Town of Orange, MA reports with a heavy heart, the first corona/covid-19 death in the Town.
This was reported on Thursday, April 9, 2020. I wish those residents / family well.

https://www.facebook.com/orangeMABOH/photos/a.107132080937273/120023159648165/?type=3

You will find the same message here as you will find on my personal face book page and blog.

from the official MA.gov/corona website:

Please note: To protect privacy and confidentiality of individuals who test positive for COVID-19, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health only publicly reports positive case counts and deaths by county. The decision to share more detailed case counts by community rests with each city or town, based on the assessment of the situation in their own communities. DPH only asks local boards of health to respect the privacy and confidentiality of residents when providing community case counts.

There was no vote by the board of selectmen to make it a policy of the Town of Templeton to not release the number of positive cases of covid-19 in Town. Just so we are all clear on that.

Are you a Veteran? Know a Veteran who may need assistance? 

Know a Veteran who may or you think they may need a call/check in 

(maybe think they could use a call)

SAVE - Statewide Advocacy for Veterans Empowerment, 

Telephone: 617-210-5743 or 1-888-844-2838.

Would you like to give some $$$ or help out a Veteran in need; 

local American Legion Post 373, 

located at 3 Central Street, Baldwinville, MA 

telephone (978) 939-8820.

Food4Vets - opening a location at the American Legion at 3 Central St. in Baldwinville, MA with hours to be announced. This is not meant to be a competing entity with the Templeton food pantry; sometimes Veterans are a group like many old timers, they may not ask for help or go to the Templeton food pantry, but they might accept help from or let another Veteran know they could use a hand up, this would just be another path to help some out who may need it right now. This is Veterans looking out for Veterans.

As always, if you can, help out the Templeton food pantry too;

plenty of need out there right now.

We can handle this corona stuff - We are Templeton Tough

I hope all this gear/equipment being brought into MA (according to governor updates and news reports) are making their way West of 495; There are actual communities that exist past that route. All of the Commonwealth is not located East of 495.

GARDNER — COVID-19 numbers are creeping up, but the area is maintaining a lower rate than the state’s average for those testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Heywood Healthcare, which also indicates that it is starting to run low on scrubs and gowns.

By Tuesday morning, April 7, Heywood Healthcare reported a total of 120 positive cases of the virus so far. Five of those tested had indeterminate results, meaning they could not be determined as positive or negative. The rate of positive local cases in the health system is 16.5 percent, compared to the state’s 18.1 percent. At Heywood Hospital, there are six patients in-house who have tested positive for COVID-19. There are 10 patients under investigation.

Statewide as of Tuesday morning, there were about 76,000 tests collected, of which about 14,000 were positive. There have been about 260 deaths in Massachusetts.

President and CEO of Heywood Healthcare Win Brown said during his morning update Tuesday that anyone now entering the health system’s facilities must be wearing a mask. He added that scarves and bandanas are acceptable. If someone checks in without a mask, one will be provided.

Brown asked all staff wearing scrubs to leave them behind so they can be washed, and requested that any staff members who have brought scrubs home to please bring them back. Isolation gowns are also running short.

“Given the pandemic, we are on an allocation for the number of scrubs that we get and the number of surgical gowns on a daily basis. So if you have anything sitting at home, it really needs to come back in because we are starting to run short on our shifts,” he said.

from The Gardner News:

HUBBARDSTON — “We’re going ahead full steam,” Town Clerk Laurie Reed said of the democratic processes in town.

Everything is still on track for the town’s annual meeting, planned for June 2, and election, still set for June 9.

Reed noted everything could change as warranted due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis, though the latest the town can delay at this point is the end of June, unless state rules change again.

Papers for those seeking election to town office were available starting Tuesday, April 7, and are due back by 5 p.m. on April 21, Reed said, but she added there is some flexibility in the procedures.

She said she can meet with people outside of Town Hall, for instance.

But email is usually the best way to communicate; calling Town Hall, they can also leave a message.

Reed said come time for the election, the town will use the best ways it can to protect people and make sure they are practicing social distancing.

