Fact Checker | The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol: A guide to what we now know https://t.co/diNdP9aSym
Washington Post: Fact Checker - what we now know about Jan 6, 2021 |
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 *
Fact Checker | The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol: A guide to what we now know https://t.co/diNdP9aSym
Washington Post: Fact Checker - what we now know about Jan 6, 2021 |
Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf
Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) |
January 6, 2022
Dear Franklin Community,
The weather is expected to bring 6 to 9 inches of snow here locally in Franklin, beginning to fall overnight and lasting through early afternoon. As a result of this forecast, the Franklin Public Schools will be CLOSED with a snow day on Friday, January 7, 2022.
District and school offices will also be closed.
There will be no after school or evening activities. I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Stay safe.
Sara Ahern
Superintendent of Schools
Shared from -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/urgent-alerts/snow-day-january-7-2022
not from this year, need to go back to 2011 when this was taken |
Saturday, January 15, 20229:30am – 11:30amBellingham VFW, 940 South Main Street, Bellingham
The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation’s (MMSF) mission is to provide programs, services, and goods that help satisfy critical needs and enhance the well-being and quality of life for Massachusetts Veterans, active-duty military, National Guard, Coast Guard, and their families. Since the onset of Covid-19, MMSF has expanded services to assist other families in need as well. Each winter, MMSF’s Coats4Vets program provides warm winter coats to veterans and active-duty military members and their families.
Coats 4 Vets distribution scheduled for Jan 15 in Bellingham |
America is trapped in a set of interlocking crises, which the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection puts in high relief. Each crisis by itself could be overwhelming, but it is not hyperbolic to say that the multiple simultaneous emergencies present a generational challenge.
The tests of our time are as big as any faced by America from the Revolution to WWII. Either we rise to the occasion with new ideas or we will sink into a civilizational quagmire. The stakes are indeed that high.
The list of crises is daunting. The Omicron variant will kill thousands this winter if the Delta does not. The new variant is simply the next wave of a preventable disease, exacerbated by the Fox TV-induced delusional behavior of 'anti-vaxxers'. It is fair to say that a segment of the population living in an alternate reality is a crisis all by itself.
Inequalities in income and opportunity are a crisis, made extravagantly clear by billionaires joy-riding in their space ships while others die from a lack of insulin. Constitutional rights, long secured by the Supreme Court's dedication to probity, are at risk due to the assertion of extreme legal philosophies. Rising above all this is the threat of climate change, where urgent and transformative action needs to begin now.
One crisis, however, stands out in high profile in the very near term. This is a crisis in the democratic process. The imminent risk to American democracy demands immediate attention, because its resolution is foundational to addressing all the other crises. The seeds of authoritarianism have been germinating for a long time, but the former guy's big lie--that the election results were not accurate--has been adopted by cynical actors in states across the nation. It is important to note that these cynical actors are almost exclusively conservative members of the GOP.
Legislatures in red states across the country are actively suppressing the votes of minority communities. We in MA should not feel immune to the impact of these threats to others’ rights in other places. Our votes in Franklin are devalued by voter suppression in Atlanta. Worse, these GOP extremists are changing the very rules under which the elections are certified. (Who knew that was even a thing before 2020?) These process changes mean that no matter what the actual vote count, GOP legislatures can discard the voters’ choice. Such a power in extremists’ hands will come home to roost in the 2024 presidential election, where Q-Anon--style secretaries of state in places like GA, AZ, PA, and MI will be able to ignore actual votes and submit the slate of presidential electors that they prefer.
There will be no need of an insurrection at the US Capitol in January of 2025, because the coup will happen in state capitols across the nation. The solution to these woes lies with Congress, which can mandate sane election rules for the whole country. Passing such laws with Democratic votes is prevented by the filibuster and the Senate’s timidity in facing the question. The issue should be addressed now, before the new year. This kind of progress can happen only if the filibuster, an old and racist tool designed to prevent progress, is modified.
