Tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud

FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) tweeted

"The #FBI, @OIGatHHS, and @CMSGov, are warning the public about several emerging fraud schemes related to #COVID19 vaccines. Learn more about potential indicators of fraudulent activity, and tips to avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud" 

 

Read the full article:  https://t.co/R9jJVINVWM 

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/nrWAHlFjiI
 

Download a flyer with the tip summary https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/vaccine-scams2020.pdf

https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/vaccine-scams2020.pdf

CommonWealth Magazine: "Mass., NH, RI, DC sign transportation climate pact"

From CommonWealth Magazine:

"MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia signed on to a pact Monday to put a price on the carbon contained in vehicle fuels sold within their borders and leverage the revenues gained and the resulting higher price of gasoline to cut transportation emissions 26 percent by 2032.

The group of initial participants is far smaller than Gov. Charlie Baker had been hoping for, but officials said other states in New England and down the East Coast have committed to staying at the table and possibly joining the so-called Transportation Climate Initiative in the future.

The emission reduction goal released Monday is higher than states had been talking about a year ago, but the forecasted impact on gas prices is expected to be smaller. A year ago the Transportation Climate Initiative looked at carbon dioxide cap reductions ranging from 20 to 25 percent by 2032, with gas prices rising 5 to 17 cents a gallon in 2022 depending on the size of the cap reduction. Now officials are calling for a 30 percent cap reduction (which translates into a 26 percent reduction in actual pollution) but saying gasoline prices will rise only 5 cents a gallon – 9 cents at the most – in 2022.

Katie Theoharides, the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said there are price protections built into the current proposal that didn’t exist with the earlier versions."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/mass-nh-ri-dc-sign-transportation-climate-pact/

wbur: "One Challenge To Reopening Schools: Finding Enough Teachers"

Franklin Public Schools has not been able to fulfill all their open positions during this pandemic period. This wbur report confirms that Franklin is not alone in finding qualified teachers.

"Just after Thanksgiving, Falmouth High School Principal Mary Gans got a call: the school had a positive case. Twelve of her staff members were considered “close contacts” and had to quarantine immediately.

"I just [did] not have the ability to cover all of their classes, even for the rest of the day," Gans said. "There just weren’t the bodies that we could pull to satisfy that kind of puzzle."

Substitute teachers are very hard to come by this year, so the school decided to go fully remote for a week. The hybrid model is back up and running at Falmouth High School, but Gans said having enough teachers is an ongoing challenge.

"We’ve been so short that I’ll go and sub in classes when teachers are out," she said. "And I’ve done that in the past, but not like this year.""

Continue reading the article online

https://www.wbur.org/edify/2020/12/21/massachusetts-teacher-shortage

From the Re-opening Report on the School Committee agenda for Dec 22, 2020

Personnel 

1.Staffing.​  As case numbers rise, we continue to have an increase in staff absences.  Coverage continues to be a challenge at all levels. Many are wondering what metrics we are using in terms of numbers of staff absent prior to switching to a remote day. 

a.Actions taken (noted in the last update): Principals and assistant principals are providing coverage as needed. This takes away from their other responsibilities, which at this time include contact tracing (see below) in addition to other customary responsibilities. We are recruiting additional subs and monitors as college students return home for the next several months. We are requiring negative COVID tests for employment. 

b.Additional actions taken: Like many districts, I do not have  definitive quantitative metrics on attendance to determine whether or not to move a school into remote learning for a day. Beyond an overall number of staff out, more needs to go into the decision including looking at which staff are out and their responsibilities within the school setting. We are also taking into consideration the duration for which coverage is a challenge for the school. The building administration and central office team discuss the coverage plan for a particular school and, when coverage can not be adequately provided, we have made the decision to go remote.

