 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Franklin Downtown Partnership - General Meeting - Feb 4, 2021
Project Envoy - eat out or take out, and you help out!
The Interfaith Council Food Security Team is preparing to launch Project Envoy, a community driven project designed to support local restaurants that in-turn will donate some of their proceeds to the Franklin Food Pantry.
Project Envoy starts Feb. 1 and runs through April 30.
As of this week, the following restaurants are participating: Rome, Acapulcos, Intermission Café, Franklin Central Pizza, George’s Pizza, Dacey’s Market & Deli, Santa Fe, Rhapsody’s Victorian Coffee House, King Street Café, Spruce Pond Creamery, and Franklin Pizza and Deli.
Patrons can visit the Franklin Food Pantry site each day to learn which restaurants are participating on what day as well as follow social media channels. The different Faith organizations in Franklin will also share the restaurant schedule.
Franklin Food Pantry - Project Envoy page for a restaurant to enroll
https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/envoy-program
https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/envoy-program
Download or print a copy of the Project Envoy calendar for February
https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Envoy-calendar-February.1.27.21.pdf
https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Envoy-calendar-February.1.27.21.pdf
 |
| Project Envoy calendar for February 2021 |
Tour the Franklin Historical Museum virtually - Jan 28 - 1 PM
Franklin Historical Museum Tour
Event Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021 - 1:00 PM
Historian Jim Johnston will guide us through the exciting new exhibit virtually! Plenty of opportunity for questions & discussion.
For the link to join, email Ariel at adoggett@franklinma.gov.
 |
| Franklin Historical Museum Tour - Jan 28 - 1 PM |
FHS Gymnastics: Meet Megan! Meet Kim!
Meet Megan! @FHSSports @FranklinHS @FranklinMatters @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports @MyFM1013 @KatCornetta @FHSTrainingRoom @meganpritoni
Meet Kim! @FHSSports @FranklinHS @FranklinMatters @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports @MyFM1013 @KatCornetta @FHSTrainingRoom
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/fhs_gymnastics/status/1354055818262491139
Meet Megan! @FHSSports @FranklinHS @FranklinMatters @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports @MyFM1013 @KatCornetta @FHSTrainingRoom @meganpritoni pic.twitter.com/K06nxsGDrT
— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 26, 2021
Meet Kim! @FHSSports @FranklinHS @FranklinMatters @MetroWestSports @HockomockSports @MyFM1013 @KatCornetta @FHSTrainingRoom pic.twitter.com/kudIz3kddF
— FHS Gymnastics (@fhs_gymnastics) January 26, 2021
Pantherbook: "The Reality of Online Learning: Students Perspective"
Tess Bower shares the results of her research into online Learning and its impact on Franklin students on Pantherbook.
"The swarm of kids rushing into school in the morning, the cool seats on the noisy bus, the crowded cafeteria and chattering media center. All sights students have not seen this year. With Hybrid Learning at FHS, some of these norms have taken new shape. The once loud, crowded cafeteria now has students quietly chatting amongst themselves while sitting six feet apart. The swarm of kids rushing into school is now only 1/3rd of the student body, socially distancing themselves while they walk in. Busses are disturbingly quiet and empty, and the media center has signs reading, “Closed before and after school”. To say our beloved FHS has an entirely new atmosphere, would be an understatement. These new norms have been put in place and everyone is continuing to adjust to them. "
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHSPantherbook/status/1354046481276280833
 |
| Pantherbook: "The Reality of Online Learning: Students Perspective" |
John Lewis's speech at the March on Washington
A new history podcast has ten episodes that are well worth listening to.
"It Was Said is a limited documentary podcast series looking back on some of the most powerful, impactful and timeless speeches in American history.
Written and narrated by Pulitzer Prize winning and best-selling author-historian Jon Meacham, and created, directed and produced by Peabody-nominated C13Originals Studios in association with HISTORY Channel, this series takes you through 10 speeches for the inaugural season.
Meacham offers expert insight and analysis into their origins, the orator, the context of the times they were given, why they are still relevant today, and the importance of never forgetting them.
Each episode of this documentary podcast series also brings together some of the top historians, authors and journalists relevant to each respective speech and figure."