Protecting our democracy is not partisan issue. Republicans of good will can support voting rights. Citizens of Franklin should demand that Senators Warren and Markey act immediately in ways that reflect the seriousness of the moment. Hardball tactics--for example stripping recalcitrant legislators like Manchin and Sinema of committee assignments, or stalling Senate business until these important issues are considered--may be needed to force the Senate to take action.
The battle is joined in the US Senate. Time is short. 2022 is too late. Please call or write your senators and urge them to do whatever is needed to save our democracy.
Voices of Franklin: Ted McIntyre on the "crisis in the democratic process" |
- Boys are back at Hock league play, puck has dropped vs @NAHSHockey Let’s GOOO Franklin!! https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478859114650374145
- At the 4:53 mark in the first Shabbick finds Magazu Franklin up 1-0 https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478862800579612677
- After 1 period Franklin 1 @nahshockey 0 https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478865519801421835
- After 2 periods of play Franklin 1 @nahshockey 1. NA starts 3rd on PP. https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478873908707311616
- Paterson puts it home off the D. Marchand rebound Franklin 2 @nahshockey 1 10:08 to go in the game https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478879179395448838
- Sicchio scores from the point Franklin 3 @nahshockey 1 9:52 to go in the game https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478879405787299847
- That’s a wrap Franklin 3 @nahshockey 1 https://twitter.com/FHSPantherHocke/status/1478883931344850950
The Franklin Department of Health is hosting another round of vaccine clinics on January 19 and February 9 for kids ages 5-11. The clinics will run from 2 PM - 5 PM at the Franklin Senior Center.
Register here: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/franklin
Shared from Town of Franklin page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/kids-5-11-covid-vaccine-clinic-january-19th-february-9th-2022
Kids 5-11 COVID Vaccine Clinic - January 19 & February 9, 2022 |
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"A SHARPLY DIVIDED commission established to study qualified immunity – a controversial legal doctrine that shields police officers and other public employees from liability from civil lawsuits – is recommending that lawmakers not change the law for at least two years.
But the commission did recommend two changes that could make it easier for people to bring civil lawsuits against public employees in state courts, even with the qualified immunity doctrine unchanged. "
"DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL candidate Danielle Allen unveiled a democracy agenda on Wednesday, outlining a host of initiatives to encourage greater voter participation and civic involvement and reduce the influence of money in politics.Some of the proposals are part of the current debate on Beacon Hill — same-day voter registration, the establishment of Indigenous People’s Day as a state holiday, the creation of a new state flag, and allowing communities to embrace ranked-choice voting and a lower voting age without state approval."
Allen led the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship to produce a report "Our Common Purpose " https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report
Allen unveils a 'democracy agenda' |
"MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The Dean Leadership Institute is excited and honored to welcome Eric D. Lee, Esq. '08 back to campus as its first speaker in the Leadership In Action series.
Join us on Friday, February 11, at 8 AM on Zoom for a great presentation." #dcleadinst
Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/5SVkJ4PC3Z
Eric D. Lee, Esq. '08 |
"WITH COVID CASES surging in Massachusetts and tests hard to come by, deciding what feels safe to do can be a moving target. But for one group at least, the decision is a lot easier. Those who are unvaccinated largely feel safe eating in restaurants, attending public places and events, and are hesitant to introduce more restrictions. Meanwhile, those who have been vaccinated or boosted are cautious to partake in many public activities and are calling for more strident stances on COVID-related mandates.
That’s according to the latest poll from the MassINC Polling Group, which surveyed 1,026 registered voters in Massachusetts in late December. The results highlight the irony that those who are the least protected against the virus are the least concerned, while those who have taken more precautions by getting vaccinated continue to be more cautious.
Even in a state with one of the highest vaccination rates, the battle against COVID-19 is as much one of public attitudes as it is of public health infrastructure. "
"Private businesses often get caught in the crosshairs" |
Franklin Library: Dark Journeys & Urban Legends with Jeff Belanger - Jan 6 - 6:30 PM |
Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf
Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) |
Update from Superintendent Ahern on COVID-19 and school closures |