Read the full re-opening report here

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/reopening_schools_status_update_dec_18_2020-2021.pdf

wbur: "One Challenge To Reopening Schools: Finding Enough Teachers"

FTC Consumer Alert: New tools to fight gift card scams

New tools to fight gift card scams by Cristina Miranda Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC This holiday season (and year-round), gift cards are on scammers' wish lists. Scammers always have a reason for you to pay them immediately with a gift card. And they often tell you which card to buy and which store to visit. That's why the FTC is launching a new Stop Gift Card Scams campaign to work with stores and law enforcement to fight these scams. And it's also why the FTC has taken another look at reporting data to see what's happening lately. Read more >  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/12/new-tools-fight-gift-card-scams?utm_source=govdelivery This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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New York Times: "The ‘Red Slime’ Lawsuit That Could Sink Right-Wing Media"

From the New York Times, an article of interest for Franklin:

“Of course I was surprised, but at the same time, it was pretty clear that these people were trying to discredit the election and they were throwing out 25 conspiracy theories in parallel,” he told me in an interview last week from Barbados, where his company has an office. “I thought it was so absurd that it was not going to have legs.”

But by Nov. 14, he knew he had a problem. That’s when Rudy Giuliani, serving as the president’s lawyer, suggested that one voting company, Dominion Voting Systems, had a sinister connection to vote counts in “Michigan, Arizona and Georgia and other states.” Mr. Giuliani declared on Twitter that the company “was a front for SMARTMATIC, who was really doing the computing. Look up SMARTMATIC and tweet me what you think?”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/business/media/smartmatic-lawsuit-fox-news-newsmax-oan.html

Tweet from Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D.: "More on the UK variant"

Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D. (@ErinBromage) tweeted at 8:36 AM on Mon, Dec 21, 2020:  More on the UK variant

Bottom line: "There is a concern for 3 of these mutations that could enhance the transmission. Be aware but don't panic."

 

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinBromage/status/1341014769587941376?s=03

More on the UK variant https://t.co/PWYlE6lLZ6

— Dr. Erin Bromage Ph.D. (@ErinBromage) December 21, 2020

Planning Board - Agenda - Dec 21, 2020

The Franklin Food Pantry is on the agenda for the Planning Board meeting Monday to introduce the site plan for their new building on East Central St and begin the permit approval process.

Planning Board Agenda

7:00 PM -   Commencement/General Business   

7:05PM    - PUBLIC HEARING - Continued
52 East Central St   
Special Permit & Site Plan Modification
WITHDRAWN   

7:10 PM  -  PUBLIC HEARING - Continued
515 West Central Street   
Site Plan   TO BE CONTINUED    

7:15 PM    PUBLIC HEARING - Initial
138 East Central Street   (Franklin Food Pantry)
Site Plan  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/138_east_central_st_site_plan.pdf

Review docs   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/138_east_central_review.pdf

7:20 PM    PUBLIC HEARING - Initial
Countryside Estates   
Subdivision Modification    

7:25 PM    PUBLIC HEARING – Continued
186 Grove St   
Site plan Modification   

GENERAL BUSINESS:
A.    Road Acceptance: Laurinda Lane
B.    Bond Release: Sandy Knoll Estates
C.    Decision: 72-94 East Central Street- Special Permit & Site Plan
D.    Phasing Plan Approval: 160 Grove St
E.    Endorsement: 164 Grove St
F.    Endorsement: 162 Grove St
G.    81-P ANR: 15-17 Margaret’s Cove
H.    81-P ANR Rescind Vote: 55 Coutu Street
I.    Meeting Minutes: November 2, 2020 & November 16, 2020

This agenda is subject to change. Last updated: December 15, 2020
The next meeting of the Planning Board is scheduled for January 11, 2021 

Agenda doc in PDF format:

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/december_21_2020.pdf

 

Additional renderings and diagrams of the new facility at 138 East Central St

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gPSLTYPorJDWjMq5JGryWxz2go995-Z7/view?usp=sharing

 

new Franklin Food Pantry Rendering: View from East Central Street

FM #418 Town Council Meeting - 12/16/20 (audio)

FM #418 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 418 in the series.

This session shares the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020.

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Town Council, selected guests, 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.

