"12 Days of Donating" effort is marking its 15th year

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"Usually, a holiday elf's job is to make toys, pack Santa's sleigh and deliver presents on Christmas Eve. But there's a team of elves in Franklin with a different job: Collect donations for the Franklin Food Pantry.

They are the Franklin Food Elves, and they are about to launch their annual "12 Days of Donating" campaign, an effort that is important to the food pantry's continuing efforts to help community members in need.

The Franklin Food Elves are getting ready to launch their 2020 "12 Days of Donating" fundraiser for the Franklin Food Pantry, which will collect monetary donations to help the pantry help community members in need. From left, during filming of a pantry tour for this year's elves are: Kim Cooper, pantry donor relations manager; Laura Often, communications manager and Lynn Calling, executive director.

“Franklin Food Elves is our biggest fundraising opportunity," said Food Elves senior captain Erin McCaffrey in a video she recently prepared to promote the 2020 campaign. "Last year we raised over $30,000 and this year I think we can beat that goal, but we need your help.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/news/2020/11/25/franklin-food-elves-12-days-donating-franklin-food-pantry/6419659002/

Franklin Food Elves ready to launch pantry fundraiser

FHS field hockey on TV

Coach Carney (@carney_coach) tweeted at 10:32 AM on Fri, Nov 27, 2020:

https://t.co/KHwLRGF6o5

https://www.boston25news.com/sports/franklin-field-hockey-overcomes-obstacles-finish-perfect-season/bef99d48-cc5b-460d-a201-f3840172e839/

FHS field hockey on TV

Town of Franklin, MA: Specimen Ballot for Special Election - Dec 5

Specimen Ballot for the December 5th Town Election https://t.co/EI9rJigls2 https://t.co/0bzU0WFHOx

The election collection with links to the candidate interviews can be found

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html

Specimen Ballot for Special Election - Dec 5

"Number of high-risk communities rises to 81"

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

"THE NUMBER of communities considered high-risk for COVID-19 rose from 62 to 81 on Friday, as cases statewide continued to grow rapidly while deaths from the coronavirus grew more slowly.

The numbers followed what has become a predictable pattern during the second surge. Four weeks ago the Baker administration revised the metrics it uses to determine a high-risk, or red, community, causing the number to fall from 121 to 16. But since then the number of red communities has grown rapidly week by week, rising from 16 to 31 to 62 to 81.

Between November 8 and November 21, there were 36,194 new cases of COVID-19. More than half – 55 percent – of those infected were less than 39 years old, while those 70-plus accounted for just 7.6 percent of the cases. Deaths followed the opposite pattern: 83 percent of deaths were among those 70 or older and only 1.4 percent were 39 or less.

Deaths have been growing far more moderately than infections during this second surge. From November 8 to November 21, there were 357 deaths, up from 319 between November 1 and November 14. The deaths in the previous two-week intervals totaled 280 and 241. The Baker administration’s dashboard  for Friday, which covered Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning, reported 4,464 new cases and 29 deaths."

Continue reading online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/uncategorized/number-of-high-risk-communities-rises-to-81/

The full state report of community data can be found online, the page showing Franklin is in the photo here

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-public-health-report-november-27-2020/download

Franklin Community data as of 11/25/20

Franklin's weekend outlook: Nov 27 - 30, 2020

A quiet Thanksgiving weekend. The library does have Curbside Pickup available Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Santa arrives Sunday in a drive by event on the Town Common at 4:00 PM.

* Friday, November 27

Native American Heritage Day
9:00am - Town of Franklin offices CLOSED

* Sunday, November 29

1:00pm - Historical Museum (open and free admission)
4:00pm - Santa on the Common - Drive by event

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6
 

Community Calendar

FM #399 Town Council Candidates Night - 11/23/20 (audio)

FM #399 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 399 in the series. 

