Volunteers Needed

Volunteers Needed

Meetings the Week of July 30, 2018

Meetings the Week of July 30, 2018

Monday    7/30/18

Conservation                        PCS Town Hall*           6:00 pm

August 1, 2018 

PAY YOUR TAXES!

 Thursday 8/2/18

Adv Com                             PCS Town Hall*               6:30 pm

* Pauly Cosentino Sr. Town Hall

Milling & Paving

Lord Road & North Main Street 

                            
                       Milling & Paving
                          July 30, 2018

To: Residents of Lord Road & North Main Street:

This letter is to inform you that pending the weather, Monday, July 30, 2018, at 7 a.m., the Highway Department will start milling the road and then paving will begin the following week.

We apologize for any inconvenience to residents during the road work.

If you have any questions or concerns, call the DPW office at 978-939-8666.

Sincerely,

Mark Danielson

Highway Foreman

*************************************

 So far no new news about Wellington Rd. closures. Maybe the water main has been located.

The US Campaign Against Breastfeeding from Dr. Mercola 

 

WestonAPriceFoundation-BabyFormula903.m4v from Weston A. Price Foundation on Vimeo.

The US Campaign Against Breastfeeding from Dr. Mercola

• July 24, 2018 • 84,983 view

Story at-a-glance

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 2011 and 2016, only 40 percent of infants under the age of 6 months were being exclusively breastfed, worldwide
• Thanks to growing awareness of the science behind the “breast is best” slogan, breastfeeding rates in the U.S. have risen from a low of 24 percent in 1971 to 81 percent in 2016
• The global goal is to get 70 percent of infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months by 2030. To achieve that, the World Health Assembly introduced a nonbinding resolution this past spring to encourage breastfeeding and stress the health benefits of breastfeeding
• In a move that shocked the world, U.S. delegates opposed the resolution, demanding that language calling on governments to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding” be deleted
• The American delegation threatened countries with sanctions lest they reject the resolution. It was even suggested that the U.S. might cut its financial support to the WHO. Russia ultimately introduced the resolution

By Dr. Mercola
What's the optimal food for your newborn baby? Common sense would tell you that a mother's breast milk is as optimal as infant nutrition could possibly get, yet that fact — indisputable as it may seem — is something that makers of infant formula have spent decades' trying to sweep under the carpet.¹ 

Following the development of manufactured infant formula, mothers were told breastfeeding was unnecessary.

Formula offered greater freedom for busy moms, and the promotion of the obnoxious idea that breastfeeding in public is shameful fueled the transition, making more moms defer to the bottle rather than their breast. For years, women could even be fined for "public indecency" if caught breastfeeding in public. This year, Utah became the last state to enact laws protecting the rights of breastfeeding mothers by permitting nursing in public.²

 
Only 28 states provide workplace protection for nursing mothers, however, so many are still forced to pump milk in dingy bathrooms and suffer discrimination for needing time to express milk. In terms of nutrition, moms have, and still are, told there's "no difference" between bottle feeding and breastfeeding, yet nothing could be further from the truth.

There is very little similarity between the two, from a nutritional perspective. Unfortunately, marketing materials have a way of giving mothers the false idea that formula may actually provide better nutrition.

Now, even the pro-breastfeeding slogan "breast is best" has been usurped and turned into "fed is best"³ — meaning, as long as your baby is well-fed, it doesn't matter if it's breast milk or formula. A recent bioethical argument in the journal Pediatrics even advises pediatricians it's time to stop referring to breastfeeding as something "natural."⁴ How did we get so off course? You might as well argue against the naturalness of urination.

Only 4 in 10 Infants Worldwide Are Exclusively Breastfed for 6 Months

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS VOLUME 25, NUMBER 28

GUN LAWS  NEWS Ninth Circuit Stunner: Second Amendment Protects Public Open Carry!

Gun control advocates undoubtedly awoke with a piercing headache Wednesday morning as the news sunk in that the U.S. appellate court for America’s largest circuit has recognized that the Second Amendment protects a right to openly carry loaded firearms in public for self-defense. The ruling came Tuesday in the case of Young v. State of Hawaii.