Potential candidates will still need to gather 20 signatures, and Reed recommends a few extra in case someone signs who is not actually registered to vote And she will be handing out 25 signature sheets to candidates so each person signing can use a fresh sheet of paper to avoid any concerns about COVID-19.

She said businesses are still open in town, and are places a candidate could gather signatures, keeping in mind people may want some distance.

If someone is interested in signing a nomination paper, they can arrange to meet them. It may require a little more work than normal but can still be done.

Reed said she can work with candidates to guide them through the process.

For voters, there are some options. Voting hours are not yet determined, Reed said. But many voters can skip the in-person process and request an absentee ballot. There are no criteria needed, unlike the typical absentee request process. Voters can then have the ballot mailed to them and send it back through the mail. All “no-contact” voting.

For those who go to the polls in person, there may be adjustments, such as possibly allowing people to bring their own pens. The new voting machine will be a little more forgiving in that regard.

But for more information, residents can contact Reed at tclerk@hubbardstonma.us or leave a phone message at 978-928-1400, ext. 202.

Positions on the ballot are: Board of Selectmen, three years; Board of Assessors, three years; Planning Board, a five-year and one-year seat; Board of Health, two three-year seats; Quabbin Regional School Committee, three years; Finance Committee, two three-year seats; Cemetery Commission, three years; Trustees of Public Library, two three-year seats; Park Commissioner, two three-year seats and a one-year seat.

Julie Kelley shared a link.

Conversation Starter · April 3 at 8:21 AM

Because this did not get anywhere near the attention it warrants - I am reposting this.

This is critical information for your districts. Starting around the 40 minute or so mark, the news is startling to say the very least.

Due to the inability to project revenues, which really can't be determined at all until the economy reopens, there is a real possibility the legislature may decided to go into a 1/12 for the state budget, or pass a budget for July, August, and September. (Place this also on your calendar as a must watch on 4/7: https://malegislature.gov/Events/SpecialEvents/Detail/350).

The HWM has already indicated they will not be releasing a budget in April. I expect the SWM will soon be following suit. I cannot blame them at all for this by the way - everyday is fluid with the economy, and revenues bottoming out.

No full state budget, means districts and municipalities are placed in holding pattern for state aid, which means everyone should operate in 1/12 to FY20 until concrete numbers are passed.

My suggestion for whatever it is worth, is to start having conversations with your union presidents. Should the state be forced to delay FY21 budget, will the unions agree to delay FY21 contract raises until state budget passes. They aren't giving them up. They are just delaying them. This is a no brainer to me, which should elicit an "of course" from union members - however, in the real world, easy is never really easy is it.

10 million jobs gone the past two weeks. Everything needs to be on the table if we are going to get through this.

By Stephen Landry / slandry@thegardnernews.com

Posted at 6:00 AM

GARDNER — As word of an impending pandemic shutdown began to spread across the country a few weeks ago, Americans started buying firearms in record numbers. Match Shot Firearms in Gardner likewise saw a similar surge in business.

The FBI reported that 2.5 million guns were sold in the U.S. in March, representing an increase of about 85 percent from March 2019. More than 210,000 gun background checks were conducted in a single day (Monday, March 20), according to reports.

Locally, the story was much the same, with sales surging at Match Point Firearms, according to owner Ron Bobick. He said his sales in March alone nearly surpassed the total amount he had made in the previous six months.

“Gun sales were just off the charts for the month of March; the sales were incredible,” Bobick said. “I’m in the process as we speak of trying to restock certain products, whatever I can get.” He said most of the suppliers he purchases from are also running very low on inventory. “They are out of 9 mm ammunition on the East Coast, and I can’t order certain firearms because there aren’t any. This whole pandemic just put everybody into a panic.”

Match Shot Firearms is now closed until at least the end of April, however, after Gov. Charlie Baker reversed his decision to keep gun stores in the state open as essential businesses. Needless to say, that order did not sit well with Bobick or his customers.

“As far as (Baker) flip-flopping, he’s like a kivver out of water,” Bobick said. “I mean, come on, one day you tell us we’re essential, the next day we’re not? Explain the difference between a gun store and a liquor store. Where’s the essential difference? I don’t see it.”