In Other News

Above, a group of visiting tourism folks being shepherded by Cory Shea (at far right)

A Gaggle of Tourism Pros Visited Franklin Friday Morning

Cory Shea, the town’s Director of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy, led a group of tourism professionals from around the world on a short walking tour of the Cultural District: pointing out the public art, unique shops, restaurants, historical museum, and theater. The group, also accompanied by regional tourism director, Stacey David,  continued  past Dean College’ and ended their brief visit at Franklin Public Library where the  the historic murals and Benjamin Franklin’s  books elicited oohs and aaahs. Sbea also give a brief overview of the town’s plans for 2026 FIFA World Cup fan fest events. 

Language Ed Challenge

The Globe reports that "the
state’s population of English learners has grown 25 percent since
2019, a dramatic uptick..." The article goes on to question how education budgets will handle the strain.

Legislative Audit Demanded

In the wake of yesterday's arrest of a Democrat legislator from the Cape on corruption charges, voices from 'across the aisle' in the tiny Republican contingent on Beacon Hill are again demanding that the branch submit to the audit, approved by voters and championed by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.

Medway Seeks COA Director

The Town of Medway is seeking experienced candidates for the full-time position of Director at the Council on Aging. The Director is responsible for developing and implementing programs and services, as well as overseeing the daily operations of the Senior Center, to provide comprehensive human and social services to Medway’s older adult population. Responsibilities include developing, promoting, and implementing programs, managing senior tax abatement and meal programs, and serving as the town liaison for GATRA and the Medway Friends of Elders. Job description. Job posting.

CVS Automated Phone System...

We asked what was going on with the newly automated CVS phone system. This is what Corporate told us:  We’ve recently implemented a new phone system which connects patients to helpful information and resources, including our digital channels and a new patient voicemail for assistance. The system helps raise patient awareness of the digital tools available to assist them and answers many of their questions, allows pharmacists to focus on patient care, and ensures patients receive timely return calls if requested. In addition, we’re testing conversational AI at about 100 pharmacies – including our West Central Street store in Franklin, MA – which provides callers with even more self-service options and faster service. The conversational AI pilot enables patients to complete tasks themselves often offering more efficient issue resolution.  We’ve found that many questions patients have, such as whether the pharmacy has received a prescription from a provider, whether a prescription is ready for pickup, and medication price, can be answered for patients who have an account through CVS.com and/or the CVS Health app. If a question can’t be answered through our digital channels or a patient prefers to speak to a pharmacy team member directly, patients can leave a confidential message with details about what they need. If appropriate, patients may receive an immediate SMS message with self-service options. If the patient can self-serve, they are offered to opt out of a callback. Otherwise, all calls are prioritized for the store colleagues to research and solve before calling the patient back with answers in a timely manner. We’re committed to safeguarding the personal health information (PHI) of our patients and complying with all applicable laws in our use and disclosure of such information. We do not gather biometric data through these phone system enhancements.

Commuter Rail Replaced by  Buses for Weekend

A reminder, track and signal work has the Franklin line shutdown for the weekend. Buses will replaced the regularly scheduled trains.

Horace Mann Rehabilitated

A decision by the Franklin School Commititee to nix the Horace Mann name in the consolidation of three middle schools into one, drew sharp protests from the Historical Commission and, more importantly, from the Town Council. Now, however, after further discussions, it looks like Horace is making a comeback. This week's School Committee meeting included a discussion about the idea of renaming the entire high school-middle school complex as The Horace Mann Campus.  The matter is expected to come before the full committee on April 29th where the School Committee will have a vote to make the entire Middle School & High School area be officially known as the Horace Mann Campus.

Second Sunday Speaker Series at Historical Museum to Feature Dr. Rob Lawson

Dean College Professor Rob Lawson, a perennial favorite with Franklin Audiences, will speak about local Franklin history at the Franklin  HIstorical Museum at 1:15 on Sunday. The event is free. The Museum is at 80 West Central St.