This shares the Candidates Night for the special election to fill the open spot on the Town Council. The evening was conducted in a hybrid format. All the candidates were present in the Council Chambers along with the moderator and Town Clerk office members. The public was able to participate via conference bridge or live stream to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The recording runs about 41 minutes, so let’s listen to the Candidates Night held Nov 23, 2020.  Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1qbWGQS

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My interviews with each of the candidates (in alpha order)

Town Council candidate - Gregory R Chiklis (audio interview) = https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/fm-393-town-council-candidate-greg.html

Town Council candidate - Alan R Earls (audio interview) = https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-369-town-council-candidate-alan.html

Town Council candidate - Cobi Frongillo (audio interview) =  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-359-town-council-candidate-cobi.html

Town Council candidate - KP Sompally (audio interview) = https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/fm-382-town-council-candidate-kp.html

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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?

• 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 #399 Town Council Candidates Night - 11/23/20 (audio)

“I just hope everyone stays healthy and we can finish this year right“

 Via Pantherbook, we share this article on FHS student feedback on hybrid

"Up until November 16th, FHS students hadn’t been inside the school in 248 days. A place where such kids would typically spend about seven hours five days a week had been shut down, with nobody having a clue about when it would re-open.

Although there is still no definite answer as to what the future looks like, students in Cohort C attended in-person learning at the high school this past week (excluding remote Wednesday). Let’s take a look at the things they enjoyed, the things they didn’t, and how in-person learning compares to the past two months of remote learning.

Ashley Currivan, a freshman this year and alum of Horace Mann Middle School, comments, “At school, I enjoy seeing people and getting to still go to and switch classes throughout the day. I think [the members of the FHS staff] are handling it very well and I really enjoyed it so far!”

Continue reading the article online

https://franklinpanthers.us/feature/2020/11/24/student-feedback-on-the-first-week-of-hybrid-learning/

“I just hope everyone stays healthy and we can finish this year right“

“He kind of perfected it sitting around this table”

One of our family traditions on Thanksgiving is to listen to the 18+ minute classic Arlo Guthrie performance of Alice's Restaurant. Usually while driving to one of the family gatherings. This time, pandemic induced, no drive but still time to listen. 

And then across the Twitterverse comes this article about the real Alice, yes that one.

"Arlo Guthrie's rambling, spoken-word tune “Alice's Restaurant” is a Thanksgiving Day tradition on radio stations across the country. Over the course of about 18 minutes, the folk singer unfurls a true tale involving himself and his hippie friends in 1960s Western Massachusetts.

Now — more than 50 years after the iconic song hit the airwaves — its namesake has fallen on hard times. But Alice's friends have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help her stay in the only place she's ever really wanted to be: Provincetown on Cape Cod.

But first, it helps to find out how she got there."

Continue reading about Alice online =  https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/11/26/arlo-guthrie-alice-help

YouTube link for "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" = https://youtu.be/WaKIX6oaSLs

Phishing, spear phishing info

Via Cyber Security Intelligence:

"Spear phishing is a targeted attempt to steal sensitive information such as account credentials or financial information from a specific victim, often for criminal reasons. A highly targeted form of phishing, spear phishing involves bespoke emails being sent to well-researched victims.

Spear phishing is an email or electronic communications scam targeted towards a specific individual, organization or business. Although often intended to steal data for malicious purposes, cyber criminals may also intend to install malware on a targeted user's computer.

Barracuda Network researchers worked with leading researchers at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, to study the growing threat to business of email account crime using Spear Phishing methods.

It is all hard to spot without close inspection and difficult to stop with technical controls alone. In 2016 the Fancy Bear attack group used spear phishing tactics to target email accounts linked to Hilary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. They attacked more than 1,800 Google accounts and implemented the accounts-google.com domain to threaten targeted users."

Continue reading the article online  https://www.cybersecurityintelligence.com/blog/spear-phishing-threats-and-trends-4902.html

 

How Big Is Phishing in 2020?

"It is big. Sadly, it is growing even bigger if historical data is any indicator for the imminent future.

Not all spam consists of phishing emails, but it’s safe to assume a spam message might be a phishing attempt. And there are tons of it, cluttering inboxes far and wide, as these phishing stats clearly show.

