepted.
• The Recycling Center will be staffed with only one worker just to check that folks have a Recycling Center Sticker and are only dropping off yard waste or brush.
• The Employees will practice established personal space guidelines and "Social Distancing" and will not assist residents in any way with the unloading of their vehicles.
• Only five vehicles will be allowed in the Recycling Center at one time.
• There will be no credit card or check transactions.
• If a resident needs a recycling sticker, they will need to contact and arrange to get one from the Public Works Administration Office (508 520-4910) prior to going to the Recycling Center.
Recycling Center Hours This Week:
- Tuesday, April 28, Noon-3PM
- Thursday, April 30, Noon-3PM
- Friday, May 1, 8AM-3PM
- Saturday, May 2, 8AM-3PM
- Sunday, May 3, 9AM-1PM
This was shared from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/recycling-solid-waste/news/beaver-st-recycling-center-open-regular-hours-now-addition-thursday-noon
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| Beaver St. Recycling Center Open Regular Hours |
The Franklin Cultural District announces a "Photography Scavenger Hunt"
The Franklin Cultural District (FCD) is sponsoring a Photography Scavenger Hunt for residents of all ages! The Cultural District is building on an idea developed by the Cape Cod Arts Center in the Barnstable Village Cultural District.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Cultural District while using your artistic talents and skills. We invite all to exercise your creativity while maintaining a safe physical distance from others.
During this quarantine take some time to go out and explore with your phone, tablet, or camera and take pictures of scenes that you can find in the Franklin Cultural District. While exploring please make sure to practice good social distancing skills.
To find out all you need to know about the Scavenger Hunt including:
https://sites.google.com/view/franklin-cultural-district/home
Winners will be posted by June 1st. Hope you will all consider participating!
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Cultural District while using your artistic talents and skills. We invite all to exercise your creativity while maintaining a safe physical distance from others.
During this quarantine take some time to go out and explore with your phone, tablet, or camera and take pictures of scenes that you can find in the Franklin Cultural District. While exploring please make sure to practice good social distancing skills.
To find out all you need to know about the Scavenger Hunt including:
- How to enter
- The rules
- All of the Photo Categories
- A map of the Franklin Cultural District
https://sites.google.com/view/franklin-cultural-district/home
Winners will be posted by June 1st. Hope you will all consider participating!
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| Franklin Cultural District Photography Scavenger Hunt |
FTC Consumer Alert: Don’t click links in unsolicited text messages
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Monday, April 27, 2020
Watch "A Message From Hospitals: Don't Avoid Emergency Care" on YouTube
"At the COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, April 23, 2020, Governor Baker joined leaders from the Commonwealth's health care community to make clear that thanks to the shared work to prepare and build capacity, Massachusetts' hospitals are handling the uptick in COVID-19 cases, and are still able to care for patients with other medical conditions."YouTube Link = https://youtu.be/IWITRRS0WZ4
U.S. Geological Survey introduces "Learning From Home" portal
The U.S. Geological Survey Youth and Education in Science (YES) Team has revamped their web presence to better assist with online and home learning.
Check the new USGS Learning From Home portal for weekly lesson plans and activities, grades K – 12.
Students of all ages can always tap into the USGS Resources for Teachers for over 140 years of USGS research in the natural sciences in the form of lesson plans and activities, maps, podcasts, online lectures, videos and animations, and much more. Browse thousands of ideas for using these resources in elementary, secondary, university, and informal education settings.
- USGS Learning From Home portal
- USGS Resources for Teachers
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| https://edits.nationalmap.gov/tnmcorps/ |
FHS Senior Boys Hockey video
"We are thinking of our Seniors. Here is an awesome video celebrating them. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the program, our school and our town.""Special thanks to Tina Connelly for putting this video together!"
https://youtu.be/7fksBTRVLdI
Shared from Twitter
https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1254430043914285058?s=09
Ali Brigham named one of the 2020 Red Auerbach Massachusetts Basketball Players of the Year
Another award for FHS' Ali Brigham
Shared via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/fhsgjvlax/status/1254474332132315136?s=09
MBCA Girls’ All-Sectional Team. This list includes our Regional Players Of the year:— MBCA (@mbcaorg) April 21, 2020
Makayla Graves (North)
Ali Brigham (South)
Belle Lanpher (Central)
Nora Young (West) pic.twitter.com/K5PD0qMS18
The MBCA is also proud to present the 2020 Red Auerbach Massachusetts Basketball Players of the Year: Ali Brigham (Franklin High School) and John West (Shrewsbury High School). @FHSSports @ColonialsAD— MBCA (@mbcaorg) April 21, 2020
Shared via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/fhsgjvlax/status/1254474332132315136?s=09
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| MBCA names Ali Brigham one of the 2020 Red Auerbach MA Basketball Players of the Year |
“A huge piece of art is not just the creating process, but also the sharing process”
Great article in Edutopia featuring our own Ms. Doherty!
