Location, location, location: Even stores within a chain differ by location

“I could go into a supermarket, and I can tell everything about the people who live [in the area] based on what’s in their carts, based on what’s at eye level, what’s not at eye level,” said Phil Lempert, also known as the “Supermarket Guru.”

In retail, specific product placement — not just a store’s inventory — heavily influences a shopper’s experience. So shouldn’t responsible markets encourage shoppers to make better choices?

“There’s a lot of racism, to be honest, I think, behind these decisions, whether it’s unconscious or implicit,” said Andrea Richardson, a policy researcher focused on nutrition epidemiology at the Rand Corp. and professor at the Pardee Rand Graduate School. The presence of a supermarket in your neighborhood should signal that you aren’t living in a food desert, but, I wondered, if the supermarket isn’t guiding you toward more healthful food choices, you might as well be.

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/16/lifestyle/what-does-it-say-about-your-neighborhood-if-supermarket-isnt-so-super/

An endcap display of marked-down items at the Stop & Shop on 460 Blue Hill Ave. in Dorchester shows discounts on cake frosting, two for $3, and cake mix, four for $5.CHASEEDAW GILES/KHN

Mass. Public Health: updated guidance on masks

Mass. Public Health (@MassDPH) tweeted  Tue, Feb 15, 2022:

Massachusetts Department of Public Health releases updated face covering advisory: https://t.co/1HtpRtg0rj 

#Covid19MA https://t.co/v1ACvsrRnD

"Today (2/15/22), the Department of Public Health (DPH) released updated guidance regarding the use of face coverings and masks by individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Recognizing that Massachusetts is a national leader in vaccine acceptance, and in light of recent improvements in COVID-19 indicators, DPH now advises that a fully vaccinated person should wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home) if you have a weakened immune system, if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system and is at increased risk for severe disease or is unvaccinated.

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear a face covering or mask when indoors with others to help prevent spreading COVID-19.

Individuals who have tested positive or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must follow the isolation and quarantine guidance which includes wearing a mask in public for 5 more days after leaving isolation or quarantine on Day 5, regardless of vaccination status.
All people in Massachusetts (regardless of vaccination status) are required to continue wearing face coverings in certain settings, including on public transportation and in health care facilities.  

Please see www.mass.gov/maskrules for a complete list of venues where face coverings have remained mandatory since May 29, 2021.

https://twitter.com/MassDPH/status/1493634973257064450

Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin

Boston Globe: "What to do about your cable bill"

"Last year, I got tired of paying Comcast $14 a month to rent a modem and router, especially because the Wi-Fi service I got at home was so spotty. So I purchased my own modem and router for $290.

I now have better Wi-Fi and lower monthly cable bills. What I am saving monthly will soon exceed the cost of my new equipment. After that, it will be like getting a $14 discount every month.

I continued, however, to pay a very steep price to rent three digital adapters, which I need for the three “extra” TVs in my house. In December, Comcast hiked the fee for each adapter to $8.50. How can I justify paying $25.50 a month for adapters to TVs my wife and I only occasionally use?

I can’t. And so began my long-overdue quest to free myself of those infernal adapters, spurred on by Comcast’s latest round of price increases. I finally figured it out, and I will soon be rid of them. In the process, I realized cutting cable altogether isn’t such a scary prospect, even for a somewhat technophobic baby boomer like me."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/15/business/angry-that-your-cable-bill-went-up-again-heres-how-save/

A man holding a television remote.CHRIS RATCLIFFE/BLOOMBERG

February Vacation COVID Kids flyer - Feb 23

February Vacation COVID Kids flyer

Kids Clinic - Feb 23

Shared from Town of Franklin  https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department/news/february-vacation-covid-kids-flyer

To register -> https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/franklin

February Vacation COVID Kids flyer - Feb 23

Rockland Trust: Our 2022 Scholarship Program is Open!

