"Youth Track is happening again this Wednesday at 5 PM at the Franklin High track! $5 for individuals and $10 for families!Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranklinHSXC/status/1422316587743432705?s=03
Anyone that wants to volunteer should plan on getting there just after 4:30 PM"
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Open Youth Track Meet scheduled for Weds, Aug 4
"I do think it’s a dance. It’s poetry. It’s balance. It’s grace. It’s power"
"The throwers at her school had an annual spaghetti dinner, and they said that anybody who tried their discipline could come to the dinner. “Weirdly, food was my incentive,” Allman remembered, and when she went to throw the discus, she had discovered how familiar it felt to dancing.“I think it’s a second-and-a-half dance that you do hundreds of times and it’s really repetitive, but gosh-darn, I do think it’s a dance. It’s poetry. It’s balance. It’s grace. It’s power,” Allman said, and all of those virtues together are what defined her performance Monday night to give the U.S. track and field team its first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics — and its first gold in women’s discus since 2008."
Team USA's Valarie Allman reacts while competing in the women's discus final. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images) |
Monday, August 2, 2021
Franklin Police: request assistance with break-in theft suspect video
Officers responded and observed the front door smashed and requested more units to the scene. Officers made entry to the building to check for suspects and found none still on scene. There was major damage to several display cases inside the store, and jewelry on the floor.
The Franklin Police K9 Unit was dispatched to scene and began a track which led down several streets and ultimately appeared to end where the suspect entered a vehicle and left the area.
- Video below or via this link -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eSGxhUd1ZvOzKcH4ApNrLhgWS-PgDAYp/view?usp=sharing
Franklin Police: request assistance with break-in theft suspect video |
Franklin Newcomers & Friends - meeting on the 3rd at 3 this fall
Franklin Election 2021: What does the School Committee do?
Under MA law, each school principal is granted responsibility for all that happens in their building.
The School Committee has recently determined to close the Davis Thayer Elementary School. They still need to figure out what the district should look like, what other schools (if any) should close, and if redistricting is necessary. Before getting into the Davis Thayer decision, the School Committee had put aside the schools start time discussion to deal with the pandemic. The details of the start time proposal were initially worked by a special advisory committee and should still be addressed some time.
More information about the School Committee can be found on the Town of Franklin page: https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee
Franklin Election 2021: What does the School Committee do? |
FPAC announces cast for Legally Blonde
The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) has announced the cast for their production of Legally Blonde the Musical. The production, originally scheduled for March 2020, marks the return of live theater for FPAC at THE BLACK BOX.
Starring as sorority girl turned Harvard Law student Elle Woods will be Ali Funkhouser. A NYC based actress, this will be Funkhouser’s third production of Legally Blonde, having most recently appeared in The Lex’s production directed by Broadway’s original Elle, Laura Bell Bundy. She has been seen in many FPAC productions including Newsies, Joseph, Little Shop of Horrors, and Christopher Rice’s The Tappy Christmas Special: LIVE!
Elliott Styles will also return to the world of Legally Blonde starring as Elle’s lovable best friend and Harvard guide Emmett Forrest, a role he played with both Riverside Theatre and Walnut Street Theatre.
FPAC is excited to welcome Ryan Vona to the cast as Warner Huntington III. Vona is best known for his work on Broadway in Once and Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour. His debut album Somebody was released in 2015.
Audrey Cardwell joins the cast as Vivienne Kensington. Cardwell is known for the First National Tours of Falsettos, Bright Star, Cinderella, Elf, and Anything Goes.
NYC’s Katie Gray returns to FPAC as Paulette. Her FPAC credits include Matilda, Christopher Rice’s The Tappy Christmas Special: LIVE, The Addams Family, and more.
Also sharing the stage in Legally Blonde will be Ricky and Myrtle from William Berloni Theatrical Animals as Elle’s canine friends. Berloni and his handlers have provided animals of all species and sizes, found in shelters, humane societies or rescue leagues, for Broadway, off-Broadway, national tours, regional theaters, special events, the New York City Ballet, motion pictures, television, and commercials.
