Franklin TV & Radio Programming Guide: October 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Week ending - Oct 30, 2011

Sunday morning finds Franklin digging out from the first winter nor'easter. Despite the work and damage the snow causes, the scenes around town are pretty. The white snow and the autumn trees still in color present quite a contrast. The sky is clear and blue. Typical for post storm in New England, we get a great weather day.

Does this provide a parallel to our local events? The school budget has been cut, what damage that will bring to the children of Franklin remains to be seen. The School Committee and School Administration have to figure that one out. The Town Council is scheduled to add some positions back into the budget for this year according to the agenda for the meeting on Nov 2. Will they explain that taking the school budget money is really the best thing to do. That adding these other positions back is the real best use for our tax dollars? What will that discussion bring? After all is said and done will the air be clear and blue?

Sun - Oct 30

Sat - Oct 29

Fri - Oct 28

Thu - Oct 27

Wed - Oct 26

Tue - Oct 25

Mon - Oct 24

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Week ending - October 23, 2011

The election on November 8th will be an important one for Franklin. The folks we choose will determine what happens for our budget, our services, and as we have seen all to well, the climate of our conversation about how Franklin governs itself.

Opinions can vary. That is actually a benefit. Your experience is likely different from mine. Combining the two leads to the old adage; "2 heads are better than 1".

How we choose to talk with each other is what really matters. Regarding one another with respect is a good place to start. Choosing words of inclusion, words that can create a serious dialog without picking up emotions, catching aspersions and taking sides is the way to go.

And you, the faithful reader, understand that. Please spread the word. Get your neighbors and Franklin friends out to vote on November 8th. Share the collection of election information with them. If you find candidate websites that are not already listed, please let me know so they can be added.

Monday night in the Town Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Bldg will be the candidate forum. Sponsored by the Town of Franklin, Dean College, the Milford Daily News and the United Regional Chamber of Commerce candidates for the contested election will be asked questions. The event will be broadcast via the cable channels (Comcast and Verizon) and via webcast. It will be available on demand after the event in case you miss it. I will be there to report on it as it happens.

Sun - Oct 23

Sat - Oct 22

Fri - Oct 21

Thu - Oct 20

Wed - Oct 19

Escape the Cold! Free Community Indoor Walking Program

Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:39 AM PDT

In the News - Vallee, bottle drive, bake sale, Tri-County services

Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:26 AM PDT

Tues - Oct 18

Mon - Oct 17

In the News - Brunelli, hair salon, NCLB, local aid

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:42 AM PDT

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Week ending - Oct 16, 2011

Another Sunday, another week behind us, another week closer to the local election on Nov 8th. The real challenge for Franklin voters will be to step up to the plate (actually voting booth) on Nov 8th. No high profile candidates (who don't directly affect what happens here in Franklin) are up for election to draw out the voters. No major TV campaigns are going to tout this position or that.

The candidates that are up for election will determine the tax rate you pay. (Yes, they'll set the rate at a Town Council meeting in December.) They'll also determine the budget and level of services we get to use or miss (because they were cut).

Let's get a decent turn out this time. Let's get more than 50% of the voters out to the Field House on Tuesday, Nov 8th. If we can turn out 90% for a high profile election, we can turn out more than 50% for something that directly affects Franklin.

Since you are reading this, you do think Franklin matters, spread the word to your neighbors and friends. Let's get a great turnout for our own local election.

Information on the election, the timeline, absentee ballot info, MDN candidate profiles, incumbent Town Council and School Committee attendance records are collected in one place for you to find
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/08/election-2011-summary.html

Sun - Oct 16

World Food Day is being celebrated Sunday. During your dinner, have a conversation about food and where it comes from.

Sat - Oct 15

Did you get out to the Book Sale?

Fri - Oct 14

Alerts on upcoming events dominate the posts today

Thu - Oct 13

Head's up on the showing of "Race to Nowhere" - Tues, Oct 18th - tickets are free but you do need to reserve your ticket online.

Weds - Oct 12

I followed the money to attend and reporting on the Finance Committee. It was their first meeting for the new fiscal year and first since the reduction from 11 to 9 members was voted in with the approved charter changes. You can't get this information elsewhere.

Tue - Oct 11

If you want more than the MDN candidate profile, the first of a series of candidates answering 3 questions is published here.

Mon - Oct 10

Columbus Day, other than the holiday, but we caught up to an article by the Boston Globe West edition on the Town Council-School Committee issue over the teacher contract. The Globe actually had a reporter at the Town Council meeting where the School Committee failed to show up.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Week ending - Oct 9, 2011

The summary of the week that was. I'll spare you the commentary for now. I need to collect my thoughts before expressing them.

Sun - 10/09

Sat - 10/08

Fri - 10/07

Thu - 10/06

Weds - 10/05

Tues - 10/04

Mon - 10/03

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Week ending Oct 2, 2011

The Harvest Festival will hopefully dodge a downpour and draw crowds of folks to downtown Franklin on Sunday.

Sun - 10/2

Links to the key video segments from the School Committee and Town Council meetings are posted for your convenience. The candidate profile continues with one on Roberta Trahan for the School Committee.

Key Video Segments

In the News - Trahan

Sat - 10/1

Preparing for the Harvest Festival, the Passport can be picked up at key locations around downtown. Dean College celebrates their new Campus Center. The Y is stalking up walking to school on Weds. The Senior Circuit break increases by $10 this year. The Milford Daily News starts a series of candidate profiles with Ed Cafasso.

Fri - 9/30

The chart of the attendance records for the Town Council tells a story. The Downtown Partnership prepares for the Harvest Festival this Sunday. The Y is hosting two community awareness meetings on child sexual abuse. The Fire Dept main station will be open during the Harvest Festival on Sunday. Mount St Mary's Abbey holds an open house for their new candy building.

Thu - 9/29

Hamilton Storage got the headlines coming out of the Town Council meeting Weds night. The Charles River won an international award, a telling sign of the progress made on improving the water quality. The Metacomet Land Trust is holding a presentation on bats. I watched video broadcast of the Town Council meeting on Weds and reported on it in real time. (Note: had I been in the Council Chambers, it would have been "live reporting".)

Wed - 9/28

News from the Milford Daily with the lead article on the School Committee meeting Tues and the announcement of the new contract with the Teachers union.

"we approach education collaboratively"

In the News: fire, fraud, culture, time

Tue - 9/27

The reality of the budget cuts are starting to be felt with slower response times from the Fire Dept. The School Building Committee met on Monday and worked on some design changes to the 'model school'. Spraying for mosquitoes was announced.

Mon - 9/26

Franklin's newsletter "The Express Line" was published with info on the high school building time line, the DPW and other town news. The Food Pantry sent out their fall update via email and it was shared here.