Crop of farm tours sprouts in northern Worcester County

By Paula J. Owen
Correspondent

Posted Jul 23, 2018 at 8:20 PM  

Updated Jul 24, 2018 at 9:29 AM

WORCESTER – Indie, a 2-week old Nigerian dwarf goat, started squawking as soon as he “jumped out of his mom,” says M.L. Altobelli, co-owner of Woody End Farm.

The black-and-white baby goat – one of five baby goats on the farm - has a spirited personality and let out loud bleats as Margherita Altobelli, M.L.’s sister, who co-owns the 13-acre farm on Davis Road, quickly picked him up to give visitors to the farm a closer look during a regional farm tour Sunday afternoon.

The sisters, in their 50s, raise Altomar goats and have a flock of about Khaki Campbell ducks they raise for pest control. They make goat cheese for their family and sell the ducks’ eggs.

Woody End Farm is one of 14 farms in four communities open to the public for an up-close look at the region’s diverse agriculture on “Rocky’s and Rocketta’s DRAGIN (DRagging AGriculture INto your world) Progressive Farm Tour, coordinated by Farming Beyond Borders, made up of agricultural commissioners, vendors and others in northern Worcester County.

The free tours started Sunday at three farms in Westminster and will continue Aug. 5 at four farms in Lunenburg and Aug. 12 with four farms in Ashburnham and three in Templeton. The tours aim to show visitors where local food is produced and give them a chance to meet the farmers. The tours feature alpacas and goats, and innovative, sustainable farming techniques that produce high-quality foods, soaps and other products.

The tours are “a great opportunity (for people) to learn more about the incredibly diverse farming that is happening in their back yard,” said Heather Bowen, spokeswoman for the Progressive Farm Tour. “The farm tour is a way to showcase the region’s agricultural community as a whole and help explain the important role farms play in the larger economic and societal fabric of the state.”

The Woody End homestead was handed down through the female side of the family since 1752, explained M.L. Altobelli, who said she and her sister inherited the farm from their mother.

M.L. also operates a fine garden landscaping business, so there is a greenhouse for custom growing on the property.

Related content

Photos: Farm tours in Westminster

The women grew up with a dairy goat herd and chose to raise Nigerian dwarf goats about 14 years ago to help clear off the stone walls and provide milk and cheese to their family.

If green energy is so amazing, why is California’s power grid about to crater?

Thursday, July 26, 2018 by: Ethan Huff
Tags: air conditioning, badclimate, California, Clean Energy, electricity shortage, energy, energy needs, extreme heat, fossil fuels, green energy, heat waves, natural gas, renewable energy, rolling blackouts, solar panels, solar power, wind power

5,730Views

(Natural News) Promises of total independence from fossil fuel energy in the “green”-leaning Golden State are being broken, as grid operators throughout California are now having to ask customers to use as little energy as possible during peak hours in order to keep the electricity grid from completely collapsing.

Reports indicate that, due to a persistent “heat dome” that’s settled over the southwestern United States in recent weeks, energy needs in California are quickly outpacing supply. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned back in May that California faces a “significant risk of encountering operating conditions that could result in operating reserve shortfalls” as a result.

On July 24, California’s power demand was expected to outstrip its available generating capacity by an astounding 5,000 megawatts (mW), according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), as more Californians than perhaps ever before are using their air conditioning units to try to survive the unbearable heat.

So why can’t California produce enough energy to meet these demands? According to CAISO, “reduced electricity imports” and “tight natural gas supplies” are to blame, as is the high wildfire risk in many areas of the state. What CAISO isn’t telling you is that California is also trying to eliminate the use of all fossil fuels for energy, relying only on wind and solar, which simply doesn’t produce enough supply to meet demand.

In addition to lower hydro (water) conditions, California has retired about 789 mW worth of natural gas generation in recent years, which had been available during previous summers of high heat. This means that California has intentionally shut off energy sources that were needed to meet demand in order to reach its “green” energy targets.