Ep 9: John Lewis, We Want Our Freedom Now
The text of John Lewis' speech at the March on Washington
YouTube Video of the full speech https://youtu.be/tFs1eTsokJg
“We’re a year behind in fulfilling the promise of the Student Opportunity Act"
"The Baker-Polito Administration today filed its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget recommendation, a $45.6 billion proposal that continues the Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses critical priorities including promoting economic growth, fully funding the first year of the landmark Student Opportunity Act, and supporting cities and towns across Massachusetts. This balanced proposal does not raise taxes on the Commonwealth’s residents and preserves substantial financial reserves for the future.Submitted as House 1, this budget recommendation provides $246.3 million in new funding for the Student Opportunity Act including an increase of $197.7 million in Chapter 70 funding, with a particular focus on school districts serving low-income students. The Administration is also proposing to allow municipalities to count $114 million in federal dollars towards their Chapter 70 required local contribution increases to further deliver on the commitments in the Student Opportunity Act. Additionally, House 1 maintains the Administration’s promise to cities and towns with a $39.5 million increase in unrestricted local aid, which is equivalent to the 3.5% consensus tax revenue growth rate."
Continue to read the press release from Gov Baker's office
To review the budget letter and funding details
Chapter 70 info for FY 2022 from DESE
Insights into the details of the budget and slick accounting used
Critics of the budget proposal outline details
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/school-advocates-call-bakers-funding-proposal-inadequate/
Gov Baker budget press conference: https://youtu.be/S3KlSfJdu5s
COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans
COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans
January 27, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans
We know some of our veterans have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, some are not planning on getting it and others are anxiously waiting to receive it.
If you are enrolled in the VA medical system and get called for an appointment to receive the vaccine, you must go to that facility at the scheduled day and time. You can't go to the Brockton VAMC to be vaccinated if you've been scheduled to receive it at the Jamaica Plain VAMC. You can, however, request a different day and time if the scheduled appointment is not convenient for you. The VA is currently scheduling appointments for veterans who are 75+ years of age.
If you are not enrolled in the VA medical system but have a disability rating, you can enroll in the VA medical system and will be eligible to receive a vaccine at one of the VA facilities. Vets who are not enrolled in the VA medical system should contact their civilian health care practitioners for vaccine information.
For current information about vaccines at the VA Medical Centers, please visit:
https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/
Here you'll be able to sign up for email updates, find information about vaccine eligibility and get answers to many of your questions. Please remember to continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines and stay up-to-date with the Department of Public Health prevention recommendations.
 |
| COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Veterans |
The Guardian: ‘A remarkable phenomenon’: billions of cicadas set to emerge across eastern US
"Billions of cicadas that have spent 17 years underground are set to emerge across large areas of the eastern US, bringing swarming numbers and loud mating calls to major towns and cities.The periodic cicadas – bugs with strikingly red eyes, black bodies and orange wings – burrow underground as nymphs and suck fluids from the roots of plants as they grow, eventually bursting into the open as adults in mass synchronized events.The last such event for 15 states including New York, Ohio, Illinois and Georgia occurred in 2004. The cicadas emerge in a 17-year cycle, meaning they will appear this year once temperatures are warm enough, expected to be mid-May."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Scammers cash in on COVID-19 vaccination confusion
|
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
"Baker delivers ‘very different’ State of the Commonwealth" (video)
"A RESTAURANT OWNER feeding needy families, prompting his competitor to do the same. Aid groups feeding the growing number of economically insecure families. Grocery store workers, who checked people out even at the height of the pandemic.
Those were some of the many Bay Staters Gov. Charlie Baker thanked during his annual State of the Commonwealth address. The pandemic loomed large as his theme, even before the first words were uttered.
Instead of his usual address in a crowded House chamber flanked by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, the House speaker, Senate president, and other constitutional officers, Baker was alone in his office, bookended by the Massachusetts and American flags. The moment, he said, was not unlike the solitude people have come to experience in their own homes — far from their family and colleagues while striving to remain safe.
Baker’s speech had no big news or policy proposals as in past years. It offered no indication of whether the governor will seek reelection next year and, aside from a lament at the divisiveness of social media, there was no mention of former president Donald Trump or the insurrection in Washington. "
Continue reading the article online
Direct link to the YouTube video of the State of the Commonwealth by Gov Baker (~ 25 minutes) https://youtu.be/Owhh6C80l5E
Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Update
Senator Rausch State House Briefing
Part 2, Chapter 1 (January 26, 2020)
Dear friends,
I hope 2021 is off to a good and healthy start for you and your loved ones. I am proud and honored to continue serving as your Senator in this new term.
