In the News: decline in cigarette tax stamp sales may exceed forecast

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"Cigarette sales in Massachusetts were down by 24% in August, according to convenience store owners, and the state has seen a nearly $32 million drop in tobacco excise taxes in the three months since its first-in-the-nation ban on menthol cigarettes took effect.

The decline in cigarette tax stamp sales would put Massachusetts on pace to exceed the $93 million in foregone revenue projected by the Department of Revenue last year from the menthol and mint cigarette ban.

The New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association said the ban has pushed sales to neighboring states, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island where overall cigarette sales were up 65% and 17% in August, respectively. New Hampshire saw a 91% spike in menthol cigarette sales alone in August, and Rhode Island’s coffers benefited from 40% bump in menthol sales.

The ban on menthol cigarettes in Massachusetts took effect on June 1, and while public officials were willing to give up some revenue for the public health benefits of banning all types of flavored tobacco, convenience stores say residents are simply bringing the products back from other states."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201009/stores-say-mass-tax-drop-reflects-shift-in-cigarette-sales?rssfeed=true

 

Town of Franklin, MA: October Senior Coffee Hour - Oct 15

The October Senior Coffee with Franklin Officials is scheduled for next Thursday, October 15 at 8:30 AM. 

 

Find the meeting link - Join Zoom Meeting  https://t.co/xY0HvlN7QK...
Meeting ID: 831 5465 3026
Passcode: 703738

 

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/97k2I0E25e

Town of Franklin, MA: October Senior Coffee Hour - Oct 15

Commonwealth Magazine: "Pandemic hasn’t erased the opioid epidemic"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"HE HAD JUST LOST his father to COVID-19. His dad had succumbed to this relentless disease while living in a long-term care facility. He was just beginning to cope with that loss.

Then, it got worse.

Two weeks later, he lost his son. His son died after a long-term battle with opioid addiction, stolen by an epidemic that has been raging since well before the pandemic – and still rages today.

What made these losses even more traumatic? Unable to hold a funeral or have any real way to join together with loved ones, he couldn’t say good-bye to either. The pandemic had taken that from him as well.

This is the tragic story of one family in Massachusetts. The pandemic has impacted so many more. And for those struggling with addiction, or who have a loved one who is, it’s brought a whole new set of challenges and hardship."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/pandemic-hasnt-erased-the-opioid-epidemic/

 

SAFE Coalition provides a good deal of assistance in this arena. "Get Help Now! For Help Call the SAFE Support Hotline: 508-488-8105"

For additional info visit https://www.safecoalitionma.org/ 

 

 

Get Help Now! For Help Call the SAFE Support Hotline: 508-488-8105

“Some people are afraid of opossums based on their looks"

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

Some are fearful of their beady eyes and sharp claws, but any danger opossums pose is usually outweighed by a human’s reaction to them, says Franklin wildlife rehabilitator Stacey Cobb.

On Sept. 14, she met “Hope,” a juvenile opossum who was shot repeatedly with a pellet gun, she said.

“He was in rough shape,” said Cobb, of Nature’s Nurse Wildlife Rehabilitation, when she met the injured marsupial at about 5 that morning. A North Attleborough woman and her niece, who Cobb noted were both “pretty badly beaten up” themselves, brought the animal over after he was shot by a neighbor a few hours earlier.

“It was bad,” said Cobb. “He was shot in the eye, and the bullet had gone into his eye and was trying to come out his cheek/jaw area.” He was also shot in the abdomen, she added.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201009/franklin-rehabilitator-applying-to-keep-injured-opossum-as-educational-ambassador-against-animal-cruelty?rssfeed=true

 

"Nature's Nurse Wildlife Rehabilitation is a registered 501c3 in Franklin, Massachusetts. We nurse sick, orphaned and injured wildlife back to health and back into their natural environment within the state of Massachusetts."

Visit their webpage  http://naturesnursewildliferehabilitation.org/

Or their Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/naturesnursewildliferehabilitation/

 

“In general, cyberattacks have increased since the COVID-19 crisis came into affect"

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"Town officials announced Thursday night that the town was victimized by a “spear phishing” attack that resulted in $522,000 being “misdirected to a third party.”

The attack did not affect the town’s general fund, but rather a non-general fund account, said Town Administrator Jamie Hellen.

“I have been reassured that Franklin’s electronic data is secure,” Hellen said in a press release. “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.”

Spear phishing involves sending emails, posing as trusted sender, with the goal to infect a specific target’s devices with malware or to steal information and/or money. Comparatively, phishing is less targeted toward specific victims and is more random, casting a wider net than spear phishing attacks."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201009/franklin-loses-522k-to-spear-phishing-cyberattack?rssfeed=true

In case you missed the original announcement of the phishing attack:  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/town-of-franklin-spear-phishing-attack.html

On Friday, Oct 9, Jamie and I recorded our "Talk Franklin" episode and discussed this incident in more detail. You'll be able to hear that shortly.  https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin/

 

https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin/

 

 

"Both the fluctuating pattern and the scale of the changes are unusual"

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"The number of Massachusetts workers counted as unemployed dropped by more than 250,000 over the past two months, a decline of more than a third that helped the state escape from a short streak of owning the worst jobless rate in the country.

About 114,000 more workers became employed in that span, too, a sign of continued steps toward recovery following the pandemic-related recession’s low point in the spring.

But the improving jobs numbers and unemployment rate likely mask deeper, more lasting damage at both the state and federal level: many people are dropping out of the workforce altogether, hinting that some — particularly women, who disproportionately fill caretaker roles — have given up attempts to find employment amid slow hiring and uncertainty about the COVID-19 health outlook.

“It’s a significant problem,” Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President and CEO Eric Rosengren said in a speech on Thursday. “The longer the pandemic goes on, the more you’re going to see people leaving the labor force, not only because they can’t find a job, but because they have to care for either elderly parents, people that are sick because of the pandemic, or children that are not able to go to school because schools have been closed and there is not availability of daycare.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201009/not-so-rosy-data-shows-many-in-mass-have-left-workforce?rssfeed=true

You don't need a classroom to gain new skills.

New sessions begin October 14th!

Lifelong Community Learning This is a great time to learn something new & get ready for your future! In partnership with Ed2Go, we offer online courses on a wide variety of topics. So take some time to gain business or personal skills from home. New sessions begin October 14th OR many courses also have a self-paced option that you can start anytime. We have a few suggestions below, or you can review the full array of career training and/or professional development courses using the links at the bottom of this email. Personal Finance This course will prepare you for a lifetime of worthwhile personal financial planning. The tools you will learn are useful, realistic, and easy to work into your regular routine. They will help you gain control over the financial impact of the choices you make. Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking Using Photoshop Elements, this course will teach you how to make the most of your scrapbooking talents and artistic ideas when you combine traditional and digital scrapbooking. Healthy Living Suite In this comprehensive course, you'll discover how to establish a healthy approach to weight loss and weight maintenance. You'll master how to set and achieve weight-loss and weight-maintenance goals that make sense for you. Want to Learn Something Else? Career Training Programs Professional Development

Lifelong Learning Institute - Franklin Public Schools | 218 Oak Street, Room 137, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by lcl@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!