"we found ticks pretty much wherever we looked”

"Disease-carrying ticks, commonly associated with wooded areas, are also abundant near beaches in Northern California, according to a study. They weren’t found on beaches themselves, but in the brush and vegetation beachgoers may walk through to get to the sand.

Daniel Salkeld, a research scientist at Colorado State University who led the study, said researchers wanted a “bird’s-eye view” of where ticks are found in Northern California and what they are infected with, such as bacteria that causes Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

“We were looking at coastal scrub and looked at redwood forests and oak woodlands and that kind of thing, because everyone tends to look at the same kinds of places,” he said. “And we found ticks pretty much wherever we looked.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/04/25/ticks-lyme-beaches/

Franklin Health Director Cathleen Liberty recorded a session last week that you'll get to hear shortly. We discussed several non-COVID-19 items and among them were ticks. One session from 2020 was focused on ticks and you can listen to that here  https://player.captivate.fm/episode/afe173c3-294e-49c5-9bec-ecf19105c9be

"The new term from this conversation is “questing”. Questing is the term for the tick looking to jump to a food source."

Reminder: St. Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group - May 1

St Mary's Women's Faith Formation is pleased to announce that Fr. Flavio from La Salette Shrine will be speaking at our May meeting about "Making Mary Part of Our Lives". 

Our meeting will  be held Saturday morning, May 1, starting at 9:30 AM on Zoom. There will be time for discussion.  This meeting is open to all women. 

If interested in attending this 45 minute meeting, please email Deacon Guy (deaconguy@stmarysfranklin.org) for Zoom link contact information.  

This will be our last session until we restart again in the fall.  

 

Reminder: St. Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group - May 1

Franklin Girls T&F take 2nd at Hockomock Championships

"Congratulations to our amazing team of girls for finishing 2nd overall at the Winter Track Hockomock Championship!! 

Results from the meet are posted on the Franklin Track and Field Website

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ykcN-RrpCnWmNTUTg5AoGjit8khuWt_/view?usp=sharing 

An amazing way to finish off the season!! 🥈🏆"

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHS_girlsXC/status/1386367534270763010

Note the FHS boys results are not yet posted.  https://www.franklintrack.org/

https://www.franklintrack.org/

"You distinguish between science that’s objectively established as true and science on the frontier"

"Neil deGrasse Tyson is perhaps the country’s best-known popularizer of science. The astrophysicist, who is 62, has achieved that status through his ever-expanding body of work in television, podcasting, journalism, social media and books (his latest is the new “Cosmic Queries”) and as director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 

He has done so at a time when, distressingly, skepticism toward established science has become increasingly widespread. Tyson himself received some scrutiny in 2019 after he was subject to two claims of sexual misconduct, which he subsequently described as misunderstandings. Those claims were investigated by his employers at the museum as well as Fox Broadcasting and National Geographic, which respectively air his series “Cosmos” and “StarTalk”; all three of them decided to continue employing Tyson. 

“We’ve lost confidence in our civic entities,” Tyson says about declining public trust in science. “That’s a strong destabilizing force, and some of that spilled over into the scientific community.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/19/magazine/neil-degrasse-tyson-interview.html

Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Rose Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 2006. He has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium since 1996. Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

"at some point, surplus became more important than feeding people"

"The global, industrialized food system faces increasing scrutiny for its environmental impact, given its voracious appetite for land is linked to mass deforestation, water pollution and a sizable chunk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The implied trade-off has been that advances in agriculture have greatly reduced hunger and driven societies out of poverty due to improved productivity and efficiencies. But Mark Bittman, the American food author and journalist, argues in his new book Animal, Vegetable, Junk that these supposed benefits are largely illusionary.