 -   Spam is 45% of all emails sent. (Source: Propeller)
 -   About 14.5 billion spam emails are sent every day. (Source: Propeller)"

Continue reading more about the phishing trends  https://hostingtribunal.com/blog/phishing-statistics/

Additional info can be found on the FBI page  https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber

MA Consumer Affairs: "Fraud Alert: Unemployment Benefits & ID Theft"

 

"Driven by the economic downturn brought on by pandemic related restrictions, unemployment across the U.S. is at a historic high. While national and local averages slowly decline across the country, unemployment fraud is on the rise.

For many the unemployment benefit is a lifeline. Unfortunately, for some bad actors it is an opportunity. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), unemployment fraud is up significantly and there is suspicion that the culprits are based overseas. Officials say the fraud is affecting tens of thousands of Americans, slowing the delivery of benefits to those in need, and costing states hundreds of millions of dollars.

Whether you have lost your job, or not, you could be a victim of identity theft related to this unemployment scam. Authorities report that criminals are filing for unemployment benefits online using stolen information of people who have not lost their jobs. Stolen identities can be bought online, or obtained from data breaches, email phishing schemes, or from physical theft. Fraudsters also exploit public websites and social media accounts. Many victims are unaware of the identity theft unless they are notified by a state agency, the IRS, or their employer that a claim has been filed in their name."

Continue reading the article online http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/fraud-alert-unemployment-benefits-id-theft/

The Federal Trade Commission has a similar article  https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2020/06/unemployment-benefits-fraud-puts-workers-risk-more-id-theft

 

 

A Most Worthy Read: "We walked up to the edge — and did not jump"

Via Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) :

"This wondrous piece by my friend ⁦@MollyMcKew⁩ is simply the best description of where we've been, and where we must now go. Poetry, prose and truth.  Read this and be thankful we've stepped back from the edge."  

We walked up to the edge — and did not jump
A Thanksgiving message, part 1 = by Molly McKew

"I’ve spent these past weeks with breath held, fingers crossed, afraid to look away, but also afraid not to. To just put all this down for a minute, and take a breath, and look up, out, see again the horizon and the sense of movement toward it that has always defined the expansive land and spirit of America. 

America is a constantly morphing and adaptive idea. But fundamentally we are still, as we have always been, a nation of madness. Mostly good madness — but madness still. 

The people who would build this nation must have been mad to seek where there be dragons — to cross storm-riven seas, arrive on the shores of this wild and magical land, and embrace the idea of living in the haunted wilderness to have the chance — just a chance — of shaping something new. Something removed from the mental and physical confinements of history. 

In that time of wilderness, each one of us here was a zealot of some cause — a zealot of gods, commerce, ideas, quests, adventures. We came here running from things, or toward others. And this strange amalgamated zealotry was somehow integral to our survival, the good and bad forces that shaped us in their conflict. A core belief that old rules didn’t apply. That the frontier could be pushed ever outward. That we could survive against the odds. And that always, always, the sins of the past could be overcome by achieving a righteous future."

Continue reading the article online =  https://t.co/kA7TdJQbGS

FM #398 Davis Thayer FA Insights- 11/19/20 (audio)

FM #398 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 398 in the series.

This shares my interview and discussion with Franklin School Superintendent Sara Ahern and Davis Thayer Facility Analysis Ad-hoc Committee chair Elise Stokes. Our discussion was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The recording runs about 27 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Sara and Elise and find out more about what the Davis Thayer Ad hoc Subcommittee is doing.  Audio file =  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-398-davis-thayer-fa-insights-11-19-20

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Survey/Questionnaire  link = https://www.franklinps.net/district/pages/dt-facilities-analysis-survey

Comprehensive Facility Analysis presentation doc
https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/files/facilities-analysis-presentation-10-27-20

Facility Assessment report doc
https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/files/facilities-assessment-report

Davis Thayer Facility Analysis page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/davis-thayer-facilities-analysis

Info Session Nov 4, 2020 - Agenda doc  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda_dt_facanalysiscommunitypresentation_11.4.2020.pdf

--------------

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?