"Can the Arts Go Digital?
Christine Doherty, an elementary art teacher in Franklin, Massachusetts, said she had always shied away from using technology but realized she would have to embrace it to connect to all 540 of her students at two different schools during school closures.
Doherty created a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsK1QTSOSHu3NiSAwDvYGtQ) where she reads books to her students or leads them through easy art activities such as drawing and coloring.
She quickly found that online platforms allow students to continue sharing and talking about their artwork, just as they would in school. During her live video instruction time, students can type an H, for hand, into the chat box to indicate they want to share their work and place it up to the screen for other students to see. “A huge piece of art is not just the creating process, but also the sharing process,” she said."Read the full article onlinehttps://www.edutopia.org/article/show-must-go-online-arts-teachers-adapt-home-instruction
Huge thank you to @lauraelee and @Edutopia for publishing this article featuring the hard work, effort & creativity of fellow arts educators during the school closures! I am so honored to be featured and represent @FranklinPSart https://t.co/Wet0edRP3O— Christine Doherty (@MsDoherty_ART) April 24, 2020
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NY Times: "The Untold Story of the Birth of Social Distancing"
From the New York Times we find this long read but good background information on where 'social distancing' came from.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/politics/social-distancing-coronavirus.html
Shared earlier in this pandemic period but a great visual on how social distancing works. YouTube Link = https://youtu.be/o4PnSYAqQHU
"Fourteen years ago, two federal government doctors, Richard Hatchett and Carter Mecher, met with a colleague at a burger joint in suburban Washington for a final review of a proposal they knew would be treated like a piñata: telling Americans to stay home from work and school the next time the country was hit by a deadly pandemic.
When they presented their plan not long after, it was met with skepticism and a degree of ridicule by senior officials, who like others in the United States had grown accustomed to relying on the pharmaceutical industry, with its ever-growing array of new treatments, to confront evolving health challenges.
Drs. Hatchett and Mecher were proposing instead that Americans in some places might have to turn back to an approach, self-isolation, first widely employed in the Middle Ages.
How that idea — born out of a request by President George W. Bush to ensure the nation was better prepared for the next contagious disease outbreak — became the heart of the national playbook for responding to a pandemic is one of the untold stories of the coronavirus crisis."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/us/politics/social-distancing-coronavirus.html
Shared earlier in this pandemic period but a great visual on how social distancing works. YouTube Link = https://youtu.be/o4PnSYAqQHU
MBTA: Starting Saturday, May 2: Franklin Line no longer uses shuttle bus
"The installation of PTC has been completed on the Franklin Line. Normal weekend train service will resume on Saturday, May 2."
Last Updated: Apr 27 2020 04:30 AM
https://mbta.com/schedules/CR-Franklin/alerts
For more about Positive Train Control (PTC)
https://mbta.com/projects/commuter-rail-positive-train-control-ptc
"Normal weekend service" really means it is under the 'new normal' reduced service of the pandemic. https://mbta.com/covid19
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| MBTA: Starting Saturday, May 2: Franklin Line no longer uses shuttle bus |
Boston Globe: Contact tracing background; high school 'lost year'?
From the Boston Globe, articles of interest to Franklin:
Contact tracing background
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/25/metro/way-out-inside-ambitious-mass-coronavirus-contact-tracing-effort/
Hard, maybe cruel even, but better a 'lost year' than losing 'a life'
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/25/nation/lost-year-high-school-seniors-reflect-glory-days-theyll-never-have
Contact tracing background
"Dr. Emily Wroe started working for Boston-based Partners in Health, the renowned global health nonprofit, while still a Harvard medical student. She worked with the government of Rwanda to build a modern hospital in the country’s poor northern region, perched on a terraced hilltop surrounded by subsistence farms. Later, in Malawi, she treated patients with tuberculosis and HIV, working with community health workers to track down sick patients by foot and, sometimes, motorbike.
Now she’s building a new squad of public health workers. Only this one is based in Massachusetts and it’s a virtual one, 1,000-people strong. Their mission is to track down every person in the state who comes in close contact with an infected person and help them isolate, thereby slowing the spread of the deadly virus.