Californians: Get used to suffering through bouts of no power thanks to the “green” focus of your politicians

Gov. Baker signs nation’s most-overdue state budget

By Bob Salsberg and Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press

Posted Jul 26, 2018 at 6:53 PM  

Updated Jul 26, 2018 at 7:49 PM

BOSTON — Massachusetts finally has a budget nearly one month into the state’s new fiscal year.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed the $42 billion spending package into law Thursday, ending the state’s status as the only one in the nation without a permanent budget.

Baker vetoed nearly $50 million in spending from the plan. He also rejected a pilot plan to discount tolls for motorists who commute during off-peak hours.

By contrast, Baker vetoed $320 million in spending from the budget for the last fiscal year, and $256 million from the fiscal 2017 budget that took effect on July 1, 2016. In both cases, the Legislature overrode many of those vetoes to restore some of the funding.

The state’s fiscal year began July 1, but lawmakers didn’t agree on a budget for 18 days.

By signing the plan Thursday, Baker is giving the Democratic-controlled Legislature a few more days to consider veto overrides. He could have waited until Saturday to sign the budget.

The Legislature ends its formal sessions Tuesday for the year.

Evidence is UNDENIABLE: Smart meters cause massive changes to the heart

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 by: Ethan Huff
Tags: arcing, badhealth, badmedicine, EKG, electrical fire, electricity usage, electromagnetic, electropollution, EMF, EMF pollution, heart damage, heart function, heart health, microwave transmission, overcharging, Recall, Silent Killer, smart meters, spontaneous combustion, Warren Woodward

(Natural News) An expert in smart meter microwave transmission power has published new research showing that, contrary to the official government narrative, the radiation emitted from smart meters directly interferes with normal heart function.

To come to this conclusion, Warren Woodward connected himself to an EKG monitor while lying near an Elster smart meter, which was connected to a high-frequency analyzer that measures microwave frequencies.

As it alternated between normal readings of 00.1 and 00.2, a monitor display showed that Woodward’s heart patterns were normal and symmetrical. But during times when it spiked to 139.3 – this being the time when the smart meter initiated data transmissions – Woodward’s EKG pattern changed dramatically in response.

In other words, when the smart meter was not sending high amounts of power, Woodward’s EKG readings were normal and natural. But when it kicked into higher output mode, the changes were “massive.”



Brief periods of alteration to normal heart rhythm aren’t much to worry about. But when these irregularities are ongoing, the heart can end up working too hard, resulting in fatigued cardiac function.

Dr. Gilberto Leon, a holistic medicine doctor from Chandler, Arizona, warns about this. He says that changes to the heart caused by smart meters are anything but symptomless or “silent,” and that major damage can take place without people even realizing it.

The constant bombardment of microwave radiation from smart meters represents “an unnatural sequence of events that we’re not programmed to respond to,” he says. Long-term exposure to smart meters, he says, can be extremely damaging to normal myocardial function.

Many of the smart meters attached to people’s homes are much stronger than the one that Woodward tested

Boston Traffic Update

Boston Traffic Update

Dear EZDriveMA Customer,

You are receiving this advisory due to the traffic impacts from this MassDOT Project that may affect your travel in the area.  If you would not like to receive any further advisories for this Project, please e-mail CommAveBridge@dot.state.ma.us. Thank you.

2018 Construction Shutdown: July 26 – August 11

Significant Impacts to Comm Ave, I-90, and the MBTA

This is a reminder that the 2018 Construction Shutdown for the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement Project is beginning tomorrow, Thursday, July 26, at 7:00 PM and will continue through 5:00 AM on Saturday, August 11. Please note the construction-related impacts below:

For Drivers:

I-90 (Mass Pike) Users:
        •       Lane reductions on I-90 between the Allston Interchange and the Beacon Street Overpass in
                Boston from 9:00 PM on July 27 to 5:00 AM on August 6:
                        o       Peak hours: reduced to two lanes in each direction
                        o       Off-peak hours and weekends:
                        o       Weekends of July 27-30 and August 3-6 (9:00 PM each Friday to 5:00 AM each
                                Monday)
                                        •       One eastbound and two westbound lanes open, or one westbound
                                                and two eastbound lanes open
                        o       Weekdays, July 30-31 (during eastbound shift): 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM
                                        •       One eastbound lane open and two westbound lanes open
                        o       Weekdays, August 2-3 (during westbound shift): 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM
                                        •       One westbound lane open and two eastbound lanes open
        •       Ramp closures on I-90 in Boston from 9:00 PM on July 27 to 5:00 AM on August 6:
                        o       The I-90 Eastbound on-ramp from Cambridge Street/Soldiers Field Road will be closed
                                during this entire period.
                        o       The I-90 Westbound Exit 20 off-ramp to Brighton/Cambridge will be closed
                                intermittently.
                        o       See the “I-90 (Mass Pike) Ramp Closures Detour” on the Traffic Management page
                                http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CommonwealthAvenueBridgeReplacement/TrafficManagement.aspx
        •       I-90 will be fully restored to four lanes in each direction by 5:00 AM on August 6.

