Via the Mass Municipal Association (MMA) which reports
"The Baker-Polito administration on Sept. 24 announced final regulations establishing a maximum contaminant level for PFAS compounds detected in drinking water.
The enforceable standards for public drinking water systems impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – limited to 20 parts per trillion for the sum of six compounds – are largely aligned with the draft regulations the administration filed last December, on which the MMA commented.
PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” are a class of manmade chemical compounds considered hazardous to public and environmental health. PFAS have been used since the 1950s in the manufacture of stain-resistant, water-resistant, and non-stick coatings and common consumer products such as food packaging, outdoor clothing, carpets, leather goods, ski and snowboard waxes, and more. The chemicals are also found in firefighting foam and other fire retardants, and have been detected in water and soil sources at or near several military bases and airports in Massachusetts.
The new regulations require public water suppliers to test for the six compounds, called PFAS6, and to take remedial actions when amounts exceed the limit. According to the administration, using the sum of six compounds provides for a higher degree of protection against the harmful effects of the chemicals."
Continue reading the article online https://www.mma.org/state-establishes-pfas-limits-for-drinking-water-provides-grants/
Final regulations from MA https://www.mass.gov/regulations/310-CMR-22-the-massachusetts-drinking-water-regulations
MMA comments on proposed regulations https://www.mma.org/advocacy/mma-submits-comments-on-draft-pfas-regulations-warning-of-exorbitant-costs/
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| MA sets PFAS limits for drinking water |
The New England Journal of Medicine writes the following editorial:
"COVID-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.
The magnitude of this failure is astonishing. According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering,1 the United States leads the world in Covid-19 cases and in deaths due to the disease, far exceeding the numbers in much larger countries, such as China. The death rate in this country is more than double that of Canada, exceeds that of Japan, a country with a vulnerable and elderly population, by a factor of almost 50, and even dwarfs the rates in lower-middle-income countries, such as Vietnam, by a factor of almost 2000. Covid-19 is an overwhelming challenge, and many factors contribute to its severity. But the one we can control is how we behave. And in the United States we have consistently behaved poorly.
We know that we could have done better. China, faced with the first outbreak, chose strict quarantine and isolation after an initial delay. These measures were severe but effective, essentially eliminating transmission at the point where the outbreak began and reducing the death rate to a reported 3 per million, as compared with more than 500 per million in the United States. Countries that had far more exchange with China, such as Singapore and South Korea, began intensive testing early, along with aggressive contact tracing and appropriate isolation, and have had relatively small outbreaks. And New Zealand has used these same measures, together with its geographic advantages, to come close to eliminating the disease, something that has allowed that country to limit the time of closure and to largely reopen society to a prepandemic level. In general, not only have many democracies done better than the United States, but they have also outperformed us by orders of magnitude."
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| New England Journal of Medicine: "Dying in a Leadership Vacuum" |
October 8, 2020
To: Town of Franklin Residents
From: Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator
The Town of Franklin is cautioning all residents and employees to be mindful of the sharp increase in malicious cyber fraud and email phishing attempts. The Town of Franklin is announcing today that it has itself been the victim of a recent “spear-phishing” attack. A payment of $522,000 was misdirected to a third party.
The matter has been turned over to the Franklin Police Department who are working with state and federal authorities, for a complete criminal investigation. In addition, the Town has retained as special counsel in connection with this matter an attorney to coordinate and work with the authorities on this matter. Attorneys for the Town have requested there be no further comment on the investigation until the appropriate time when all of the facts have been gathered and the Franklin Police Department has completed its investigation.
I have been reassured that Franklin’s electronic data is secure. There is currently no evidence of a breach of our systems. All personal information, accounts and town software systems have been found not to be compromised. The incident was not a ransomware attack.
I also wish to note that this incident has not affected the Town’s general fund. It occurred in connection with a non-general fund account. The Town is implementing new procedures and protocols to limit future incidents of this type and urges all to guard against increased fraud.
For further resources and information on cyber-crime, threats and spear-phishing, please visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) cyber-crime website here:
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber
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Shared via ToF Twitter account https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1314341421135147013 which contained the following PDF https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/2020-10-08_spear_phishing_attack_announcement_.pdf
Town of Franklin: Spear Phishing Attack Announcement
FM #361 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 361 in the series.
This shares the recording of “Frank Presents” hosted by Frank Falvey. In this segment Frank talks with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, Town Clerk Nancy Danello, and myself to review the details in preparation for the Nov 3, 2020 general election.
The recorded conversation runs just about 43 minutes, so let’s listen to “Frank Presents” discussing the Franklin election process for 2020.
Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1bHHtBK
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The Town Clerk page https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk
Ballot Tracker https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
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"
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| FM #361 Frank Presents Election2020 - 9/30/20 (audio) |
FM #360 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 360 in the series.
This shares the Franklin, MA Finance Committee meeting that was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
A quick recap:
The meeting runs just about 76 minutes, so let’s listen to the Finance Committee meeting of Oct 6, 2020 Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6zrcKJK
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The agenda doc, including connection info
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/finance-committee-agenda-oct-6-2020.html
My notes taken via Twitter during the meeting are summarized here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/finance-committee-recap-of-meeting-oct.html
Photos used in the Twitter thread can be found in the Google photo album
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gaTjkmugDZ3QfBxs9
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
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"
 |
| FM #360 Finance Committee Mtg - 10/06/20 (audio) |
From WBUR we share the following article of interest to Franklin:
"On a blustery Thursday afternoon, 13 students are spread out across the practice marching band field and parking lot at New Bedford High School.
The color guard is off in one corner, practicing some figure eights with bright orange and black flags, while the brass players and drum majors are running through a series of marching drills and rehearsing a new song.
This is only the fourth time this group of students has played together since March, when school buildings closed state-wide due to the coronavirus pandemic. In-person rehearsals are smaller now. This is only about 1/7 of the full Whaler marching band. But most of the kids don't seem to mind.
"The rehearsals were optional but we came here because we all want to do what we love," said trombone player Danny Lopez."
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| wbur: "Getting The Band Back Together: How One Marching Band Is Practicing During The Pandemic" |
