Editorial: Monday Shorts: Housing series look-back
About 25 local firefighters responded to help contain a forest fire in northern Berkshire County that was estimated to span about 270 acres by late Sunday morning, May 16. COURTESY PHOTO/TURNERS FALLS FIRE DEPARTMENT
Published: 5/23/2021 3:37:35 PM
Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
Think affordable housing is an intractable problem? Think again, challenged the housing forum organizing committee formed jointly by Greening Greenfield and Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR). Under the leadership of chair Susan Worgaftik, the committee worked for more than two years to bring together experts for a nine-part series, “Housing is a human right,” that culminated last week with a discussion on energy efficiency. Each part examined a different aspect of and, often, a solution to the housing crisis.
Franklin County rises to sixth among 14 counties in annual Health Rankings Report
Courtesy photo/Creative Commons Courtesy photo/Creative Commons
Published: 5/16/2021 4:00:34 PM
Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Director of Community Services Phoebe Walker and others hope the 2021 Health Rankings Report the agency recently presented, showing the rise of some unhealthy behaviors and the fall of others, will spur discussion and collaboration to keep the county moving in the right direction when it comes to health and health equity.
The report shows that while adult smoking, obesity, excessive drinking, sleep deprivation, drug overdose deaths and physical inactivity increased over the period examined, other things like access to exercise opportunities, drunk-driving deaths, sexually transmitted diseases and teen births decreased. When considering the health factors and health outcomes, Walker said Franklin County rose to sixth among the 14 counties in the report as c
By Katie Lannan, State House News Service
May 13, 2021
Katie Lannan, State House News Service
Born and adopted in California, Joan Strauss decided after her birth mother’s death from Covid-19 last year that she would seek access to her sealed birth records.
Strauss, now an East Brookfield resident, is an author and filmmaker who through that work has followed other adoptees in their quests for similar information. She said she knew when she submitted her application to California officials that it could be denied, but still burst into tears when she got the call back telling her the application wasn’t enough and she’d need to hire a lawyer and fly there to appear in court in person.