        Commonwealth Avenue Users:
        •       Commonwealth Avenue (between Packard’s Corner and Kenmore Square) will be closed to
                vehicular through traffic (local access only) from 7:00 PM on July 26 to 5:00 AM on August
                11. Access will be maintained for businesses and abutting properties.
        •       See the “Commonwealth Avenue Closure Detour” on the Traffic Management page
                http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CommonwealthAvenueBridgeReplacement/TrafficManagement.aspx

                Boston University (BU) Bridge Users:
        •       The BU Bridge will be closed to vehicular and bus traffic from 7:00 PM on July 26 to 5:00 AM
                on August 11.
        •       See the “Boston University (BU) Bridge Closure Detour” on the Traffic Management page
                http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CommonwealthAvenueBridgeReplacement/TrafficManagement.aspx

For Pedestrians and Bicyclists:

Why is US Failing To Inform Pregnant Women to Limit Fluoride Ingestion

 

NEW YORK, July 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — A recent government-funded study (Bashash et al. 2017) corroborates hundreds of previously published studies showing fluoride damages the brain. These shocking findings cannot be dismissed as “just one study” because they provide compelling evidence that pregnant women’s fluoride intake is linked to lower IQ in their offspring at levels commonly consumed in the US, reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

Paul Connett, FAN Director says, “We are shocked and dismayed that public health officials and the media aren’t informing pregnant women to limit their fluoride intake.”

The Bashash study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Environmental Protection Agency, and published in the US government journal, Environmental Health Perspectives.

This landmark study involved 299 mother-child pairs. IQ tests of the children were at age 4 and again at 6-12. After controlling for many potential confounding factors, the results show a loss of IQ points in the offspring strongly correlating with the measured amounts of fluoride in the mother’s urine during pregnancy.

When the mothers’ fluoride levels are compared on a graph to the children’s IQ scores, an increase in urine fluoride of 1 mg/liter is associated with a loss of 5 to 6 IQ points. The correlation is statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence level, which means that the results of this study are very reliable.

Templeton Traffic Updates

Templeton Traffic Updates

 

From Jeff Bennett's Blog -DPW Director

DPW Director

TO:          Board of Selectmen

FROM:    Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator

RE:           Interim DPW Director

DATE:      July 19, 2018

CC:            N/A

Upon resignation of Alan Mayo as DPW director, I sent an email out to all area communities to ask them if they might be interested in exploring a shared administrative director (see exhibit A) Unfortunately, there was none.


Following that, I sent out an email to six firms seeking staffing proposals for an interim DPW director (see exhibit b). One responded with some interest and one referred a recently resigned Town Manager to us. The remaining four either did not respond or advised they were not in a position to propose at this time. At Alan's suggestion, I also reached out to the Bay State Roads program which offers technical training and support on local highway issues such as snow & ice control. They do not offer services on a consulting basis, but the instructor Alan spoke highly of does maintain a private practice in addition to his teaching responsibilities.

As a result of these efforts we have a mixed bag of proposals:


Don Jacobs Associates, a former Assistant Town Manager in Amherst and Town Manager in Southbridge and Plymouth and 30+ year professional in the business with a heavy concentration in HR matters would supply himself and Mr. Tom Woods, a 30 + year professional who worked his way up through the ranks in Leicester, MA and retired as DPW Director, who will undertake all of the assignments at $100.00 per hour.