And this time, the tracking will be done by telephone.
Wroe is part of the Partners in Health team charged with creating the state’s ambitious contact tracing program, which Governor Charlie Baker announced earlier this month. The administration, which has allotted $44 million to the program, sees contact tracing as a key piece of its plan to eventually open the economy up and allow people to venture out again, without fear of infection."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/25/metro/way-out-inside-ambitious-mass-coronavirus-contact-tracing-effort/
Hard, maybe cruel even, but better a 'lost year' than losing 'a life'
"Catari Giglio did everything she could to make the senior prom at Fenway High School picture perfect. She had the elegant gown, the handsome date; she had even designed the tickets for the big event.
Vivian Santos-Smith had a lead role in Somerville High School’s production of “As You Like It.” As winter turned to spring, and set and costumes came together, she spent hours memorizing her famous speech, the one that begins “All the world’s a stage …”
Mairead Baker, valedictorian at Boston Latin Academy, was writing the graduation speech that she would deliver to hundreds of beaming teachers and families, reflecting on the hard lessons of her past.
Like 80,000 other high school seniors across Massachusetts who learned this week that their schools will remain closed through June, they know their personal disappointments are a small price to pay to help end a global pandemic. But for young people whose lives have been defined by school since the age of 5 — who were on a path to high school graduation before they knew the word “commencement” — it was a stunning reversal of fortune, their most assured milestones disappearing in an instant."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/25/nation/lost-year-high-school-seniors-reflect-glory-days-theyll-never-have
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| Boston Globe: Contact tracing background; high school 'lost year'? |
IR-2020-82: IRS enhances Get My Payment online application to help taxpayers
The Internal Revenue Service today announced significant enhancements to the “Get My Payment” tool to deliver an improved and smoother experience for Americans eligible to receive Economic Impact Payments.
The enhancements, which started last week and continued through the weekend, adjusted several items related to the online tool, which debuted on April 15. The additional changes will help millions of additional taxpayers with new or expanded information and access to adding direct deposit information.
“We delivered Get My Payment with new capabilities that did not exist during any similar relief program, including the ability to receive direct deposit information that accelerates payments to millions of people,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “These further enhancements will help even more taxpayers. We urge people who haven’t received a payment date yet to visit Get My Payment again for the latest information. IRS teams worked long hours to deliver Get My Payment in record time, and we will continue to make improvements to help Americans.”
“We encourage people to check back in and visit Get My Payment,” Rettig added. “These enhancements will help many taxpayers. By using Get My Payment now, more people will be able to get payments quickly by being able to add direct deposit information.”
How to use Get My Payment
Available only on IRS.gov, the online application is safe and secure to use. Taxpayers only need a few pieces of information to quickly obtain the status of their payment and, where needed, provide their bank account information. Having a copy of their most recent tax return can help speed the process.
As a reminder, Get My Payment is a U.S. Government system for authorized use only. The tool is solely for use by individuals or those legally authorized by the individual to access their information. Unauthorized use is prohibited and subject to criminal and civil penalties.
For taxpayers to track the status of their payment, this feature will show taxpayers the scheduled delivery date by direct deposit or mail and the last four digits of the bank account being used if the IRS has direct deposit information. They will need to enter basic information including:
Get My Payment cannot update bank account information after an Economic Impact Payment has been scheduled for delivery. To help protect against potential fraud, the tool also does not allow people to change bank account information already on file with the IRS.
A Spanish version of Get My Payment is expected in a few weeks.
Watch out for scams related to Economic Impact Payments
The IRS urges taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams related to the Economic Impact Payments. To use the new app or get information, taxpayers should visit IRS.gov. People should watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS will not send unsolicited electronic communications asking people to open attachments, visit a website or share personal or financial information. Remember, go directly and solely to IRS.gov for official information.
More information
The IRS will post frequently asked questions on IRS.gov/coronavirus and will provide updates as soon as they are available.
This was shared from
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-enhances-get-my-payment-online-application-to-help-taxpayers
The enhancements, which started last week and continued through the weekend, adjusted several items related to the online tool, which debuted on April 15. The additional changes will help millions of additional taxpayers with new or expanded information and access to adding direct deposit information.
“We delivered Get My Payment with new capabilities that did not exist during any similar relief program, including the ability to receive direct deposit information that accelerates payments to millions of people,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “These further enhancements will help even more taxpayers. We urge people who haven’t received a payment date yet to visit Get My Payment again for the latest information. IRS teams worked long hours to deliver Get My Payment in record time, and we will continue to make improvements to help Americans.”