In a sweeping deconstruction of the history of food, spanning the past 10,000 years of organized agriculture, Bittman takes in everything from Mesopotamian irrigation to the Irish famine to the growth of McDonald’s to posit the rise of uniformity and convenience in food has mostly benefited large companies, fueled societal inequities and ravaged human health and the environment. Al Gore, the former US vice president, has called the book a “must-read for policymakers, activists and concerned citizens looking to better understand our food system and how to fix it”.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/25/our-unequal-earth-mark-bittman-cheap-food-american-diet

For more about Mark visit his web page  https://www.markbittman.com/

Mark Bittman, the American food author and journalist - "Animal, Vegetable, Junk"

Finance Committee - Budget Hearings - Apr 27, 28, 29 and May 4

Finance Committee Meetings

Please find the agendas and links for the upcoming Finance Committee Meetings Posted below: 

•  April 27 Agenda = Central government, Human Services, Culture and Recreation, Debt and Interest, Benefits

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/4.27.21_fin_com_agenda.pdf

• April 28 Agenda = Public Safety (Police, Fire, Regional Dispatch)

 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-04-28_finance_committee_agenda_.pdf

• April 29 Agenda  = Dept of Public Works 

 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-04-29_finance_committee_agenda_.pdf

• May 4 Agenda = Schools

 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-05-04_finance_committee_agenda_.pdf

Additional details on the FY 2022 budget can be found
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/pages/fy-22-budget-materials

Finance Committee - Budget Hearings - Apr 27, 28, 29 and May 4

Franklin TV: "Owl-cam Sees All! Necessity is the mother of invention."

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 04/25/2021

We have all been reprogrammed by ‘Le Virus’. What was is no more, and we are headed toward our new normal, whatever that might be. The term ‘new normal’ has become part of our viral lexicon. We say it, but what is it? No one can fully know. That said, we are already living some part of it in our day-to-day. Specifically, we have changed the way we connect and communicate, and IMHO, some of that change is here to stay. I’ve opined in past scribblings on this page that Zoom is here to stay. I still believe that.

Before: Me? On a video? OMG! No way! My hair! My house! I’m a mess.
After: Zoom?  Yeh, fine.  Let’s hang out. Casual athleisure attire is de rigueur.

While laptop cams are pretty good for one-on-ones, they fall short for whole family shots and groups. Enter Owl-cam. It’s a smart camera. It’s wikkid soopa-smaht!

Owl-cam Sees All!

The Meeting Owl is a webcam. Like a webcam, it sees you; it also hears your voice. It has a built-in speaker system. Camera-microphone-speaker, all-in-one, and all connect to your computer with one standard USB cable. No fuss. No muss.

Owl-cam knows who is speaking in a group and shows only that person or persons to the other participants at the far end of the Zoom meeting. What is Owl-cam, and how does it work this magic? It has not 1, but 8 built-in directional microphones arranged in a circle inside its vaguely owl-like casing. Hence, its round shape.

The dome camera is actually at the top, but looks sideways for a 360-degree panorama view. The microphones inform the camera where the person speaking is seated. The camera pulls that person from the panorama image.  When two people speak, it does a side-by-side split-screen image of both.

You’ll see Owl-cams in action in the days ahead. We’re installing some in Town Hall, the Senior Center, our own community room, and wherever future groups gather to conduct hybrid Zoom meets in our new normal.

And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. 
And, thank you for watching.

 

Get this week's program guide for Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf  or for archive purposes

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EDxLKpRhX5qRnUkh_l2g5gEkUXyfKICF/view?usp=sharing

Recap: "King Philip Stuns Franklin With Late Touchdown"

Ryan Lanigan, founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com, provides the recap for Friday's FHS vs KP football game:

"For three quarters, Franklin and King Philip were locked in a rock fight on Mactaz Field. 

Then came the fourth quarter fireworks. 

After neither team found the end zone in any of the first three quarters, there were three touchdowns in the final period including two in the final five minutes. Franklin took the lead with just over three minutes to go but King Philip answered with a game-winning drive, scoring with just over a minute to go to secure a 14-10 win. 

“I don’t know [how we won it], there were so many ups and downs in that one,” said King Philip head coach Brian Lee. “It was the type of game that we’ve had success in the past, the type of game we’ve competed in but this group, we’re very young and we don’t have many seniors out there, and throughout this year we were having trouble in the close games. But they kept coming back, it was just awesome to see."

