Franklin Matters

Thursday, January 21, 2021

FM #440 Justin Bates - Empowering Candidates 01/13/21 (audio)

FM #440 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 440 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Justin Bates, one of the leaders of the Franklin Area Against Racism (FAAR) Group. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 20 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Justin.

Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HVt0bVZS

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INFORMATIONAL MEETING: SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 @ 3:00 PM

Follow the Facebook event for the connection info
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2587147061543240/permalink/2776472175944060/

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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?

If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
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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!

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FM #440 Justin Bates - Empowering Candidates 01/13/21 (audio)

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Project Envoy: eat out/take out, help out

When times are tough, folks get together to help out.

Many folks will recognize the Franklin Interfaith Council as the collective of our local houses of worship. Members representing many of the church communities formed a Food Security Team.

The question was: "How to help the Franklin Food Pantry and the local restaurants both of which are being challenged by this pandemic?"

Project Envoy was conceived.

Project Envoy will advertise participation for specials at the participating restaurants. Folks can eat out or take out. A portion of the meal will help the Franklin Food Pantry for a win-win.

The Franklin Food Pantry will maintain a web page with the participating restaurants and specials.

Members of the newly formed Franklin Interfaith Food Security Team have contacted all locally owned restaurants and establishments in Franklin.

At the moment, Project Envoy has 8 confirmed restaurants enrolled, there are conversations with others underway.

Project Envoy is expected to formally launch on February 1. You don't need to wait until then. You can eat out/take out and help out now.

The 8 confirmed restaurants are: Dacey's Market, Franklin Pizza and Deli, Santa Fe, Rome, Acapulco, Franklin Central Pizza; George's Pizza; and Intermission Cafe

The Food Security Team members represent: St. Mary’s Parish, St. John’s Episcopal, Temple Etz Chaim, the First Universalist Society in Franklin, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, and the Franklin Federated Church.

Project Envoy: eat out/take out, help out

Franklin Matters Q & A - virtual session - Thursday, Jan 21

Franklin Matters Q & A with Steve Sherlock is scheduled for Thursday Jan. 21st at 1 PM

You can get a preview of my Franklin "watch list" for 2021. You can also ask questions. I'll either have the answer, or get it for you.

Email adoggett@franklinma.gov to attend

Franklin Matters Q & A - virtual session - Thursday, Jan 21

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday January 21, 7:00 PM

Hello to our members and supporters. The Greater Franklin Node of 350 Massachusetts will meet this week, Thursday, January 7th, at 7:00 pm. Here are the the Zoom details, and a preview of the meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86301333214?pwd=ZThLbEN4Ny9BOXBCdkgySlowYVFaQT09
Meeting ID: 863 0133 3214
Passcode: 350ma
Audio by phone: +1 646 876 9923

There's no need to RSVP, and we'll send a reminder on Thursday.

This week we will devote much of the meeting to consider proposals for the 2021-2022 350 Mass Campaign. The Statewide Steering Team has collected proposals from throughout the organization, and all the Nodes are now weighing in.

There are 13 proposals that we will review and rank. On the attached document you will find a form listing the proposals and providing links for more background (i.e., a video of a meeting at which the proposals were presented, the agenda from that meeting with links to descriptions of the proposals, and a file with short summaries of each).

You are welcome to give us your input on the proposals. You may join the meeting on Thursday, or—if you are unable to attend—you can spend some time before Thursday evening to review the proposals and fill out the form and return it to ralph.halpern@comcast.net.

Whether you've been active in the past or not, we are happy to include you in this important planning and our upcoming projects.

On another matter, we and our allies in the climate movement are very disappointed that Governor Baker chose to veto the Next Generation Roadmap Climate Bill, a bill that thousands of Massachusetts residents like you worked relentlessly to see passed into law. The Governor's excuses are misleading and disingenuous. Please read this article with our response.

Thankfully, all is not lost, as the House and Senate leadership have refiled this landmark legislation, promising to return it to the governor with enough votes to override a veto if it comes.

Action step: We must call, email and tweet at our representatives and state senators, urging them to resubmit the bill as is. Share this op-ed in CommonWealth Magazine and use the hashtag #VetoProofClimateBill to call on our legislators to support the bill once again.

Thanks for your participation and support.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

MIAA indoor track modifications for Fall II in process of approval

"In a virtual meeting Tuesday, the MIAA’s Cross Country & Track Committee unanimously approved modifications for the upcoming Fall II indoor season, scheduled to begin on Feb. 22.

The modifications must be approved by the MIAA’s Sports Medicine Committee, the COVID-19 Task Force, and the Board of Directors. Committee chair Pete Rittenburg, the athletic director at Brookline High, expects all three groups to approve the modifications by Friday, but the committee noted that finding facilities to host indoor track events would be difficult."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/19/sports/miaa-track-committee-approves-modifications-fall-ii-season/

The MIAA Track and Cross Country Committee unanimously agreed Tuesday to modifications for the Fall 2 and Spring seasons to send to the Sports Medicine Committee for approval.

Where some of those Fall 2 indoor track modifications will be implemented remains to be seen.

The Reggie Lewis Center expects to be closed for the duration of the academic year due to the pandemic. Boston University also said its facilities would not be available, as is the case with several other venues in the state.

Wheaton College scheduled four events this month for the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association, but told the MIAA that once students were back on campus next month, their facility would shut down.

Continue reading the article online

https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/01/19/miaa-track-committee-meeting/

Can you identify signs of labor trafficking?

