Emma's Quilt Cupboard is closed this week to move!
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| Reminder: Santa on the Common - now a drive by event - Nov 29 |
From Pantherbook we share the following:
"The CDC advises that “the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.” To still feel connected to your extended family, you can video chat with them on Thanksgiving.
However, if you are visiting family, a safer way to celebrate is outside, perhaps at a bonfire. If you are gathering inside, you can open windows in the house to establish more air-flow. Inside or outside, the CDC highly recommends wearing masks when not eating or drinking, social distance as much as possible, and washing your hands often."
Continue reading Pantherbook online https://franklinpanthers.us/news/2020/11/23/thanksgiving-during-the-pandemic/
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| https://franklinpanthers.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/getty-covid-mask-coronavirus-fall-thanksgiving-900x471.png |
Join Us! Wednesday, December 2 at 10:00 AM
HELLO VETERANS!
Just a reminder… Our next VIRTUAL Coffee Social is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2 at 10:00 hours!
Please join us for veterans' updates and conversation and feel free to extend this invitation to other veterans who may not be on our contact list.
We hope you and your families are remaining healthy and safe by wearing face coverings and observing social distancing guidelines when out in public. Remember to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly especially after going shopping or to appointments. Use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Please follow the governor's Covid-19 travel and visiting guidelines during the holiday season.
Flu shots are available at local pharmacies. If you're over 65, you may want to call ahead to be sure your pharmacy has the high-dose influenza vaccine in stock.
The Veterans' Office will host the monthly Coffee Social via Zoom on Wednesday, December 2 at 10:00 A.M.
If you have not participated in a Zoom call yet, you'll need to download the Zoom app on your device before joining us.
Here is the log-in information for the December 2020 meeting only:
Join Zoom via URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82499173596
Call in number: 1-929-205-6099
Enter Meeting ID: 824 9917 3596 then press #
For more information, contact the Veterans Services Office at: (508) 613-1315.
We look forward to chatting with you at the December Coffee Social!
BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Franklin Senior Center: December 2020 VIRTUAL Coffee Social
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said a relatively small number of state unemployment claims were approved last week because of a screening process designed to weed out a rising tide of fraudulent claims.
The governor said the state received 31,000 applications for unemployment assistance last week, but only 1,000 passed the screening process.
“There’s a tremendous amount of fraud going on around UI,” Baker said at a Monday afternoon press conference. “Some of these fraudsters are actually paying people to call unemployment offices around the country and advocate for benefits pretending to be somebody they’re not, who’s not in fact actually unemployed.”
Baker said the anti-fraud effort is slowing down the claims process and preventing state officials from obtaining an accurate count of the number of new claims being filed each week."
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"As the coronavirus pandemic intensifies, is there any safe way to celebrate Thanksgiving? We asked four experts to tell us about their plans and the science that shaped them."Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)
The Commuter Rail will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, 11/26. Regular weekday train service will resume on Friday, 11/27.
On the Lowell and Franklin Lines, Sunday train service without disruptions will run on 11/26. Weekend bus shuttles will resume on both lines on Saturday 11/28.
On the Rockport Line, bus shuttles will continue to operate between West Gloucester and Rockport.
https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Franklin/timetable
MBTA: Thursday - Commuter Rail notice for Thanksgiving
FM #395 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 395 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the audio recording of the Town Council Budget Subcommittee meeting held at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Budget Subcommittee and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, the public was remote via Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Quick recap:
The full show notes also include my notes taken via Twitter during the meeting as well as the agenda and associated budget documents released for this meeting.
The meeting runs about 32 minutes, so let’s listen to the Budget Subcommittee meeting. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HWHd5tyS
Budget Subcommittee agenda and supporting documents: https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/budget_subcommittee_agenda.pdf
Town of Franklin Budget page https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget
My meeting notes
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/town-council-budget-subcommittee.html
Photos captured during the meeting and shared with the Twitter thread can be found online https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ksn5Q4qwUrcJ3Eq36
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| sheet showing the two additions of $75 and the set aside of $850K |
FM #394 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 394 in the series.