Michael Smith, former highway Superintendent for Heath and instructor at Bay State Roads program, of Chainsaw Technologies who will undertake the snow & ice control analysis as he has done for Avon, Sudbury and Dover. His rate is $75.00 per hour.

Brian Palais, a Town Manager recently separated from the Town of Oxford as an outgrowth of a personnel matter he had to deal with that became controversial. He will undertake the assignments for $50.00 per hour.

While the most qualified proposer giving us the best overall review and work products would be Jacobs, his pricing would be virtually impossible to absorb within our current budgeting. Meanwhile, with the upcoming budget season rapidly approaching and a need to review our operational and capital needs for snow & ice control program, due to this being the last year of available sand from our pit; we have real needs within the department.

Accordingly, I seek your approval to engage Mr. Michael Smith, dba Chainsaw Strategies, in an amount not to exceed $5,500.00 to carry out an analysis of our snow and ice control operations as outlined in this proposal.

With respect to the interim DPW Director our only alternatives are to (a) keep going as we are, (b) try to do another round of inquiries, or (c) meet with your preferred candidate relative to any questions you may have on his background.

****************************************

When are people going to wake up? This inability to fill the DPW position was created by the same selectmen and (interim) town administrator who are in office today. Templeton's DPW was formed by a vote of the selectmen to "get rid of " an employee. 
There were no cost savings to combine highway, cemetery and recreation into one department. 

Look at comparable towns (without a bond rating) and see how much they pay a DPW director.

We do NOT have DPW . We have a highway, building and grounds and cemetery and recreation department.

None of the surrounding towns want to do business (explore regionalization) with Templeton because they will be and have been LIED to. They sit upon a throne of LIES.

The push by the selectmen through the interim Town Administrator to "take over billing" for the Sewer department is a ploy to gain control over the sewer department's reserve funds. 

Show me the money!

 

Trump May Revoke Security Clearance For Brennan, Clapper, Comey, McCabe, & Rice

by Tyler Durden

Tue, 07/24/2018 - 05:11

 

Update: The responses have begun. James Clapper spoke on CNN this afternoon, calling Trump's actions "a petty way of retribution."

“Well, it’s interesting news. I’m reading it and learning about it just as you are. I think it’s off the top of my head it’s a sad commentary,”
Clapper said. “For political reasons, this is a petty way of retribution, I suppose for speaking out against the president, which I think, on the part of all of us, are born out of genuine concerns about President Trump.”
“It’s frankly more of a courtesy that former senior officials and the intelligence community are extended the courtesy of keeping the security clearance. Haven’t had a case of using it. And it has no bearing whatsoever on my regard or lack thereof for President Trump or what he’s doing,” he continued.

 

 

*  *  *
President Trump is exploring ways to strip several former Obama officials of their security clearances over politicized statements, including John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Susan Rice, and Andrew McCabe, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.



Responding to a question about comments tweeted earlier in the day by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that former CIA Director Brennan should have his clearance stripped, Sanders replied:

"Not only is the President looking to take away Brennan's security clearance, he's also looking into the clearances of Comey, Clapper, Hayden, Rice and McCabe," said Sanders, reading from a prepared statement, "because they've politicized, and in some cases, monetized their public service and security clearances. Making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia or being influenced by Russia, against the President, is extremely inappropriate." 

"The fact that people with security clearances are making these baseless charges provides inappropriate legitimacy to accusations with zero evidence." 

Earlier in the day, Senator Rand Paul tweeted: "Is John Brennan monetizing his security clearance? Is John Brennan making millions of dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream media with his attacks on @realDonaldTrump ?"

Brennan, a senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, said that President Trump's comments following the Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin "rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors," adding "It was nothing short of treasonous."

"What's Next, Air?" - NJ Dems Weighing Water Tax To Help Fix Pensions

by Tyler Durden

Fri, 07/20/2018 - 20:45

 

With its reserve fund depleted, and its last-minute budget agreement featuring several unappetizing tax hikes on corporations and the wealthiest people living in the state (as well as taxes on e-cigarettes and Airbnb) New Jersey lawmakers and state officials are considering yet another tax - on tap water - that would purportedly be used to fix a crumbling water delivery infrastructure, according to Fox 5.