The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda including documents released for this agenda. The recording runs about one hour and fifty minutes

Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting of Dec 16, 2020. Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HZZbRDPS


 

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

Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF)
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-dec-16.html

Spear phishing update folder
https://franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/spear-phishing

My notes from the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/12/town-council-meeting-recap-dec-16-2020.html 

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

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"

 

newly elected Town Councilor Cobi Frongillo

The Hill: "Federal agency says employers can require workers to get COVID-19 vaccine"

Via The Hill

"A key federal agency said this week that employers can legally require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and prevent them from entering their workplaces if they refuse.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in guidance issued Wednesday said that requiring a test would not violate the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The law bars employers from requiring medical exams such as blood tests that seek information on an employee’s physical or mental condition, but the EEOC said a COVID-19 vaccine does not fall under that category.

“If a vaccine is administered to an employee by an employer for protection against contracting COVID-19, the employer is not seeking information about an individual’s impairments or current health status and, therefore, it is not a medical examination,” the commission said."

Continue reading the article online

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/530963-federal-agency-says-employers-can-require-workers-to-get-covid-19-vaccine

The EEOC page with COVID-19 highlights in a Q&A format

https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-ada-rehabilitation-act-and-other-eeo-laws

Franklin School Committee to hear presentations on ECDC and Performing Arts Tuesday, Dec 21

The presentation documents as released for discussion at the School Committee meeting Tuesday, Dec 21, 2020.

 

II. Guests/Presentations
A. ECDC Highlights - Kelty Kelley  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/ecdc_update_to_school_committee_12_22_20.pdf
 

 

 

 

B. Performing Arts Events - Diane Plouffe  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/franklin_performing_arts_department_presentation_2020.pdf

Franklin School Committee to hear presentations on ECDC and Performing Arts Tuesday, Dec 21

Register O’Donnell Discusses Need for Mortgage Transparency

 With the legislative session winding down, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell reiterated the importance he places on pending legislation to promote mortgage transparency here in Massachusetts. 

At the beginning of 2019, Register O’Donnell had two bills filed, H.1413 and S.960, which stated that when banks sold their residential mortgages to a different lending institution, that transaction, or assignment, would be required to be recorded with the relevant Massachusetts Registry of Deeds office within 30 days of its execution. 

“During the most recent legislative session,” noted O’Donnell, “both H.1413 and S.960 wound their way through the legislative process. After both pieces of legislation were filed with the Massachusetts House and Senate Clerks offices by lead sponsors Rep. William Galvin (D-Canton) and Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy)  respectively and given a docket number, dozens of other state representatives and senators signed up as co-sponsors.  The clerks offices then gave each piece of legislation a bill number (H. 1413 and S.960). Then each bill was assigned to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary for further consideration. A public hearing on the legislation was then held where I provided arguments for supporting the legislation. The joint committee on the Judiciary reported the legislation favorably in early 2020. On February 13, 2020, H.1413, accompanied by S. 960, was ordered to a third reading by the Massachusetts House. Unfortunately, no further action has taken place on the legislation. Certainly, the members of the legislature have been dealing with many pressing matters including COVID-19 and the fiscal year 2021 State Budget.”

The Register further stated, “My specific arguments for supporting the mortgage transparency legislation included the fact the legislation would eliminate the possibility that a homeowner may not know who the holder of their mortgage is because an assignment was not recorded. Because some banks have gone out of business in previous years or merged with another lending institution, homeowners are in some instances forced to consult with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation website or the Massachusetts Division of Banks to determine who holds their mortgage. The legislation would make assignments of residential mortgages more transparent to the consumer.”

Another argument for the bill’s passage was that it created a more level playing field between smaller community banks and larger lending institutions. The smaller community banks tend to hold their mortgages while many larger nationwide banks are not diligent in recording their mortgage assignments.