Continue reading the article

https://hockomocksports.com/king-philip-football-stuns-franklin-with-late-touchdown/

For a photo gallery from this game

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2020-2021/Fall-II-2021/King-Philip-Franklin-Football-04-23-21/

King Philip junior Danny Clancy comes down with the game-winning touchdown catch with just over a minute left in the game. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19

Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.

The pause was recommended after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC examined available data to assess the risk of thrombosis involving the cerebral venous sinuses, or CVST (large blood vessels in the brain), and other sites in the body (including but not limited to the large blood vessels of the abdomen and the veins of the legs) along with thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelet counts. The teams at FDA and CDC also conducted extensive outreach to providers and clinicians to ensure they were made aware of the potential for these adverse events and could properly manage and recognize these events due to the unique treatment required for these blood clots and low platelets, also known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

The two agencies have determined the following:

• Use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine should be resumed in the United States.
• The FDA and CDC have confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.
• The FDA has determined that the available data show that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older.
• At this time, the available data suggest that the chance of TTS occurring is very low, but the FDA and CDC will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk.
• Health care providers administering the vaccine and vaccine recipients or caregivers should review the  Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers)external icon and Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregiversexternal icon, which have been revised to include information about the risk of this syndrome, which has occurred in a very small number of people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine fact sheet for recipients

https://www.fda.gov/media/146305/download

Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine fact sheet for healthcare providers

https://www.fda.gov/media/146304/download

Updated CDC guidance on cleaning

"Cleaning with a household cleaner that contains soap or detergent reduces the amount of germs on surfaces and decreases risk of infection from surfaces. In most situations, cleaning alone removes most virus particles on surfaces. Disinfection to reduce transmission of COVID-19 at home is likely not needed unless someone in your home is sick or if someone who is positive for COVID-19 has been in your home within the last 24 hours."

Continue reading the article online

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/disinfecting-your-home.html

Updated CDC guidance on cleaning

For additional info from the Town of Franklin

https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/vaccination-and-covid-19-data

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Apr 27, 2021

Franklin School Committee 

April 27, 2021 = 7:00 PM

Call to Order 

Pledge of Allegiance 

Moment of Silence

I. Routine Business

A. Review of Agenda

B. Citizen’s Comments

In the spirit of open communication, “the Committee will hold a public participation segment (also called Citizen’s Comments) about matters not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made…. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment…. The Committee will hear public comments related to an agenda item when the Chair deems appropriate during the Committee meeting. Topics for discussion during the meeting must be limited to those items listed on the Committee meeting agenda for that evening…. ” - from Policy BEDH

C. FHS Student Representative Comments

D. Superintendent’s Report

II. Guests/Presentations

A. Remington Middle School Highlights – Paul Duprey, Principal; Danielle Champagne, Assistant Principal  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/remington_-_school_committee_presentation.pdf

B. FHS Diversity Awareness Club

III. PM Discussion/Action Items

A. BICO Board Appointment for 2021-22

I recommend appointing Dr. Sara Ahern to the BICO Board for the 2021-22 School year.

B. ACCEPT Board Appointment for 2021-22

I recommend appointing Dr. Sara Ahern to the ACCEPT Board for the 2021-22 School year.

C. 2021 - 22 Revised School Calendar

I recommend approval of the revised 2021-22 Calendar as discussed.

IV. Discussion Only Items

A. 2021 - 22 School Committee Meeting Calendar

B. Reopening of Schools Status Update (April 23, 2021)

V. Information Matters

A. School Committee Sub-Committee Reports (e.g. Ad Hoc Supt. Evaluation, Budget, Community Relations/Public Schools Advocacy, Policy, Transportation)

B. School Committee Liaison Reports (e.g. Joint PCC, Substance Abuse Task Force, School Wellness Advisory Council, Franklin Racial & Social Justice Task Force)

VI. New Business

A. To discuss any future agenda items

VII. Consent Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes

I recommend approval of the minutes from your April 13, 2021 School Committee meeting as detailed.