- 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"

DT facility analysis timeline

Senator Rausch: MA Budget Update and Thanksgiving Safety

November 25, 2020

 
Dear friends,

From my family to yours, I wish all of you a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving. This year has certainly been a difficult one for all of us, but there is still so much to be grateful for, from the development of multiple promising COVID-19 vaccines, to the results of this month’s presidential election, to the small moments of everyday joy amidst these challenging times. Our Thanksgiving celebrations this year may be smaller and look different, but they can be just as profound.

On Beacon Hill, the last couple of weeks have been particularly busy as the House and the Senate debated and successfully passed versions of the FY 2021 state budget. This year’s deliberations were challenging due to the global pandemic and related economic downturn, but despite this, there are still tremendous victories to celebrate in the FY 2021 budget, including no cuts to services or education funding, full funding for teenage dating violence prevention, and a quarter of a million dollars for public schools in our district to continue managing learning during COVID-19. The Senate also adopted by a vote of 33-7 an amendment to notably improve abortion access in the Commonwealth. More details on the budget, the abortion access amendment, safe holiday celebrations, and upcoming office hours follow. 

As always, if you or any of your loved ones in my district have fallen on hard times during this pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office via phone (617-722-1555) or email (becca.rausch@masenate.gov). We are here to help. You can also find robust resources to help you navigate through COVID-19 on my website (https://www.beccarauschma.com/coronavirus).
 
Wishing you and your families strength, health, and resilience.    
 

Yours in service, 
   
Senator Becca Rausch

   

This email newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content, please follow this link  https://mailchi.mp/7686f073ec7c/maearlyvoting2020-13209536

 

Sign up for a 15-minute appointment here

 

MA origins for Thanksgiving items

via Katie Lannan (@katielannan)

"your pre-Thanksgiving reminder that Bell's Seasoning comes from Weymouth, and there's a bill that would make it the Official Seasoning of the Commonwealth"

Link to draft Legislation = https://t.co/vILz4hm3vr #mapoli  

Shared from Twitter = https://t.co/Z84vLWI7jm

 

"Some official Mass. emblems for your Thanksgiving table: cranberries (official berry), corn muffins (official muffin), Boston cream pie (official desert), and of course, wild turkey (official game bird).  Maybe a Bay State tartan (official district tartan) tablecloth?"

Shared from Twitter =  https://twitter.com/katielannan/status/1331678479524442113

your pre-Thanksgiving reminder that Bell's Seasoning comes from Weymouth

FHS athletes recognized as Fall 2020 Hockomock League All-Stars

These FHS athletes were recognized as All-Stars for the Fall 2020 Hockomock League. Three were also selected as MVP for their respective sport: Nicholas Calitri, Amanda Lewendoski, and Jack Paterson.

The full listing of all Hockomock athletes can be found 

https://hockomockleague.blogspot.com/2020/11/hockomock-league-announces-fall-sport.html

You can download a PDF copy of the FHS listing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LU4ci4oGV0ueFbyrE9kp4kFmK2Xkc5io/view?usp=sharing

First	Last	Status	Sport
Erin	Quaile	All-star	Girls Soccer
Sydney	St. Marie	All-star	Girls Soccer
Julia	Bertone	All-star	Girls Soccer
Anya	Zub	Honorable Mention	Girls Soccer
Ethan	Cain	All-star	BOYS SOCCER
Terry	O'Neill	All-star	BOYS SOCCER
Ben	Moccia	Honorable Mention	BOYS SOCCER
Angelina	Perez	All-star	GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Alexandra	Batla	All-star	GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Sydney	Brady	Honorable Mention	GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Nicholas	Calitri	MVP	BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Griff	Sieczkiewicz	All-star	BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Declan	Walmsley	All-star	BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Joshua	Anderson	Honorable Mention	BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Amanda	Lewandowski	MVP	FIELD HOCKEY
Kaitlyn	Carney	All-star	FIELD HOCKEY
Stephanie	Bell	All-star	FIELD HOCKEY
Sara	Carney	Honorable Mention	FIELD HOCKEY
Jack	Paterson	MVP	GOLF
Nolan	Norton	All-star	GOLF
Pat	Dolan	All-star	GOLF
Brian	Sandham	Honorable Mention	GOLF

Fall 2020 Hockomock League All-Stars