FRAMINGHAM, MA — As part of its commitment to advancing clean technologies and exploring innovative ways to help the commonwealth achieve its aggressive decarbonization goals, Eversource today broke ground on a first-of-its-kind utility-scale networked geothermal system in Framingham, Massachusetts.
The energy company’s geothermal pilot program highlights the collaboration necessary between utilities, state and local government, environmental advocate partners like HEET, and other stakeholders to combat climate change and achieve decarbonization and electrification goals.
FRAMINGHAM, MA — MassBay Community College, which has campuses in Ashland, Framingham and Wellesley, Massachusetts, has formally recognized that the land the campuses are built on were “appropriated” from local Native American tribes.
A statement on the college’s website reads, “Massachusetts Bay Community College wishes to acknowledge that the Wellesley, Framingham, and Ashland campuses sit on land that was appropriated by the US Federal government from the Nipmuc, Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusetts) and Pawtucket tribes.” and goes on to say, “MassBay cannot change the past but what we can do is honor the land, the ancestors, and the indigenous traditions as we at MassBay use this sacred land as a communal place to nurture learners to move forward and make a more inclusive world.”
MassBay Community College, Massachusetts Native American Tribal Land Acknowledgement, Sept. 14, 2022, (photo credit: MassBay Community College).Logo designed to acknowledge land where MassBay college campuses are built on belongsed to the Nipmuc, Pawtucket and Massa-Adchu-Es-Et tribes before it was “appropriated” by the U.S. Federal Government
MassBay is believed to be the first community college in Massachusetts to make this public acknowledgement with a permanent marker and a ceremony of reconciliation and healing. During the ceremony the College announced an Indigenous People Scholarship had been formed for current and future MassBay students, for which fundraising has begun.
“Today Indigenous people became VISIBLE,” said Chief Ladybug (Croatan) Native Heritage New England and Program Chair for Health Studies at MassBay. “As a Massachusetts indigenous person today’s land acknowledgement that MassBay Community College campuses sits on land that belongs to the Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Massachusetts tribes was historic for me, my family, and my tribe. Acknowledgment is the first steps to our tribal healing.”
Nine tribes were present at today’s gathering, including: Croatan, Ponkapoag, Mi’kmaq, Mohawk, Cherokee, Blackfoot, Wampanoag, Natick Praying Indians, and the Nipmuc. Chief Black Wolf of the Nipmuc, Chief Eagle Rising (Mi’kmaq) from the Great Lowell Indian Cultural Association, and 8-year-old Sophia Wise Owl (Ponkapoag) all spoke at the ceremony of gratitude for this acknowledgement.
“We are proud to hold this important ceremony and to give proper recognition of the land on which our college sits,” said MassBay President David Podell.“ As our plaque reads, we cannot change the past. But what we can do and will do is to is honor the land, the ancestors, and the indigenous traditions as we at MassBay use this sacred land as a communal place to nurture learners to move forward and make a more inclusive world.”
Chief Caring Hands of the Natick Praying Indians summed up the Ceremony by saying, “I leave you with a truth, ‘A people honor themselves when they honor its original people’”.
To donate to the MassBay Indigenous People Scholarship Fund, visit: www.massbay.edu/give then under the heading; “I want to support“, select “Indigenous Peoples Scholarship” from the dropdown menu.
FRAMINGHAM, MA — Online “challenges” where social media users challenge others to perform some task and share the video under a common hashtag have the ability to go viral and spread very quickly.
Some challenges are for fun or to do good; like the “Ice Bucket Challenge” which was used to raise awareness and money by The ALS Association. During the past few weeks, (August 2021), videos of people taking the “Milk Crate Challenge“, went viral on TikTok using the hashtag #milkcratechallenge.
August 25, 2021, TikTok shuts down Milk Crate Challenge (#milkcratechallenge) citing dangerousness
The challenge is (was) to walk up one side then down the other side of a line of milk crates stacked to make “steps” that rise seven crates high in the middle.
Framingham, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced it has identified 14 West Nile Virus (WNV) positive mosquito samples out of 2,705 collected in Barnstable, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties. Of the 2,705, there were zero Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) samples identified. There also were zero human cases of WNV and EEE in Barnstable, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties.
The populations of mosquito vectors that transmits WNV and EEE are above average and increasing due to intense regional precipitation events and continued warm weather.
Framingham Public Health / Nursing Walk-In Clinic, 113 Concord St., (Rt. 126 N), Framingham, MA, (Photo, Copyright (c) 2019 Google).
FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham Office of Public Health Nursing Walk-In Clinic, located at 113 Concord Street (diagonally across street from Memorial building), will reopen to the public on Monday, July 12th, 2021.
Childhood vaccinations, lead screening, TB testing, and COVID-19 vaccinations (Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer), and more will be available.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – The City begins mailing third-quarter (Q3/2021) real estate tax bills today (March 17, 2021), and will send out fourth-quarter (Q4/2021) tax bills Wednesday, March 31.
Payment for both (Q3 and Q4) real estate taxes will be due on Monday, May 3, 2021.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Massachusetts State Police Headquarters located on Route 9 near the Route 126 overpass seeks a higher level controlled airspace designation for it’s heliport.
In an notice of proposed rulemaking, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), published notice of the proposal in the Federal Register titled “Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Framingham, MA“, announcing (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – This week, children in Framingham will be wondering not only what Santa will be bringing them — but will want to know exactly when he’ll will arrive.
To be sure Framingham children have the latest technology to track Santa, we’re providing this important link to NORAD, (The North American Aerospace Defense Command) and it’s famous Santa Tracker at www.NoradSanta.org
Since Santa is still at the North Pole, checking his list (twice) as the elves load his sleigh, NORAD has provided an online Christmas Games Arcade, a Library of Christmas Stories and other fun and informative content for kids of all ages.
FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the City of Framingham have announced that crews have reinstalled a historic 1930 Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Marker in Framingham as part of an effort to inventory and document the original markers that were installed nearly 90 years ago throughout the Commonwealth.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Today the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed legislation reforming how the state handles public records. The legislation, originally sponsored by Senator Jason Lewis, is the first update to the public records law since the early 1970s.
Sen. Karen E. Spilka, (D-Ashland)
“An accessible, transparent government is fundamental to the democratic process,” said Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “This bill strengthens our public records law to improve access and make the process of requesting records simpler, clearer and more fair. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate and advocates on all sides of this issue for engaging in a collaborative effort to bring our public records law into the 21st century, while providing flexibility for municipalities and agencies.”
The legislation will reduce costs for records requestors and ensure timely compliance with public records requests. The bill also brings Massachusetts in line with 47 other states and the federal government in allowing attorney’s fees to be awarded to plaintiffs who are victorious in court when denied records. The bill requires attorney fees to be awarded, except in certain defined situations.
Under the legislation, each state agency and municipality is required to appoint at least one public records access officer to serve as the point of contact for all public records requests and (more…)