B. Transfers

I recommend approval of the budget transfers as detailed.

C. RMS Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $600.00 from the Franklin Cultural Council for in-house enrichment and supplemental supplies for Remington Middle School as detailed.

D. Athletics Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the Special Olympics for supplemental supplied for the Athletics Department as detailed.

E. Parmenter Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $309.89 from the Parmenter PCC for supplemental supplies as detailed.

VIII. Payment of Bills Dr. Bergen

IX. Payroll Atty. Pond-Pfeffer

X. Executive Session

A. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the FEA and Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(2) to conduct collective bargaining sessions with the FEA unit. as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

B. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A §21(a)(2) to conduct strategy session in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel.

C. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to litigation as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares.

XI. Adjournment

Meeting packet folder and documents released for the meeting

https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/pages/april-27-2021-school-committee-meeting-packet

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Apr 27, 2021

Earth Day conversation starters for Franklin

Via Cobi Frongillo: 

"Some thoughts on this Earth Day to get our brain's turning on opportunities for local advocacy..."

Shared from Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/GreaterFranklin350Mass/permalink/4217769938274226/

What's currently being done?

Possible next steps

FM #523 - Franklin Area Nonprofit Network Meeting - 04/19/21 (audio)

FM #523 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 523 in the series. 

This shares the second meeting of the Franklin Area Nonprofit Network (FANN). The meeting was conducted virtually using Zoom. The meeting was recorded to capture the introductions of each of the groups/organizations to enable packaging of them for the individual groups to use.

Thanks to all those who participated and especially to the organizations who provided their introductions. We heard from

• Friends of Franklin Elders, Inc

• Franklin Neighbor Brigade

• Franklin Food Pantry

• Metacomet Land Trust, Inc.

• Franklin Public Library

• St. Vincent de Paul Society, St Mary Franklin

• Franklin FISH

• Franklin Lions

• Rotary Club of Franklin MA

Pete Fasciano presented an overview of the Franklin TV/Radio services. Judy O’Gara assisted with examples of press release information

• The presentation document can be found online

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BNAVSoh8UvRdNiBxFn27i0BQ-uwn007e/view?usp=sharing

The meeting recording runs about an hour and 30 minutes, so let’s listen in to the Franklin Area Nonprofit Network, a fanntastic group! 

Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/44fd4920-605e-45f5-8b4d-d46f777db76d

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

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

• 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/  or www.franklin.news/

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 #523 - Franklin Area Nonprofit Network Meeting - 04/19/21 (audio)

FHS football ends season with loss to KP 14-10

From HockomockSports.com we share the FHS sports results: 

Football = Franklin, 10 @ King Philip, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (F) Parker Cheuvront 32-yard field goal.
4th Quarter: (KP) Mikey Malatesta 2-yard rush, Matthew Kelley XP good; (F) Mack Gulla 10-yard rush, P. Cheuvront XP good; (KP) Charlie Grant 10-yard pass to Danny Clancy, M. Kelley XP good.

For other results around the Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-04-23-21/

FHS football ends season with loss to KP 14-10

Last "Monday Night Masterclass" of the season!

Join us Monday, April 26th at 7:30 for a masterclass on the life and works of Katharina Grosse presented by artist, Jacqueline Volpe.

View this email in your browser Join Us! Free Monday Night Masterclass with local artist, Jacqueline Volpe Our LAST class of the season will focus on the life and works of Katharina Grosse, a German artist who uses her surroundings (natural and man-made) to create pieces which are colorful and large-scale often running from ceiling to floor or the length of a building. Jacqueline Volpe, noted local artist and founder of "The Creativity Curator" will be giving a hands-on, one hour masterclass of Katharina's works. Registration is required and, as always, free to our community. Monday, April 12th, 7:30-8:30pm. Register on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FranklinCulturalCouncil/) or through our email address: franklinculturalcouncil02038@gmail.com. A Zoom link is sent to participants via private email before the event.