It’s fitting that my first newsletter to you in 2021 focuses on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Massachusetts. The good news is that we are moving into Phase Two of vaccine eligibility. Tomorrow morning, residents who are 75+ can start scheduling appointments to receive vaccinations. Please see key information in the section below.
Unfortunately, Massachusetts continues to rank near the bottom of all 50 states for vaccine administration, droves of doses remain on freezer shelves, and some doses are even ending up in the garbage because of the implementation failures to date, despite a solid plan from the Vaccine Advisory Board. The devil is always in the details, and the details have been a deadly disappointment. I share your deep frustrations about how poorly the vaccine rollout process has been so far, I continue to press the administration for improvements, and I worry that vaccination rollout and COVID management in Massachusetts may continue to be embarrassingly substandard going forward. In particular, I am concerned about access to appointment sign-ups, physical ability to get to a vaccination site, inequitable vaccination and testing site locations, insufficient collaboration with local health experts and grassroots health advocacy organizations, language barriers, inadequate communication from the Baker administration, a failure to address vaccine hesitancy, poor judgment calls resulting in changing vaccine prioritization, and public health experts continuing to be outnumbered by big business representatives on the reopening board.
Because the vaccination distribution will take several more months, it is absolutely imperative that everyone continue to take precautions to mitigate/prevent the spread of COVID19. That means masks, hand-washing, and physical distance from others. It’s hard and we’re tired. I get it. Please do not relent in your diligence. Also, try to get 20-30 minutes of physical activity daily, stay hydrated, eat well, and take time to take care of your mental health.
Questions and comments about the COVID vaccine distribution plan and implementation can be emailed directly to the Baker administration at COVID-19-Vaccine-Plan-MA@mass.gov. I welcome constituents to copy me on those emails as well.
I promise to continue advocating for personal and public health.
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.
Yours in service,
Senator Becca Rausch
This newsletter was shortened for publication here. To view the full content follow this link: https://mailchi.mp/1a84a07d935c/maearlyvoting2020-13232068?e=0c2c9810fe
 |
| Sign up for the February 9th Senior Coffee here. |
FHS girls basketball continue streak with win over Mansfield
From HockomockSports.com we share the FHS sports results:
Girls Basketball = Mansfield, 43 @ Franklin, 62 – Final
– Franklin broke the game open in the second half to stay perfect on the season. Behind a strong second quarter, Mansfield had cut the lead to just 25-21 at the half, but the Panthers extended the lead to seven after three and exploded for 25 points in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Olivia Quinn scored a game-high 16 points in the win, while Brigid Earley chipped in with 12. The Hornets were led by Ashley Santos’ eight points. Sarah Dooling and Anna Darlington each scored seven for the visitors.
Boys Basketball = Franklin, 50 @ Mansfield, 60 – Final
"For nearly three quarters, the Franklin boys basketball was following its gameplay to near perfection.Continue reading the game recap by Ryan Lanigan, founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com: https://hockomocksports.com/mansfield-boys-basketball-rides-second-half-rally-franklin/
The Panthers were sharing the ball on offense, cutting to the basket, and hitting open looks from outside. And the defense was on point too, keeping the Hockomock League’s leading scorer Matt Boen in check for over 20 minutes.
But as the visitors learned the hard way, anything short of a full 32-minute performance isn’t enough to beat the Hornets.
Franklin’s double-digit second half lead evaporated, shrinking over the final minutes of the third quarter and disappearing by the midway point of the fourth. Instead, it was Mansfield who walked away with a double-digit victory, 60-50, behind a big second half turnaround. "
For a Photo Gallery from this game: https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2020-2021/Winter-2020-2021/Mansfield-Franklin-Boys-Basketball-01-26-21
For other results around the Hockomock League
 |
| Mansfield senior Jack Colby is defended by Franklin’s Jake O’Brien in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com) |
CommonWealth Magazine: "Teachers complain about bump down in vaccination line"
"TEACHERS UNIONS ARE criticizing changes Gov. Charlie Baker made to the vaccine schedule that elevate those over 65 but push educators and others lower on the priority list, a shift teachers say will delay a return to in-person learning in some districts.