This session shares the Finance Committee meeting held on Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Finance Committee and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, the public was remote via Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Quick Recap:
The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda and my notes.
The meeting runs about 70 minutes, so let’s listen to the Finance Committee meeting for Nov 17, 2020. audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HNC3mSdS
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The Finance Committee posted agenda including the interceptor project presentation document https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/franklin-ma-finance-committee-agenda_14.html
My notes of the meeting https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/finance-committee-meeting-recap-nov-17.html
The Oct 21, 2020 Town Council meeting segment with the Beaver St interceptor presentation and discussion https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-372-town-council-mtg-102120-part-2.html
Photos of the meeting shared via Twitter can be found in one album
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fHPczB9FKC5P67U16
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| key graphic depicts the sewer gravity flow along with the depth of the access points |
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| Reminder: Candidate Night - Nov 23 - 7:00 PM |
Turn your social media page into a gratitude journal using #GiveThanks. Post every day about what you are grateful for, who you are grateful for, or why you are grateful. Share experiences, remembrances, and people you are grateful for. At the end of seven days, see if you feel happier and more at peace. Use the #GiveThanks.Say daily prayers of gratitude.
"So it was that I was interested to read an article that the Brockton Public Schools District Review Report was out (three weeks ago: I am behind!) from the Department's pre-pandemic visit in early March.
Brockton, of course, is the fourth largest school district in Massachusetts and home of the plaintiffs of both the McDuffy and the Hancock legal decisions. When it comes to gaps in school funding, thus, Brockton is a kind of ground zero. Brockton also was the nationally lauded district for closing the achievement gap without becoming a "drill and kill" sort of school system. What happens when those two things are true of the same system, decades or so on?"
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| From the 2018 "Tale of Four Cities" presentation You are reading correctly that it is a 414 teacher gap. |
Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell today reiterated the importance he places on the Registry’s use of social media platforms to communicate directly with the citizens of Norfolk County.
“At the Registry of Deeds,” noted O’Donnell, “we put a priority on communicating with Registry users. Just because our doors close at the end of the business day doesn’t mean the Registry has to stop working for you. For example, our website www.norfolkdeeds.org allows people to look up and view scanned images of over 8 million land documents dating back to the Registry’s beginnings in 1793. Additionally, users can access our website to learn about our latest consumer protection programs. I also want people to know that Registry information is accessible not just from workstations and laptops, but also from their smartphones and tablets.”
Register O’Donnell further noted that you can print out an application of the popular Homestead Act. A Homestead provides a homeowner with limited protection against the forced sale of their primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000.
Norfolk County residents can also sign-up on-line for its free Consumer Notification Service. This program will alert a person anytime a land document has been recorded against their name in Norfolk County. Additionally, there is valuable county real estate information that can be researched and tracked. Someone interested in the number of residential and commercial properties sold or the average prices of property sold can find that information.
Besides the Registry website, other forms of social media utilized by the Registry of Deeds include Facebook, facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds and Twitter, twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds. “The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds,” noted the Register, “has utilized Facebook and Twitter to provide information to the general public. By utilizing these platforms, Norfolk County residents can learn more about home ownership and other consumer initiatives like protecting themselves against Deed Scam rip-offs, along with other outreach services, including learning about Registry office hours in their local community.”
The Registry has also filmed multiple public service announcements (PSA’s) which are available on the Registry’s website and YouTube. These PSA’s have touched on a variety of issues such as assistance for residents who have received a Notice to Foreclose Mortgage from a lender.
Concluding, Register O’Donnell stated, “At the Registry of Deeds, we recognize the value of using social media platforms to forward important information to Norfolk County residents. If you have questions related to real property, I urge you to take a look at our social media offerings. As important as these social media offerings are, the Registry of Deeds has a Customer Service Center at 1-781-461-6101 where members of the public can seek assistance.”
The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is located at 649 High Street in Dedham. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. All land record research information can be found on the Registry’s website www.norfolkdeeds.org. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center via telephone at (781) 461-6101, or email us at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org
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| Register O’Donnell Promotes Registry’s Social Media |