State Sen. Bob Smith proposed the tax, which he posed as a "user fee" based on volume, saying it would add 10 cents for every 1,000 gallons of water used. Smith said that it would only add $32 a year to the "average" bill. For the record, the state already charges a public utility franchise tax on water system operators of $0.01 per 1,000 gallons. That tax, which went into effect in 1984, is supposed to "ensure clean drinking water in New Jersey."


 

One critic of the tax hikes pointed out that New Jersey residents, already among the most heavily taxed in the country, are once again being asked to pay more. "Once again, the most over-taxed people out of all 50 states in this country, are being asked to dig a little deeper after Phil Murphy just raised their taxes by nearly $2 billion."
The Democrat who introduced the bill is trying to package it as a "user fee." But another Dem said they should just call it what it is: another tax.

"Let's call it for what it is... it's another tax," Councilman Peter Brown D-Linden said.

Given that New Jerseyans are already being taxed to the hilt, one newspaper columnist joked: 

"what's next, taxing air?." Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a Goldman Sachs alum, has hiked taxes on almost everything to push through a $37.4 billion budget as he's promised to help the state's pension fund recover from years of chronic under-funding (back in 2015, it was the most badly underfunded pension fund in the US).





Of course, that remains a difficult - some would say politically impossible - goal, as Murphy really would need to resort to taxing more commodities and public resources (like air) to bring in the revenues needed to save the state's finances from a demise that can still be delayed with little-to-no effort...for now.
 

Health Inc.

Health Insurers Are Vacuuming Up Details About You — And It Could Raise Your Rates 

July 17, 20185:00 AM ET

Heard on Morning Edition

Marshall Allen 

From


Justin Volz for ProPublica 
 
To an outsider, the fancy booths at a June health insurance industry gathering in San Diego, Calif., aren't very compelling: a handful of companies pitching "lifestyle" data and salespeople touting jargony phrases like "social determinants of health."

But dig deeper and the implications of what they're selling might give many patients pause: a future in which everything you do — the things you buy, the food you eat, the time you spend watching TV — may help determine how much you pay for health insurance.

With little public scrutiny, the health insurance industry has joined forces with data brokers to vacuum up personal details about hundreds of millions of Americans, including, odds are, many readers of this story.

The companies are tracking your race, education level, TV habits, marital status, net worth. They're collecting what you post on social media, whether you're behind on your bills, what you order online. Then they feed this information into complicated computer algorithms that spit out predictions about how much your health care could cost them.



Are you a woman who recently changed your name? You could be newly married and have a pricey pregnancy pending. Or maybe you're stressed and anxious from a recent divorce. That, too, the computer models predict, may run up your medical bills.

Are you a woman who has purchased plus-size clothing? You're considered at risk of depression. Mental health care can be expensive.

Low-income and a minority? That means, the data brokers say, you are more likely to live in a dilapidated and dangerous neighborhood, increasing your health risks.




"We sit on oceans of data," said Eric McCulley, director of strategic solutions for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, during a conversation at the data firm's booth. And he isn't apologetic about using it. "The fact is, our data is in the public domain," he said. "We didn't put it out there."

Insurers contend that they use the information to spot health issues in their clients — and flag them so they get services they need. And companies like LexisNexis say the data shouldn't be used to set prices. But as a research scientist from one company told me: "I can't say it hasn't happened."

At a time when every week brings a new privacy scandal and worries abound about the misuse of personal information, patient advocates and privacy scholars say the insurance industry's data gathering runs counter to its touted, and federally required, allegiance to patients' medical privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, only protects medical information.

"We have a health privacy machine that's in crisis," said Frank Pasquale, a professor at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law who specializes in issues related to machine learning and algorithms. "We have a law that only covers one source of health information. They are rapidly developing another source."

Patient advocates warn that using unverified, error-prone "lifestyle" data to make medical assumptions could lead insurers to improperly price plans — for instance, raising rates based on false information — or discriminate against anyone tagged as high cost. And, they say, the use of the data raises thorny questions that should be debated publicly, such as: Should a person's rates be raised because algorithms say they are more likely to run up medical bills? Such questions would be moot in Europe, where a strict law took effect in May that bans trading in personal data.