We are thrilled to announce that our 2022 Scholarship Program starts accepting applications today, February 15, 2022. Sixteen $3,000 renewable scholarships will be awarded to students enrolling into a part-time or full-time secondary education program for the 2022-2023 academic year. Through the process of students submitting their applications, they will receive communications from rocklandtrust@scholarshipamerica.org, which is our online application system, Scholarship America. The Scholarship portal will close on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, or before, once 1,500 applications are fully submitted. For more information on the program and eligibility requirements, please click below.  Learn More © 2022 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US Privacy Policy

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Wednesday, Feb 16, 2022

•  wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Wednesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio/FPS Voice – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

• This slot features the School Committee Superintendent Search Workshop -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/school-committee-hears-options-for.html

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points

• This slot features Episode 197 -> Wine Needs Millennials, New Wine TV Shows ->   https://www.podpage.com/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www/episode-197-wine-needs-millennials-new-wine-tv-shows/

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock

Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

• This slot features  the Finance Committee meeting as they review the capital budget for this year -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/finance-committee-approves-fy22-capital.html 

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:29:00 am Mass Department of Public Health: CO-VID 19

7:30:00 am It Takes A Village: Dementia

8:30 am Second Sunday Speaker Series: Dennis Sardella

10:00 am Franklin Art Association: Joyce McJilton Dwyer

11:30 am Whole Health Visions: Life Coaches Pt. 1

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Waffles

12:30 pm Sandhya: Donuts

1:00 pm Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: L. E. A. P.

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: Healthy Pizza Crusts

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Show 3

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation Show 1: Show 1

3:30 pm Veterans' Call: Robert Pierson

4:30 pm Arts Advocacy: Fundraising

6:00 pm Cooking Thyme: Candy Apples

6:30 pm Concerts on the Common: Jamie Barrett & Electric Youth

9:30 pm ArtWeek: Airmen of Note

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Public School Event: Lifelong Music Pt. 1 01-28-19

8:30 am Public School Concert: FHS Winter Music 2018

10:30 am FHS Boys Varsity Basketball: v Taunton 02-08-22

12:30 pm Arts Advocacy: Fundraising

1:30 pm FHS Girls Varsity Hockey: v Mansfield-OA-Foxboro 02-03-22

3:01 pm Public School Event: Jazz Cafe 02-07-20

4:31 pm FHS Varsity Wrestling: v King Philip 12-22-21

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council: 02-02-22

11:00 am Finance Committee: 02-09-22

2:00 pm Town Council: 02-02-22

5:00 pm School Committee: LIVE, Chambers, 823 9340 3278

Passcode: 842401

7:00 pm Town Council: LIVE, Chambers, 829 4067 4951

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)

"Love Letters to the Presidents" audio recording of State Rep Jeff Roy - 02/13/22

 FM #731 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 731 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the presentation and talk titled “Love Letters to the Presidents”. Franklin’s State Rep Jeff Roy presented at the Franklin Historical Museum on Sunday, Feb 13, 2022 to a full house. Jeff shared his adventures as he traveled to each of the Presidential libraries and museums.

Mary Olsson, Franklin Historical Commission, provides the very brief introduction to Jeff.

The link to the presentation document is included in the show notes.

The recording runs about 1 hour and 53 minutes, so let’s join Jeff on his journey to the Presidential libraries and museums.

Note: I think you should be able to follow along. While Jeff doesn’t provide page numbers, he does talk to a number of the photos and identifies which one is which on a page.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-731-love-letters-to-the-presidents-ma-state-rep-jeff-roy-02-13-22

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

Rep. Jeff Roy

• Jeff.Roy@MAHouse.gov

• www.JeffreyRoy.com

Link to the presentation document -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q7qkNZZzOcYLV9-WGt8AUYBhQx1RvxNn/view?usp=sharing 

Link to the National Archives -> https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/visit 

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

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

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"

 "Love Letters to the Presidents" audio recording of State Rep Jeff Roy

The Zajac brothers return to THE BLACK BOX - Feb 19

The Zajac Brother's band returns to THE BLACK BOX, Saturday, February 19 at 8 PM!

The Zajac Brother's Band is bringing a special one night only tribute to the mighty Rolling Stones.  Featuring songs that span their lengthy career, the boys pay homage to one of the finest Rock n Roll Bands of all time.

Tickets available online -> https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1541

Zajac brothers return to THE BLACK BOX - Feb 19

Lifelong Learning Announces Summer Programs - registration is open now

The Lifelong Learning Institute invites residents of Franklin and surrounding towns to explore its many Summer 2022 classes now available for registration.