The need for this legislation hit home recently when the Boston Globe published an article by Sean P. Murphy on December 8, 2020 which highlighted the difficulties that can result when an assignment is not recorded. O’Donnell stated, “The article spoke about a couple who had found a home in Worcester which needed work. To finance the purchase and remodeling costs, the couple wanted to sell their condo in Easton. However, a title problem developed with the Easton condo due to a mortgage assignment not being properly recorded. Because the assignment was not recorded at the Registry of Deeds, the lending institution who was the current holder of the mortgage lacked the legal authority to discharge the mortgage. A process that should have taken a few days took several weeks as two large lending institutions could not get their act together and solve the title problem by filing the assignment. After several weeks of back and forth the problem was resolved and the assignment was recorded, but only after the intervention of the Boston Globe.”

“The assignment legislation that has been filed would have eliminated this problem as an assignment would have been required to be recorded 30 days after the mortgage was transferred, or sold, to another lending institution,” stated O’Donnell.

In conclusion, Register O’Donnell noted, “With the legislative session winding down, it is unlikely the legislation, H.1413 and S.960 will advance further. However, I am not giving up the fight to help Massachusetts homeowners. I will once again be filing mortgage transparency legislation in the upcoming 2021-2022 legislative session. I am hopeful our arguments will be persuasive and after years of trying, the legislation will wind its way through the legislative process and onto Governor Baker’s desk for his signature.”

To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at Facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds and/or Instagram.com/NorfolkDeeds.

 

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

 

Register O’Donnell Discusses Need for Mortgage Transparency

Franklin Federated Church - Christmas Eve Service - Dec 24

Franklin Federated Church will LIVESTREAM  special Christmas services via the FFC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/franklinfederated) 

Thursday, December 24 = 5:00 PM

Christmas Eve Worship (Live)

• Reading of Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
• Reading from Luke 2....The story of Jesus's birth
• Christmas Carols
• Candle lighting 

Franklin Federated Church - Christmas Eve Service - Dec  24

"Food insecurity leaving an impact across MA"

Via Boston25 News

"Alison Caruso left her part-time job earlier in 2020 to care for her teenage son, who she said had become depressed after the death of a family member and spending months trying to learn from home. She relies on the food pantry in Franklin as well as food stamps to survive, she said.

The state has seen food insecurity rise significantly, according to a study by Feeding America.

Norfolk County was cited as the area with the highest child food insecure rate at 163%, which is also the country’s highest mark, according to Feeding America."

Continue reading online (video clip also available on page)

https://www.boston25news.com/news/food-insecurity-leaving-an-impact-across-ma/PUTT37R2SJBL5BQAP4MRG2ATHE/

 

 

screengrab of FFP Executive Director Lynn Calling

Veterans Coffee Social - Jan 6, 2021

January 2021 Coffee Social

Join us as we ZOOM into the New Year!

 

Hello Veterans!

The Veterans' Services Office will welcome the New Year with a VIRTUAL Coffee Social on Wednesday, January 6 at 10:00 Hours. We hope you will join us for veterans' updates and friendly conversation. All Veterans are welcome!

 

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 January 6, 2021 meeting only:

Join Zoom via URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89944022073

Call in number: 1-929-205-6099

Enter Meeting ID: 899 4402 2073

 

For more information, contact the Veterans' Services Office at: (508) 613-1315.

We look forward to Zooming into the New Year with you at the January Coffee Social!

 

Shared from the Town of Franklin page

https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/january-2021-virtual-coffee-social

 

Veterans Coffee Social - Jan 6, 2021

Dr Fauci gave the vaccine to Santa (video)

The video with the quote we shared from Dr Fauci on bringing the vaccine to Santa

"This made me cry. Listening to the worry in those little voices and the relief they must feel thanks to the good doctor."

Direct link to YouTube video = https://youtu.be/Dx25ZNY6p1s

Shared from the tweet: https://twitter.com/trydefyinggrav/status/1340676060065787908?s=03

Fauci vaccinated Santa! (And the way he says “chimney”!) pic.twitter.com/DjCg4nH3HK

— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@aravosis) December 20, 2020