"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."
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| School Committee: Budget Sub Committee Meeting - Jan 14, 2021 |
January 12, 2021
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| Franklin Public Schools: Jan 12, 2021 Re-opening Update on Pool Testing |
Follow the Girls Varsity Ice Hockey game at KP live: https://t.co/bT8W1VNPMQ @FHSGirlsPuck
— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 13, 2021
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| Both FHS swim teams top King Philip on Tuesday |
Please make note of the upcoming schedule for FPS.
You can always find the 20-21 school calendar on our website at https://t.co/pFrWeBYdv8
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| Franklin Public Schools, MA: School schedule reminders |
From the MIT Technology Review, we find that while Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to make strides, it also contains a significant flaw.
"Many AIs that appear to understand language and that score better than humans on a common set of comprehension tasks don’t notice when the words in a sentence are jumbled up, which shows that they don’t really understand language at all. The problem lies in the way natural-language processing (NLP) systems are trained; it also points to a way to make them better.
Researchers at Auburn University in Alabama and Adobe Research discovered the flaw when they tried to get an NLP system to generate explanations for its behavior, such as why it claimed different sentences meant the same thing. When they tested their approach, they realized that shuffling words in a sentence made no difference to the explanations. “This is a general problem to all NLP models,” says Anh Nguyen at Auburn University, who led the work."
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| From the MIT Technology Review, we find that Artificial Intelligence (AI) contains a significant flaw |
"Baker signs campus sexual assault bill, approves deal affecting craft brewers"
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday signed six bills with statewide implications, including a bill to provide more rights and resources to students involved in cases of sexual misconduct on campus and a long-sought after deal between craft brewers and their distributors.
The flurry of action came on myriad bills that landed on the governor’s desk in the final days of the legislative session, which included a marathon all-night session January 5."
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER will be the final arbiter of a dispute between restaurants and food delivery apps over how much the apps can charge for providing delivery services.
The economic development bill currently on Baker’s desk would impose a statewide cap on the size of fees that delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats can charge to restaurants during the COVID-19 emergency. Restaurants have been pushing for the cap, arguing that high delivery commissions will drive them out of business. But delivery services say if they can’t charge high commissions, they will instead have to charge consumers more or do fewer deliveries, which will then hurt the restaurants."
"Could Gov. Charlie Baker veto the climate change bill?
It seems hard to believe, but several supporters of the sweeping legislation say they are hearing troubling reports coming out of the Baker administration as the clock winds down to the Thursday night deadline.
Some advocates and lawmakers, who asked not to be identified, said they are hearing the governor could possibly veto the bill. “I’m worried,” said one of the people."
The Internal Revenue Service today expanded the Identity Protection PIN Opt-In Program to all taxpayers who can verify their identities.
The Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit code known only to the taxpayer and to the IRS. It helps prevent identity thieves from filing fraudulent tax returns using a taxpayers' personally identifiable information.
"This is a way to, in essence, lock your tax account, and the IP PIN serves as the key to opening that account," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "Electronic returns that do not contain the correct IP PIN will be rejected, and paper returns will go through additional scrutiny for fraud."
The IRS launched the IP PIN program nearly a decade ago to protect confirmed identity theft victims from ongoing tax-related fraud. In recent years, the IRS expanded the program to specific states where taxpayers could voluntarily opt into the IP PIN program. Now, the voluntary program is going nationwide.
About the IP PIN Opt-In Program
Here are a few key things to know about the IP PIN Opt-In program:
- This is a voluntary program.
- You must pass a rigorous identity verification process.
- Spouses and dependents are eligible for an IP PIN if they can verify their identities.
- An IP PIN is valid for a calendar year.
- You must obtain a new IP PIN each filing season.
- The online IP PIN tool is offline between November and mid-January each year.
- Correct IP PINs must be entered on electronic and paper tax returns to avoid rejections and delays.
- Never share your IP PIN with anyone but your trusted tax provider. The IRS will never call, text or email requesting your IP PIN. Beware of scams to steal your IP PIN.
- There currently is no opt-out option but the IRS is working on one for 2022.