“We encourage people to check back in and visit Get My Payment,” Rettig added. “These enhancements will help many taxpayers. By using Get My Payment now, more people will be able to get payments quickly by being able to add direct deposit information.”
How to use Get My Payment
Available only on IRS.gov, the online application is safe and secure to use. Taxpayers only need a few pieces of information to quickly obtain the status of their payment and, where needed, provide their bank account information. Having a copy of their most recent tax return can help speed the process.
As a reminder, Get My Payment is a U.S. Government system for authorized use only. The tool is solely for use by individuals or those legally authorized by the individual to access their information. Unauthorized use is prohibited and subject to criminal and civil penalties.
For taxpayers to track the status of their payment, this feature will show taxpayers the scheduled delivery date by direct deposit or mail and the last four digits of the bank account being used if the IRS has direct deposit information. They will need to enter basic information including:
- Social Security number
- Date of birth, and
- Mailing address used on their tax return.
- Their Adjusted Gross Income from their most recent tax return submitted, either 2019 or 2018
- The refund or amount owed from their latest filed tax return
- Bank account type, account and routing numbers
Get My Payment cannot update bank account information after an Economic Impact Payment has been scheduled for delivery. To help protect against potential fraud, the tool also does not allow people to change bank account information already on file with the IRS.
A Spanish version of Get My Payment is expected in a few weeks.
Watch out for scams related to Economic Impact Payments
The IRS urges taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams related to the Economic Impact Payments. To use the new app or get information, taxpayers should visit IRS.gov. People should watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS will not send unsolicited electronic communications asking people to open attachments, visit a website or share personal or financial information. Remember, go directly and solely to IRS.gov for official information.
More information
The IRS will post frequently asked questions on IRS.gov/coronavirus and will provide updates as soon as they are available.
This was shared from
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-enhances-get-my-payment-online-application-to-help-taxpayers
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting - Agenda - Apr 28, 2020
Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.
Per Governor Baker’s Executive Order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A sec. 20, the public will not be allowed to physically access this School Committee meeting. Members of the Public can access the meeting via remote conference. The School Committee reserves the right to implement additional remote participation procedures and will notify the public of these procedures as soon as practicable.
LOCATION: Remote participation via ZOOM -- link below
Link to Join Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94329059693
OR Call-in Phone Number: Call 1-929-205-6099 and enter the Meeting ID: 94329059693 then press #
“The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.”
I. Routine Business
A. Review of Agenda
B. Citizen’s Comments
In the spirit of open communication, “the Committee will hold a public participation segment (also called Citizen’s Comments) about matters not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made…. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment…. The Committee will hear public comments related to an agenda item when the Chair deems appropriate during the Committee meeting. Topics for discussion during the meeting must be limited to those items listed on the Committee meeting agenda for that evening…. ” - from Policy BEDHC. FHS Student Representative Comments
D. Superintendent’s Report
II. Guests/Presentations
A. none
III. Discussion/Action Items
A. FY21 Budget Vote
I recommend adoption of the FY21 Budget in the amount of $68,767,873.00 as discussed.
https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/fy-2021-budget
B. Policy – First Readings
I recommend moving the following policies to a second reading at the next meeting as detailed:
JFABD (New) – Homeless Students: Enrollment Rights and Services JFABF – Educational Opportunities for Children in Foster Care
JBB – (New) – Educational Equity
C. Policy Elimination
I recommend elimination of Policy JS – Education of Students Identified as Homeless as discussed.
IV. Discussion Only Items
A. Closure Update
V. Information Matters
A. School Committee Sub-Committee Reports (e.g. Ad Hoc Supt. Evaluation, Ad Hoc Facilities Analysis, Budget, Community Relations/Public Schools Advocacy, Policy, Transportation)
B. School Committee Liaison Reports (e.g. Joint PCC, Substance Abuse Task Force, School Wellness Advisory Council)
VI. New Business
A. To discuss any future agenda items
VII. Consent Agenda
A. Approval of Minutes
I recommend approval of the minutes from the April 14, 2020 School Committee Meeting as detailed.
B. Approval of Minutes
I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2020 School Committee Meeting as detailed.
VIII. Payment of Bills Dr. Bergen
IX. Payroll Ms. D’Angelo
X. Adjournment
The agenda and associated documents released for this meeting can be found online
https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/pages/april-28-2020-school-committee-meeting-packet
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| Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting - Agenda - Apr 28, 2020 |
Franklin, MA: Economic Development Committee - Agenda - April 27, 2020
Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting
April 27, 2020 - 5:30 PM
Remote Meeting - Held on “Zoom” Platform
Announcements:
This meeting may be recorded by audio or video.