Mass. Municipal Assn (@massmunicipal) tweeted on Tue, Jan 19, 2021:

.@MassAGO @maura_healey's office launches new training video & digital toolkit to help people identify signs of labor trafficking & generate referrals to her office for potential investigation & prosecution.

MMA article to provide context for the new awareness campaign https://t.co/dMFDXPzpZx

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/massmunicipal/status/1351536119083528196
Video link = https://youtu.be/jKXNa824N9I

Washington Post: "8 facts about the coronavirus to combat common misinformation"

"Living through a pandemic in the Internet age means misinformation can sometimes spread more rapidly than facts.

Faced with a deluge of claims about the coronavirus and the illness it causes, covid-19, you may be wondering whether gargling with saltwater is a cure or if the pathogen was man-made in a Chinese laboratory. (Spoiler: Saltwater doesn’t work, and scientists believe the virus occurs in nature.)

To help you out, we rounded up eight facts about the coronavirus to keep in mind if you see claims to the contrary."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/05/coronavirus-misinformation-facts/

Boston Globe: "Kids in need of remedial support already were vulnerable before the pandemic"

"Maureen Ronayne thought 2020 would be the year when, at long last, her 10-year-old son Daniel would learn to read at grade level. She and her husband had spent six years fighting to get Daniel, who is dyslexic, the supports he needed from the Medford public schools. Those included a spot at the school with the most reading support, a separate class at the school dedicated to reading remediation, and a private tutor funded partially by the district.

“He was definitely showing progress,” says his mother, who also has dyslexia, a disability that hinders a person’s ability to read words correctly and efficiently. The fourth-grader had made steady gains in the Wilson Reading System, a curriculum designed for students with reading difficulties, rising from 2.5 in the fall of 2019 to 3.2 last March. (The system has 12 steps designed to help struggling readers become able ones.)"

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/19/magazine/schoolchildren-struggling-read-covid-19-has-been-wrecking-ball/

Boston Globe: "a glimmer of hope for opponents to the Weymouth gas compressor"

David Abel (@davabel) tweeted on Tue, Jan 19, 2021:

"After years of protests, a glimmer of hope for opponents to the Weymouth gas compressor https://t.co/DWe9KVmz44 via @BostonGlobe"

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/davabel/status/1351704672403394561

The Weymouth Compressor StationJOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF

Franklin Public Schools: Policy Subcommittee Meeting - Jan 21, 2021

Policy Subcommittee Meeting

1/21/2021 = 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Virtual Meeting (Link in agenda)

I. Electronic Distribution of Approved Policies

1. GA - Personnel Policy Goals
2. GBA - Equal Employment Opportunity
3. Policy Distribution Folder

II. Discussion of Policies sent to School Committee

A. None

III. Policy Revisions & New Policies - New Discussion Item

A. Policy BEDB - Order of Business
B. FPS Travel Policy
C. Continued Review of F Policies

Agenda doc
https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/1.21.2021_policy_subcommittee_meeting_agenda.pdf

Franklin Public Schools: Policy Sub Committee Meeting - Jan 21, 2021

BFCCPS: Applications for 2021-2022 school year open and information session videos available

"In a traditional year, BFCCPS hosts information sessions so that interested families can meet us in person, learn more about the school and have a building tour. As a result of the continuing health crisis, in person meetings will not be possible this year so we’ve adjusted our plans accordingly.

This year, we have arranged for videos featuring our staff, parents, teachers and even a BFCCPS alumna to help you learn more about the BFCCPS Experience. While these videos can’t truly replicate our traditional face to face events we hope that our enthusiasm for the school is evident.

A virtual Question and Answer Session will be held in January 2021. Please stay tuned for details and registration. If you would like to watch all the videos in sequence, you can visit this YouTube playlist otherwise, you can watch selected videos below. "

Video link = https://youtu.be/FdtGxn5AKS4

Application available = http://bfccps.org/about/enrollment/?doing_wp_cron=1611099577.2429950237274169921875

Statement from House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen E. Spilka - Climate Change Legislation

"The ambitious and ground breaking climate bill that we sent with overwhelming bipartisan support from both the Senate and the House meets the urgency of the global climate crisis. Months of work was exhaustively studied by members of the conference committee, and the result was a bill that rejects the false choice between economic growth and addressing climate change. We must combat climate change while also maintaining a thriving economy and expanding the housing stock that will ensure future, sustainable growth. The legislation sent to the Governor showed how it can be done.

Today, the House and Senate introduce this legislation as written and passed. We are confident that members of the House and Senate will again act with urgency by swiftly sending this bill back to Governor Baker's desk."

and from CommonWealth Magazine articles on the climate change legislation:

Questions on Baker’s $6b climate change cost estimate

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/questions-on-bakers-6b-climate-change-cost-estimate-2/

Debunking Baker’s 6 reasons for climate veto

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/debunking-bakers-6-reasons-for-climate-veto/

Mariano, Spilka take defiant tone on climate change

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/environment/mariano-spilka-take-defiant-tone-on-climate-change/

Mass Cultural Council: Learn about the COVID-19 Relief Fund for Individuals

"Learn about the COVID-19 Relief Fund for Individuals. The program offers grants of $1,500 to people who have lost income derived from their work as individual artists and independent teaching artists/humanists/scientists as a direct result of COVID-19 related cancellations and closures in Massachusetts.

Mass Cultural Council staff will discuss the application process, then take questions from attendees."

Shared from: https://t.co/2GU6H8MuGm

Application process: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/covid-19-relief-fund-for-individuals/