Lifelong Learning is the community education branch of Franklin Public Schools, providing high-quality extended day child care, music lessons, and enrichment programs in an affordable and safe environment.

The Solutions Extended Day program will run its annual Solutions Summer Adventure for five weeks starting July 11, 2022 with a different activity theme each week. Families of students entering kindergarten through grade 5 can choose one or more weeks of this 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM camp, with options for early drop-off and/or late pickup.

Students entering grades K through 6 can choose from a variety of STAR Enrichment Program morning classes in July 2022. Examples include Silly Science, Funky Furniture, Gardening Fun, Minecraft Break Battle and Build, Coping with Crafts, Itty Bitty Acting, Author’s Workshop, and many more!

Eager young students entering kindergarten can participate in the very popular Ready, Set, Kindergarten program, running three different weeks in July. Through books, dramatic play, music, arts, and crafts, they will become familiar with the classroom setting and daily routines while having fun learning through hands-on experiences.

If music is what your student enjoys, the Lifelong Music Academy will offer Summer Band, Glee, Strings, and Rock Band Jr. This two-week program runs from July 25 to August 5, 2022 and includes 40 hours of summer music fun with recreation time every day.

Lifelong Community Learning’s ever popular Kids’ Corner program is once again offering a Summer Kids’ Cooking camp. For 3 hours each day August 2–4, students entering grades 4–7 can sear, sauté, fold and mix while they prepare a complete meal every day.

The class selections continue with the Summer STEM program (math, forensic science, computers, financial literacy), Summer Art (photography, video production), and Preparing for College for high school seniors (Common App Bootcamp, Writing Your College Essay). There’s something for everyone!

All Lifelong Learning Summer 2022 programs will follow the COVID-19 safety protocols in place in Franklin Public Schools at the time each class runs.

Visit www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com for full course details and to register. You may also call Lifelong Learning at 508-553-4814.

Download a PDF of this as a reminder -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XC-eIZ8S0LzbsIvTDhpnp8LjE3Mrt1bn/view?usp=sharing

Lifelong Learning Announces Summer Programs - registration is open now

FHS girls basketball post win vs. St Paul on Monday

Via HockomockSports.com and Twitter, we share the results of the FHS winter sports action on Monday:

Girls Basketball = Franklin, 50 @ St. Paul, 31 – Final

Girls Hockey = Franklin, 4 @ Norwood, 7 – Final

"7-4 loss against Norwood. goals from greco, flynn, mccaffrey and o’brien’s first varsity goal‼️‼️ no practice tmr  rest up!"

https://twitter.com/fhsvgockey/status/1493424724461903872

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-02-14-22/

FHS Panthers

Reminder: St. Mary's Men's Faith Formation - Feb 19, 2022

The St. Mary's Men's Faith Formation group will continue our monthly meetings. Our next meeting will be February 19 from 8:45 - 9:45 AM virtually via Zoom and in person.

We will be learning and discussing the topic of Prayer with guest speaker Dr Aldonna Lingertat  We really look forward to welcoming you back or hopefully welcoming you for the first time to our group. 

Please email Deacon Guy (deaconguy@stmarysfranklin.org) if you are interested in the Zoom link contact information. 

If attending in person, we will be meeting in St. Mary's Hall Either way you join us – we are glad you are there. 

All Men are welcome.  https://www.stmarysfranklin.org/womens-faith-formation 

Dr Lingertat in the news - https://www.sjs.edu/news/dr-aldona-lingertat-retirement

St. Mary's Men's Faith Formation - Feb 19, 2022

 

IRS launches resource page on IRS.gov with latest details and information for taxpayers during filing season

To help taxpayers and tax professionals, the Internal Revenue Service today announced a special new page on IRS.gov to provide the latest details and information affecting the 2022 filing season and ongoing efforts by the agency to address the inventory of previously filed tax returns.

During this tax season, taxpayers face a number of issues due to critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges related to the pandemic. To raise awareness about these issues and provide people with the latest timely information, the IRS has created a special tax season web page. This page will provide people with a quick overview of information to help people filing tax returns as well as those who have previous year tax returns awaiting processing by the IRS.