This year, ProPublica and NPR are investigating the various tactics the health insurance industry uses to maximize its profits. Understanding these strategies is important because patients — through taxes, cash payments and insurance premiums — are the ones funding the entire health care system. Yet the industry's bewildering web of strategies and inside deals often has little to do with patients' needs. As the series' first story showed, contrary to popular belief, lower bills aren't health insurers' top priority.

Inside the San Diego Convention Center, there were few qualms about the way insurance companies were mining Americans' lives for information — or what they planned to do with the data. 
Linking health costs to personal data

Meetings the Week of July 23, 2018

Meetings the Week of July 23, 2018

 

Tuesday   7/24/18

Elem. Building                       PCS Town Hall*              5:00 pm

Elem. Building                       PCS Town Hall*              6:00 pm

Planning                                 PCS Town Hall*              6:30 pm

 

Wednesday 7/25/18

BOS                                PCS Town Hall*            6:30 pm

MeetingMaterials

 

 

 

Recreation                   PCS Town Hall*                7:00 pm

 

 

 

* Pauly Cosentino Sr. Town Hall

How P G & E Started the CA Fires

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS VOLUME 25, NUMBER 27

NEWS  LEGAL & LEGISLATION Federal Appellate Court Upholds Decision to Block California’s Magazine Surrender Requirement

Last summer, we reported on the welcome news that a federal court had blocked California’s plan to require owners of “large capacity” magazines to surrender or otherwise rid themselves of their formerly-lawful property. As the judge in that case had put it: “On July 1, 2017, any previously law-abiding person in California who still possesses a firearm magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds will begin their new life of crime.” That was a bridge too far, he decided, and blocked enforcement of the law’s dispossession requirement. California appealed that ruling, and now over a year later a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the lower court’s ruling. The case, Duncan v. Becerra, is supported by both the NRA and the California Rifle & Pistol Association.

Tree House Brewing gets OK for addition in Charlton

 By Debbie LaPlaca
Correspondent

Posted Jul 18, 2018 at 9:28 PM  

Updated Jul 18, 2018 at 9:58 PM

CHARLTON – Tree House Brewing Co. received Planning Board approval Wednesday to grow.
The 55,000-square-foot craft brew house at 129 Sturbridge Road (Route 20) drew an estimated 4,000 people to its opening last summer and its award-winning brews continue to draw crowds.

Tree House sought Planning Board site plan approval to build a roughly 16,000-square-foot addition to its retail shop and brewery, including a number of open pergolas, and a second bar about twice the size of its existing bar.

During the board’s first public hearing in June, concerns centered on the traffic the destination brewery has brought to Route 20.

“I think we’re moving forward,” interim Town Planner Bill Scanlon told the board Wednesday.
“We’re solving a lot of the traffic issues.”

While the Planning Board would like to see a traffic signal installed for the brew house driveway, the forthcoming decision is in the hands of the state Department of Transportation.

On behalf of Tree House, David T. Faist of McClure Engineering told the board a traffic study is nearing completion. The plan calls for 134 new parking spaces, which are expected to improve traffic flow by moving parked guests closer to the building and farther from Route 20.

The Planning Board vote to approve the site plan was unanimous. Construction is expected to start this fall, with completion in about 12 months.
 

When in Doubt, Get It Out!

Is fluoride a nutrient?  Guess again!

From Jeff Bennett's Templeton Watch...Board of Assessors

Board of Assessors

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Board of Assessors:

Town of Templeton spending plan for FY 2019 has an item, Vision software upgrade for the Assessors.

Going to be funded by a contribution from Templeton Municipal Light & Water department.

Dollar amount - $20,000.00.

March 6, 2018, meeting of TMLWP /  commissioners vote to not fund this item, voting instead to put that money towards improvements to Bridge street, the road that goes by the TMLWP building (s).

Assessors office finds out about this on June 25, 2018 - after annual Town Meeting, which was in May. Great communication here!

So, this required item was going to be funded from a sum of money provided by the TMLWP, except on March 6, 2018, the commissioners vote to not do it.