On Monday, Baker said residents aged 65 to 74 are being moved up from the end of Phase 2 of the vaccination schedule to the second spot, joining those with two or more comorbidities just behind the first priority group – those 75 and older.
Teachers, who previously had been behind those over 75 and those with two or more comorbidities, now fall back along with other groups, including transit operators, grocery store employees, and public health workers. Those groups will now wait longer for vaccinations.
“It’s like the Hunger Games,” said Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, in a statement. “They are forcing communities to compete with one another for a scarce resource rather than establishing a fair system with clear rules. We had not opposed the original prioritization list because it had a rational basis and promised to deliver vaccines to educators in February. Now, those hopes may be dashed.”
Continue reading the article online
Statements from Senate President Karen E. Spilka on climate legislation and Commonwealth address
Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano
"Today, the Temporary Senate Committee on Ways and Means is advancing the bipartisan climate bill that passed last session. The Senate and House have scheduled formal sessions for Thursday and will vote once again to take bold action to combat climate change, protect environmental justice communities, and ensure environmentally responsible economic growth."
Senate President Karen E. Spilka on State of the Commonwealth Address
“Governor Baker reminded us of the true strength of our Commonwealth – our people. Like the Governor, I am so grateful to the people of Massachusetts for their perseverance during this most difficult year. It is for them that the Massachusetts State Senate has kept working hard throughout this pandemic, and they are the reason we are getting right back to work. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Governor Baker and the House of Representatives on behalf of the people of this great state.”
Davis Thayer Facilities Analysis SubCommittee Meeting - Jan 28, 2021
Facilities Analysis Sub Committee Meeting
Jan 28, 2021 - 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Virtual Meeting
- Approval of past minutes (1/20/21)
- Discussion:
- Continue to evaluate options (Stage 2 of the DT Facility Analysis process)
Full agenda (including connection info) https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda_dt_subcom_1.28.21.docx.pdf
 |
| Davis Thayer Facilities Analysis SubCommittee Meeting - Jan 28, 2021 |
Franklin School Committee: Budget SubCommittee Meeting - Feb 2, 2021
Budget SubCommittee Meeting
Feb 2, 2021 - 4:30 PM
Virtual Meeting (Link in agenda)
FY22 Budget Development
Full agenda (including connection info) https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda-bsc_2-2-20.pdf
 |
| Franklin School Committee:: Budget SubCommittee Meeting - Feb 2, 2021 |
FPS: Community Relations SubCommittee Meeting - Jan 28, 2021
Franklin Public Schools
Community Relations SubCommittee Meeting
Jan 28, 2021 - 3:00 PM
Virtual Meeting (Link in agenda)
- Approval of January 7th Meeting Minutes
- Legislative Forum
- Generate ideas to support two-way communication
Full agenda (including connection info) https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/community_relations_agenda_january_28_2021.docx.pdf
 |
| FPS: Community Relations SubCommittee Meeting - Jan 28, 2021 |
Tri-County RVTHS Athletics: Captain's Council
Tri-County PRIDE!
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/TriRvths/status/1354132747527348230
 |
| Tri-County RVTHS Athletics: Captain's Council |
Boston Globe: “The electoral system was the cause of the inequity”
"In Everett today, white, non-Hispanic residents make up less than 44 percent of the population, but they dominate city government. Seventy-five percent of the elected councilors and school committee members are white.
That’s no accident, critics say; it’s a natural outgrowth of the city’s electoral system.
Everett is one of several cities in Massachusetts where all local officials are elected at-large, and none by individual wards or districts. For years, civil rights specialists have called that a recipe for exclusion. White residents, even as a minority, often vote as a bloc and drown out the voices of Black and brown voters. Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit legal organization, recently put Everett councilors on notice that they’re vulnerable to a challenge under the Voting Rights Act.
“There’s no shot against anybody because they’re a white man or a white woman. We are violating the federal Voting Rights Act,” Everett City Councilor Gerly Adrien, the first Black woman to serve on the council, warned her colleagues at a December council meeting."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Editorial note: Voting for our Town Council or School Committee by precinct rather than "at-large" (as we do today) may be more of a consideration as our population grows. In the meantime, there are other practical ways to increase the diversity of candidates for our local government and ensure a fair and equitable voice "in the room where it happens." We do need to work at being a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)