The cast also features Kelsey Breslin as Brooke Wyndham, Caroline Wilkins, Hayley Driscoll, and Courtney Beyer as Elle’s best friends Serena, Margot, and Pilar, Nick Paone as Professor Callahan, Audrey Miningham as Enid, Clay Rice-Thomson as Aaron Schulz, Alexx Stachowiak as Nikos/Padamadan, Griffin Wilkins as Grandmaster Chad and others, Guy Rezendes as Kyle and Sami Goldman as Chutney. Rounding out the cast are Aaron Andrade, Blas Cerda, Tzintli Cerda, John Fitzhenry, Kim Frigon, Mariko Matsumura, Tatiana McAlpine, Hannah Rezendes, Maddie Rezendes, and Colie Vancura.
FPAC’s production, directed by Raye Lynn Mercer, also features Jerry Mitchell’s original Broadway choreography re-staged for THE BLACK BOX and music direction by Hallie Wetzell. As a special treat for FPAC audiences, patrons at the two Saturday August 14 performances will be able to meet Broadway’s original Brooke Wyndham Nikki Snelson. Snelson has appeared in concert with FPAC and will be coaching FPAC’s Legally Blonde cast.
Legally Blonde presented by the Franklin Performing Arts Company runs August 11-15 at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin, MA. Tickets can be purchased at www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or by calling the box office at 508-528-3370.
(clockwise from top left): Ali Funkhouser (Elle Woods), Elliott Styles (Emmett Forrest), Ryan Vona (Warner Huntington III), Audrey Cardwell (Vivienne Kensington) |
Franklin High School Boys & Girls Golf Tournament - Sep 27, 2021
MA News Updates: bailout funds create 'haves' and 'have-nots'; eviction moratorium expires
" ‘An extinction level event.’ Federal bailout funds split struggling restaurant industry"
"For 16 months, while scrambling to stay afloat, the restaurant industry has begged the federal government for money to help recover from the pandemic. But the $28.6 billion Restaurant Relief Fund didn’t play out as they’d intended. The funds became mired in legal challenges, and then ran out far too quickly, leaving more than 200,000 applicants — nearly two in every three restaurants that applied — in the lurch.
Now, food service workers say, it’s splitting the industry in two: the haves, and the have-nots.
“Imagine you live on a street and all the houses burn down, and the government says, ‘You’re going to be okay and we’re going to help you rebuild,’ ” said chef Steve “Nookie” Postal of Commonwealth in Cambridge, which didn’t receive any funds. “And then the government turns around and says, ‘We’re just going to give it to 30 percent of the houses on your block.’ They can rebuild their house. You’re [out of luck].”
"ANXIETY IS HIGH among tenants, landlords, and housing advocates as the midnight Saturday expiration date for the federal eviction moratorium looms, but what the end of the tenant protection will actually mean is uncertain.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions 11 months ago. The state had earlier put in place its own stricter ban. The state measure, which precluded landlords from filing nearly all eviction actions, expired in October, but the federal ban remained in place until now."
Sunday, August 1, 2021
Franklin TV: Goodbye, July
Print the page, hold fairly close and stare far beyond it to see it in 3D |
This is the Summer we long for in the depths of February. This year? Not so much. More than the usual wet gray days, July might be in the same lingering covid funk that many are experiencing. Perhaps August will be more considerate. Whatever good weather August may bring, make the most of it, appreciating the good days and moments as they may come – as Summer slips by – again – all too soon.
It would be nice if Autumn could get it together before Winter shows up. It would be better still if we could all get it together by having everyone be vaccinated. In these impatient, aimlessly angry times it would also be especially nice if all of us could strive to be ‘72 and Sunny’ in our comportment toward others. That striving ought to be part of our new normal – and well worth the effort. So, even if you are still wearing a mask in tight quarters (thanks), smile. It shows.
And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.And, thank you for watching.
Mass. Municipal Assn: "Select board group discusses the future of public meetings"
Mass. Select Board Assn concluded its annual Leadership Conference series with a webinar on the future of public meetings w/ @TOFranklinMA Town Administrator Jamie Hellen & #Stow Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski. https://t.co/6GTFYf0aCl
"The future of public meetings was the topic of the fourth and final webinar in the Massachusetts Select Board Association’s Leadership Conference series today.Franklin Town Administrator Jamie Hellen kicked off the meeting with a discussion about how the town has transitioned from all-virtual to hybrid board and committee meetings that allow for a combination of virtual and in-person participation. Hellen showed how Franklin’s Town Council chambers have been set up to allow the council, staff, presenters and meeting participants to attend meetings in-person while the public joins remotely.