According to the meeting minutes of the TMLWP commission, two former Templeton selectmen, Chris Stewart and Gregg Edwards and Dana Blais voted to:

$82,000.00 for: $8,500.00 for a tractor, $5,000.00 for groomer, $20,000.00 for SCBA tanks and the rest towards Bridget Street reconstruction. Perhaps it slipped the mind of the town administrator to inform the assessors of this, so where were the selectmen in this? Are they engaged in the budget process or not, it is essentially their budget that is presented and then sent to Advisory Committee.

Back in 2006, when Gregg Edwards was a selectmen, Vision is mentioned in the report from the assessors. Strange two former selectmen did not suggest to find out the details of Vision first, prior to voting it down.

On a more important front, Chris Stewart suggested the town begin paying "their" electric bills in full again. Suggestion of a tiered approach, 20% in FY2019, 40% in FY2020, 60% in FY2021, etc., until the town is back to full payment again.

Ideas about Vision software: The GM at TMLWP stated not sure what Vision software upgrade was, but he suspected it had something to do with the Sewer department and the Town's plan to take over sewer collections. Gregg Edwards was concerned it was some new yet to be tested accounting software and he did not want Templeton being the test case for it. Chris Stewart stated instead of $20,000.00 for Vision, the 20K should go to Bridge street reconstruction. The commission went for 20K for tanks instead, per the above vote. Interesting thought process from the people who oversee TMLWP.

Great transparency from Town Hall - a firing offense perhaps???

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Rocky and Rocketta's Dragin Progressive Farm Tour

7/12/2018 10:06:00 AM
Rocky and Rocketta's Dragin Progressive Farm Tour
Farms offering tours

+ click to enlarge News staff photos by DONEEN DURLING Stephen Altobelli was recently covering at Westminster Farmers’ Market for his Aunt M.L. Altobelli and had herbs, such as spearmint, rosemary, dill and thyme, all growing thick and healthy. M.L. Altobelli will present a Learn to Grow program during the progressive farm tour. + click to enlarge News staff photos by DONEEN DURLING Bonnie and John Cook of Wild Eagle Farm in Westminster offer all kinds of home-grown meats such as bacon, beef, chicken, pork and prepared pot pies, and sweet-and-sour pork. All meat is from their own grass-fed, pasture-raised Galloway cattle; organic-fed, free-range chickens; and organic-fed, woodland-pasture-raised pigs. The Cooks will offer a taste test during the progressive farm tour. Doneen Durling News Staff Writer A series of upcoming farm tours is hoping to show people what Northern Wor­cester County has to offer for organic and fresh food. It’s Rocky and Rocketta’s Dragin Progressive Farm Tour, and the name may be long, but the idea is a bit catchy. M.L. Altobelli of West­minster said that in the days of long ago, there were maps showing Boston and the towns southeast of the city by the bay, but Northern Worcester County was noted as the Land of Dragons. Similar “stereotype maps” are also posted as jokes online. Local farmers are hoping to drag people into four towns in Northern Worcester County to discover that not only is there no danger from dragons, but there is a lot to love about the farms in the area. “The Rocky and Rocketta Dragin Progressive Farm Tour will give the public a great opportunity to learn more about the incredibly diverse farming and agriculture that is happening in their backyard,” said Heather Bowen, spokesperson for the Progressive Farm Tour. “Whether it is fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy, or livestock, we have some amazing farms in North Worcester County that are producing some of the best food in the state.” “The Farm Tour is a way to showcase the region’s agricultural community as a whole and help explain the important role farms play in the larger economic and societal fabric of the state,” Bowen said. There will be farmers showcased who produce food for the table, farmers that raise the animals for meat or to spin fiber for socks, or to create rich soaps and beauty products. There will be maple syrup makers and honey gatherers and even a few that will cook dinner with what has been grown. “It is an excuse to get out into the country and explore a part of the state some may not be familiar with,” said Altobelli. The farm tour is being coordinated by the agriculture commissions of the participating towns, Westminster, Ashburnham, Templeton and Lunenburg. The tour dates include: July 22: three farms in Westminster; Aug. 5: four farms in Lunenburg; Aug. 12: four farms in Ashburnham plus three farms in Templeton. All are ready to be explored between 12 to 4 p.m.