How to get an IP PIN
Taxpayers who want an IP PIN for 2021 should go to IRS.gov/IPPIN and use the Get an IP PIN tool. This online process will require taxpayers to verify their identities using the Secure Access authentication process if they do not already have an IRS account. See IRS.gov/SecureAccess for what information you need to be successful. There is no need to file a Form 14039, an Identity Theft Affidavit, to opt into the program
Once taxpayers have authenticated their identities, their 2021 IP PIN immediately will be revealed to them. Once in the program, this PIN must be used when prompted by electronic tax returns or entered by hand near the signature line on paper tax returns.
All taxpayers are encouraged to first use the online IP PIN tool to obtain their IP PIN. Taxpayers who cannot verify their identities online do have options.
Taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is $72,000 or less may complete Form 15227, Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f15227.pdf), and mail or fax to the IRS. An IRS customer service representative will contact the taxpayer and verify their identities by phone. Taxpayers should have their prior year tax return at hand for the verification process.
Taxpayers who verify their identities through this process will have an IP PIN mailed to them the following tax year. This is for security reasons. Once in the program, the IP PIN will be mailed to these taxpayers each year.
Taxpayers who cannot verify their identities online or by phone and who are ineligible for file Form 15227 can contact the IRS and make an appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center (https://www.irs.gov/help/contact-your-local-irs-office) to verify their identities in person. Taxpayers should bring two forms of identification, including one government-issued picture identification.
Taxpayers who verify their identities through the in-person process will have an IP PIN mailed to them within three weeks. Once in the program, the IP PIN will be mailed to these taxpayers each year.
No change for confirmed identity theft victims
Taxpayers who are confirmed identity theft victims or who have filed an identity theft affidavit because of suspected stolen identity refund fraud will automatically receive an IP PIN via mail once their cases are resolved. Current tax-related identity theft victims who have been receiving IP PINs via mail will experience no change.
See IRS.gov/IPPIN for additional details.
The IRS also encourages tax professionals and employers to share information with taxpayers about the availability of the IP PIN. Tax professionals and employers can print or email Publication 5367 or share IRS social media/e-poster products.
| Continue protecting yourself and others from COVID-19. |
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| Franklin Interact Fund raiser at Chipotle - Jan 20, 2021 |
FM #431 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 431 in the series.
This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is one of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England, this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting: OK, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?
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Agenda document (and released supporting materials in one PDF)
https://franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/01-06-2021_town_council_agenda.pdf
Hazard Mitigation presentation doc https://franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/8a._hazard_mitigation_presentation_2020_update_presentation_handout.pdf
Hazard Mitigation Plan
https://franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/10a._hazard_mitigation_0.pdf
Beaver St summary document https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/10b._21-02_beaver_street_interceptor.pdf
My notes from the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/01/town-council-meeting-jan-6-2021-recap.html
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
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"
26 Franklin High School Music Students were accepted to the Massachusetts Central District Honor Band, Chorus, and Orchestra
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| Franklin High School Music Achievements - Central Districts accept 26 students |
MEETING AGENDA
“The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.”
○ Review and discuss Stage 1/Phase Two data from district (includes staffing considerations, transportation factors, district map, financial considerations, physical distancing factors)
○ Outline next steps
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| Davis Thayer Facilities Analysis Subcommittee Meeting - Jan 14, 2021 |
I am honored to share that I received the Distinguished Service Award from MAEA. This award is born out of the continued support of amazing colleagues, a strong administrative team, and phenomenal students who make going to work each day easy & inspiring. Thank You! @MassArtEdShared from Twitter: https://t.co/Vx7R1ZmC2t
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| Distinguished Service Award from MAEA |
From HockomockSports.com we share the FHS sports results:
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| FHS boys hockey tops King Philip 6-1 on Monday |
Happy High School Gymnastics Season! Thank you to all of the coaches who helped me with this year's high school gymnastics preview. Franklin, Masco, Wakefield, BR-WB, Newton boys co-op are on my list to keep an eye on this year. https://t.co/9UTPIAStoB
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| Boston Herald gymnastics preview references FHS team |