Hellen covered important aspects of the set up, such as room layout and the necessary technology, as well as the town’s partnership with its local access TV provider, Franklin TV. He also emphasized the importance of trial and error in order to develop a system that works best for the community."
https://www.mma.org/select-board-group-discusses-the-future-of-public-meetings/
Mass. Municipal Assn: "Select board group discusses the future of public meetings" |
Franklin Election 2021: What does the Town Council do?
The Town Council approves the budget and authorizes all spending. One exception is that the School Committee is responsible for managing the school budget after the Town Council approves the total amount as part of the overall Town budget. Hence, you'll often hear of the town side and the school side as the two groups provide separate oversight for their area.
The Town Council hires and reviews the Town Administrator. The Town Administrator (Jamie Hellen) is responsible for the daily operations of the Town departments (except as noted for the schools, which are overseen by Superintendent Sara Ahern (hired by the School Committee)).
The Town Council is the legislative body to approve changes to the Town bylaws. Usually there is some controversy when the Town Council 'forgets' their legislative role and attempts to intervene in the day to day operations.
There are nine members of the Town Council all elected 'at large' (they represent all the voters of Franklin as opposed to the individual precincts). The Council chooses their Chair, Vice Chair, and Clerk in the first session after each election.
All nine positions are up for election on November 2, 2021. Each position has a two year term.
Additional information on the Council, their process and procedures, fiscal policies, meeting agendas, minutes and a host of other information can be found on the Town of Franklin webpage https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council
"Welcome to the webpage of the Franklin Town Council. By the Town Charter, the 9-member Town Council serves as the legislative body who sets policy for the community. The Council serves as the Local Licensing Authority for Alcoholic Beverages Licenses. The Council also has several subcommittees, including Budget, Capital Budget and Economic Development. The Council also has two liaisons, one to the S.A.F.E Coalition and for Communications.
The Franklin Town Council has established high standards for customer service for the Town staff. If you have a question, concern, or need assistance, please feel free to email us directly using the email forms below, or you can email all nine members of the Council by using that option to the left of this message."
VETERANS COFFEE SOCIAL - Aug 4, 2021
August 2021 Coffee Social
Join Us for Coffee & Conversation!
VETERANS COFFEE SOCIAL
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.
Franklin Senior Center Cafe
Coffee and Pastry will be provided
All Vets are Welcome!
Face coverings are not required but feel free to wear a face covering - with no judgment!
Shared from Town of Franklin page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/august-2021-coffee-social
VETERANS COFFEE SOCIAL - Aug 4, 2021 |
COVID-19 Pandemic updates: guidance on traveling; vaccine proof
"After a lull, COVID-19 is on the rise again in Massachusetts, with new — and sometimes conflicting —warnings and guidance emerging each day from state and national authorities. So how should we react? Should we start wearing masks? Should we stop dining indoors? We asked several infectious disease experts if they are changing their behavior while traveling, dining, gathering, shopping, and schooling. All the experts are vaccinated."
"Congratulations, you’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Now you have to prove it, and your smartphone can help.Across the world, fears about the contagious delta variant are leading more businesses, schools and travel destinations to require vaccination. Like it or not, there’s a real chance that somewhere you want to go will ask to see proof of your shots.Let’s say you are planning to visit Hawaii — you’ll need to be vaccinated or show a negative coronavirus test if you want to avoid quarantine. You’ll need proof to work in the federal government, at tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Uber, and a growing list of other companies. And in New York and San Francisco, you’ll need it to go inside a bar, get a seat at some restaurants, or take in a show on Broadway."
What are the best ways to carry your proof of vaccination with you? Here's what we found. (Washington Post illustration; iStock) |
Inside the Provincetown town outbreak
"A sobering scientific analysis published Friday found that three-quarters of the people infected during an explosive coronavirus outbreak fueled by the delta variant were fully vaccinated. The report on the Massachusetts cases, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers key evidence bolstering the hypothesis that vaccinated people can spread the more transmissible variant and may be a factor in the summer surge of infections.The data, detailed in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, helped persuade agency scientists to reverse recommendations on mask-wearing and advise that vaccinated individuals wear masks in indoor public settings in some circumstances.Critically, the study found that vaccinated individuals carried as much virus in their noses as unvaccinated individuals, strongly suggesting that vaccinated people could spread the virus to others. The CDC was criticized this week for changing its mask guidance without publishing the data it relied on. The report released Friday contains some of that data."
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Veterans - "Tune It Out" guitar lessons underway and you can still join!
Left to right: Jamie Barrett, instructor, veterans Matt Linahan, David Kast and Scott Halet |