"The IRS is taking numerous steps to keep this tax season going smoothly while also taking additional action to address the inventory of tax returns filed last year," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We're off to a good start processing tax returns and issuing refunds. But we want people to have an easy way to see the latest information. This new page provides a one-stop shop for the latest key information people and the tax community may need."

The "special tax season alerts" page will be available through the IRS.gov home page and shared through social media and other channels.

The page will include the latest filing season updates. The IRS began tax season on January 24, and in less than two weeks more than 4 million tax refunds have gone out worth nearly $10 billon. Millions more will go out in the weeks ahead as the IRS enters an important period of the tax season.

The page also includes links to important information related to ongoing efforts by the IRS to address the inventory of unprocessed tax returns filed before this year. This includes steps to stop more than a dozen common letters to taxpayers, and updates on IRS operations and the number of unprocessed tax returns.

"The combination of the pandemic, new tax laws and numerous other factors led to an unprecedented amount of unprocessed tax returns and correspondence remaining in the IRS inventory during 2021," Rettig said. "We must continue pursuing innovative strategies while supporting the hard work and dedication of our employees to fulfill our commitment to return inventories to a healthy level before entering the 2023 filing season. These steps are making a difference. Refunds for tax returns and amended tax returns in the inventory continue to flow out to taxpayers."

The IRS continues to urge taxpayers to carefully review their tax filings for accuracy and file electronically with direct deposit to speed refunds. Special tips are available in several places on IRS.gov, including these top 5 tips; basics on the 2022 tax season and IRS Tax Time Guide. 

Shared from the IRS page -> https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-launches-resource-page-on-irsgov-with-latest-details-and-information-for-taxpayers-during-filing-season

IRS launches resource page on IRS.gov

Franklin Public Schools, MA: COVID-19 Dashboard for week of Feb 14, 2022

"This week's COVID-19 Dashboard is now available to view here: https://t.co/mJFgollw0z"

 

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1493363622638239748

Franklin Public Schools, MA: Weekly COVID-19 Dashboard

Joint Statement on Opening the State House Effective Feb 22, 2022

Statement From Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano

"We are pleased to announce that the State House will be opened to the public, Monday through Friday, as of Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Masks will be required, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test from no more than one day before entry. With public health data constantly evolving, we will review these requirements on a weekly basis. We look forward to seeing the public in the State House."

 

Joint Statement on Opening the State House Effective Feb 22, 2022

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022

• wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Tuesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM  Jazz Journey – with Pamela Hines
2 hours. An insightful tour of Jazz Greats in a golden era

11:00 AM 2 PM and 8:00 PM SAFE Radio– Jim Derick and Dr. Anne Bergen
Addressing issues of Drug Abuse Disorder

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = TUESDAY

7:00 am Franklin Art Association: Joyce McJilton Dwyer

9:00 am It Takes A Village: Dementia

10:00 am Frank Presents: State House Pt. 2

11:30 am Senior Connection: Sleep

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Waffles

12:30 pm Sandhya: Donuts

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: Healthy Pizza Crusts

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Show 3

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation Show 1: Show 1

3:30 pm Battleship Cove: Inside The History Pt. 6

4:00 pm The Only Cure Is Education

4:30 pm Extended Play Sessions: Season 10 Show 11 - Kemp Harris

5:30 pm Physician Focus: Electronic Medical Records

8:30 pm ArtWeek: Chestnut St. Revue

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = TUESDAY

7:00 am Public School Event: FHS Winter Jazz Night '22

8:30 am Public School Event: Lifelong Music Pt. 1 01-28-19

10:00 am FHS Boys Varsity Hockey: v Attleboro 02-10-22

12:00 pm FHS PCC: Vaping Panel

2:00 pm It Takes A Village: Dementia

3:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Hockey: v Mansfield-OA-Foxboro 02-03-22

4:31 pm Public School Concert: FHS Winter Music 2018

8:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Basketball: v St. Paul 02-07-22

10:00 pm FHS Boys Varsity Basketball: v Taunton 02-08-22

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = TUESDAY

8:00 am School Committee: 02-08-22

12:00 pm Economic Development: 02-02-22

2:00 pm School Committee: 02-08-22

 

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)