FHS baseball falls short In D1 South final To Xaverian - 5-4

 

"The Franklin baseball team came up just short in the D1 South Sectional Final against Xaverian, but it sure wasn’t for a lack of effort.

The Panthers rallied to get within one run twice and had the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t get over the hump, falling 5-4 to the visiting Hawks.

Franklin had a hit in five of the seven innings, putting a runner in scoring position in four of those frames. The Panthers pushed across three runs in the bottom of the fourth and made it a one-run game again with a run in the sixth, but Franklin also left the bases loaded in two innings and left a runner in scoring position in two other frames.

“It was a great game, both teams competed hard and both teams had opportunities…they just made a few more plays than we did today,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “We certainly applied pressure and had our chances, even right there to the end. But unfortunately, some walks, some miscues…and they had two big blows. I’m just really proud of this team, especially the seniors."

Continue reading the game recap by Ryan Lanigan, founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com

https://hockomocksports.com/franklin-baseball-falls-short-in-south-final-to-xaverian/

For a photo gallery from this game

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2020-2021/Spring-2021/Franklin-Xaverian-Baseball-06-28-21/

Franklin junior reliever James Kuczmiec threw two perfect innings of relief for the Panthers. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

Flower Alley has its first mural

"One mural done, and more to come! The FDP continues to coordinate the installations of murals on Flower Alley off East Central St. Stop by to see this amazing mural by artist Peg Munson."

Shared from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/243620642485745/posts/1787627298085064/

For more about the Franklin Downtown Partnership, visit their page

https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

Flower Alley has its first mural

"human behavior is far more important in shaping the course of the pandemic than any variant"

"News headlines and health experts on social media are sounding the alarm over another variant of the coronavirus, this time Delta, claiming it is much more contagious and perhaps more lethal than any other variant seen so far. It’s easy to understand why: New variants of the virus continue to emerge, and cases are rising in many countries. But whether new variants pose a unique or substantial risk is still unknown, and as virologists, we are concerned that misunderstanding variants and the risk they pose can cause confusion and panic.

As the coronavirus spread globally, its genome changed — mutated — as expected for any virus. These mutations may affect the virus’s “fitness,” its ability to reproduce and spread. Some mutations weaken a virus, some have no measurable effect, and some make it stronger.

As a virus becomes more fit, it will outcompete less fit viruses — and Delta is not the first variant that has beat its predecessors and competitors in certain areas. There’s the Alpha variant that first became dominant in Britain, and the Gamma variant that first became dominant in Brazil. Such changes are not unique to the coronavirus. Increased viral fitness happens during every flu season and is why some flu variants may circulate more widely than others.

Just because a variant displaces another does not necessarily mean it is more infectious or more deadly to the people who become infected with it. As has been true for the past year and a half, human behavior is far more important in shaping the course of the pandemic than any variant."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/opinion/covid-vaccine-variants.html

Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos

Get your "Lions Club Donut" at the Franklin Honey Dew locations

For the month of July as we kick off the new "Lion Year",  you can buy a "Lions Club Donut" at the Franklin Honey Dew locations. All proceeds will benefit the local charities of the Franklin Lions Club.

PURPLE: stands for loyalty to friends and to one's self, and for integrity of mind and heart. GOLD: symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgement, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purpose toward humanity.

Visit the Franklin Lions on the internet at https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/franklinma/

Get your "Lions Club Donut" at the Franklin Honey Dew locations

"members simply could not reach a consensus on an issue that became incredibly controversial"

"AFTER 16 MONTHS of work, members of a commission tasked with updating the state’s laws for reporting child abuse have failed to reach an agreement and will not make any recommendations to the Legislature.  

The report of the mandated reporter commission is scheduled to be released Wednesday. At a meeting Monday, commission members decided to include in that report a summary of their deliberations and of feedback obtained in a public comment period – but not to vote on any legislative recommendations.  

“There’s no recommendations,” confirmed the state’s child advocate, Maria Mossaides, who chairs the commission, after the meeting.  

Asked why the commission decided not to make any recommendations, Mossaides said she was “unwilling to speak for the commission on that matter,” and she would let the document speak for itself when it is released. "

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/commission-on-child-abuse-reporting-fails-to-reach-consensus/

"Architecture can be a powerful tool for justice"

Franklin's current zoning doesn't allow for triple-deckers. Might this be one option for consideration? 

"At the turn of the 20th century, working-class Boston residents faced a lack of affordable housing and, as a result, the diverse working class struggled to live close to where they worked and faced low rates of homeownership. One of Boston’s most iconic architectural styles, the triple-decker, was a solution to these challenges, not unlike many of the challenges Boston faces today. 

Between 1880 and 1930, Boston responded to the needs of the working class by constructing an estimated 15,000 triple-deckers. This type of housing was popular with immigrants and Black Bostonians as Boston experienced different migration patterns. It also offered an affordable path to homeownership, since a family could live in one unit and rent out the other two, often to relatives. Triple-deckers became a popular and economically viable example of multigenerational housing throughout the region. 

But triple-deckers, with their diverse working-class residents, soon became a lightning rod for racist and anti-immigrant sentiment that fueled policy and building code changes."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/28/opinion/triple-deckers-were-once-an-affordable-solution-bostons-housing-crunch-can-be-again/

I'll admit to some bias for triple-deckers having grown up in one in Pawtucket, RI

A triple-decker renovation-in-progress in Dorchester. The finished project was featured on “This Old House” in May. KEVIN O'CONNOR

350 Mass Takes Climate Action In Franklin

350 Mass Takes Climate Action In Franklin

On Saturday, June 26, members of the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node and other local residents conducted informational picketing in front of the Bank of America in Franklin at 43 Main Street. Bank of America is one of several financial institutions that continue to invest and insure in fossil fuel, oil and gas projects that destroy our climate and environment.

The current fight concerns the dangerous Enbridge Line 3 oil sands pipeline now being constructed through the state of Minnesota. Line 3 would accelerate the climate crisis, threatens water supply in the middle of a national drought and natural resources including the Mississippi River, and violates tribal treaties in the path of the project.

Our action is one of many similar events taking place in an ongoing national campaign directed at JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, TD Bank, and other financial institutions.

Carolyn Barthel, co-coordinator of the Greater Franklin Node, said the response from the public was overwhelmingly positive. We distributed flyers that explain Bank of America's and other financial institutions' role in supporting this tar sands oil pipeline. Carolyn said, as part of an international campaign, we will continue these types of actions in Franklin and surrounding towns until we can convince these financial institutions to divest from Line 3.

Learn more: 
1) The national Stop the Money Pipeline campaign (  https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/ ).   
2) Stop the Line 3 Pipeline (  https://stopthemoneypipeline.com/line3/ ) 
3) A statement by 350 Mass on the need to call out the big banks (  https://350mass.betterfutureproject.org/greenwashing_the_climate_crisis )

350 Mass Takes Climate Action In Franklin