● F or link to Access the Meeting Click HERE then click “Open Zoom”
● Call-in Phone Number: Call 1-929-205-6099 and enter Meeting ID 968 2289 6271- then press “#”
Discussion:
1. Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw Proposal
The full agenda and associated bylaw proposal can be found
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/agendas/04-27-2020_edc_full_agenda_.pdf
Memo From Town Administrator Jamie Hellen
This evening will be an introduction to one of the Town Council’s goals for the 2020-2021 legislative session: inclusionary zoning. I have attached a copy of the proposed bylaw which we will review this evening.
We have all heard the many concerns from residents about the affordable housing crisis in the community, ranging from people who may be struggling to own a home, who may be homeless or in a transient situation, to many children and grandchildren of lifelong Franklinites who are unable to afford a house or rental for a price that a traditional middle class family can afford.
As the median income and median home value in Franklin has risen quickly in the last decade, the staff believes this is a proposal that will help achieve some of the community’s concerns.
Here are some basic points on the proposal:
● Inclusionary zoning is a way to increase affordable housing stock for middle class and low income families by requiring a set amount of units of any multi-family development to have deed restricted units at various income guidelines.
● The staff are suggesting a two tiered system equalling 25% (“Inclusionary Units”) of any project be deemed affordable:
○ “Affordable Units” are 15% of those units that would be under the federal HUD median income guidelines, which qualifies for credit on our Chapter 40B Standard Housing Index (SHI) system. In other words, we get credit for this 15% on our 40B percentage.
○ “Moderate Income Units” are 10% of those units would be under increased income guidelines commensurate with the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which are income guidelines set by CPA and are 20% higher to fit more with Massachusetts Housing markets. These units would not be credited under 40B,
but would address a major public concern of current and future generations not being able to afford Franklin.
● Subdivisions are not susceptible to this bylaw. Only multi-family dwellings over 3 units (rental complexes, condo complexes, and so on).
● An inclusionary plan is required for any project that is for 3 units or higher.
● Income guidelines are included in the bylaw proposal. Affordable units are determined by the federal government, moderate income units are defined by the CPA in state law.
● All of the communities surrounding Franklin have inclusionary zoning bylaw, including Medway, Bellingham, Wrentham and Norfolk with many other communities already accepting similar bylaws or considering them this year.
Example
To illustrate how this works, use the Dean Avenue apartments as an example, which was permitted for 257 units.
If inclusionary zoning had been in place:
● 25% of the 257 is 64.25 units, which would be affordable.
● Under the proposal this would round down to 64 units.
● Thus, 64 units would be deed restricted at income guidelines to assist people trying to afford Franklin housing.
● 25 units would be at higher income limits to CPA, which is at 100% of median income to address the middle class housing crunch.
● 39 units would be a slightly lower income amount, which is 80% of median income, but would count toward our 40B percentage with the state, helping Franklin stay at above 10% to ensure our zoning does not get overruled by development proposals.
I recognize this proposal will generate many questions and look forward to a discussion.
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| Franklin, MA: Economic Development Committee - Agenda - April 27, 2020 |
FM #254 Talk Franklin - Hellen and Tracey 4/24/20 (audio)
FM #254 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 254 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
We talked to recap the Town Council special meeting on how and when to re-open for business, the upcoming Board of Health meeting to review the current stand on masks, the Economic Development meeting getting into inclusionary zoning, the ‘spring training’ approach to the budget with a meeting on May 4, and the Department Spotlight to highlight some of the good work being done by the departments in Town.
The recording runs almost about 65 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HWwCpCQ7
--------------
The Town of Franklin COVID-19 information portal
https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/coronavirus-information-portal
The first Dept Spotlight https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/introducing-department-spotlights
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
We talked to recap the Town Council special meeting on how and when to re-open for business, the upcoming Board of Health meeting to review the current stand on masks, the Economic Development meeting getting into inclusionary zoning, the ‘spring training’ approach to the budget with a meeting on May 4, and the Department Spotlight to highlight some of the good work being done by the departments in Town.
The recording runs almost about 65 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HWwCpCQ7
--------------
The Town of Franklin COVID-19 information portal
https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/coronavirus-information-portal
The first Dept Spotlight https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/introducing-department-spotlights
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
- If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
 |
| FM #254 Talk Franklin - Hellen and Tracey 4/24/20 (audio) |
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