In Other News

Much Talk, Much Listening

Above, Tom Mercer Chairs the second 'listening session' of the Franklin Joint Budget Subcommittee at the Franklin Senior Center Wednesday evening.  Four more sessions will be held up to March 12 and the Town Council will decide on March 19 whether to approve a vote on a tax override, the amount, and the date of the election.  Franklin Matters has provided and continues to provide considerable coverage and sessions can be viewed via youtube at Franklin Town Hall TV.

Steve Sherlock of Franklin Matters kindly provided these specific links: 

#1 at the Elks https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/watch-listen-read-joint-budget.html
#2 at Remington/Jefferson https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/watch-listen-read-joint-budget_01718995583.html
#3 at the Senior Center https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/3rd-of-6-joint-budget-listening.html
3 more to come

Chamber of Commerce + Students

Last week, the Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce had a Business After Hours event for members and students at the Dean College Student Center in Franklin.

Patricia Prewitt, My Personal Rx Advisor, and Brandon Carrico & Shefali Desai from Rockland Trust

Dean Student Jeremiah Ducille and Dean Bank President Kevin Goffe.

FinCEN Back On

Following the February 18, 2025, decision by the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Texas in Smith, et al. v. U.S. Department
of the Treasury, et al., 6:24-cv-00336, the Financial Crimes
Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced that beneficial ownership
information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate
Transparency Act are back in effect, with a new deadline of March 21,
2025 for most companies, even the tiniest. However, regulators are looking at making reporting less burdensome for most organizations in the future.

Cold Comfort

Who would be evicted from family shelters by new criminal background
checks? According to a Boston Globe report, nobody. Even serious crimes are not necessarily a disqualifier for state shelter housing.

No More Teaching Antisemitism

The Massachusetts Teachers Association says it will remove objectionable materials included in an online educational resource, following concerns over antisemitism. The union said the MTA Board of Directors had voted to share resources on the Israel-Hamas war with its members, and developed a page of materials that supposedly aimed to help teachers engage in difficult conversations with students about the conflict, and consider diverse opinions. "As trusted educators, MTA members would never want to have antisemitic materials on the MTA website, and the MTA does not promote materials that direct hate at any group. We will remove any materials that do not further the cause of promoting understanding," said a statement released on Wednesday.

A 'Clean Sweep' Planned in Medway

Save the Date! Medway's Clean Sweep is on Saturday, April 26. Get your team together to clean up Medway. This annual event is from 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. RAIN or SHINE. More information to come as the date gets closer.