FRAMINGHAM, MA - Come to the Newly Renovated Framingham High School on A St. to listen to and ask questions of Candidates for School Committee and The Board of Selectmen at this Candidates Forum Sponsored by The Townwide PTO.

The event begins at 7:30p.m. and there will be opportunities for members of the public to ask questions.

Get to know the candidates so you know who to vote for in the preliminary election on Tuesday, March 7th, 2006.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - CALLAHAN CENTER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR MARCH 2006

Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center:

Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, March 6, 13, 20 & 27 at 10:00 am.
Diabetic Support Group: Tuesday, March 14 at 1:30 pm.
Grandparent Support Group: Tuesday, March 14 at 1:00 pm and Tuesday, March 28 at 6:45 pm.
Low Vision Group: Friday, March 17 at 1:00 - 3:00 pm.
Massage Therapy: Thursday, March 2 and Thursday, March 16, by appt. only.
Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, March 21 at 1:30 pm.
Podiatry: Monday, March 13 from 12:30 pm to 3:15 pm, by appt. only.
Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, March 6 at 1:00 pm.

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR MARCH

Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15 & 22
From 9:30 am—11:00 and 12:00 pm—1:00 pm

CARDIOVASCULAR CLINIC IN MARCH

The Cardiovascular Clinic will be on Tuesday, March 7 at 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM. A doctor from the MetroWest Medical Center and nurse Kitty Mahoney from the Framingham Board of Health will be at the Senior Center to check your blood pressure, answer any questions and address individual concerns. For further information, please contact Kitty Mahoney at 508-620-4827.

Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:00 am at Callahan Center - “Osteoporosis Presentation”
presented by Joan Metcalfe, R.N., MetroWest Wellness Center
Thursday, March 30, 2006 From 10:00 am - 12:00 noon - Osteoporosis Screening

For this screening, you will need to wear shoes and socks that are easily removed. Please bring a list of your current medications and supplements, as well as your doctor’s address’ so a final report can be mailed to him/her. Each screening takes 10 minutes. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 for an appointment.

Social Service Department - Personal Response Systems

You have probably asked—what is a personal response system, or a medical alarm, and do I need one? There are several companies that provide emergency response systems with modern, state-of-the-art technology. The installation fee and member benefits vary, but they all ensure your safety with a reliable and immediate link to assistance. We have pamphlets describing the individual plans and a self-assessment questionnaire that helps you determine your level of need. Most services cost little more than a dollar a day, plus an activation fee. One company has given us free activation coupons, and if you are interested or need further information, please contact this office at 508-532-5980.

AARP Tax Assistance Program at Callahan Center

AARP will provide a qualified volunteer to assist with preparing income taxes, free of charge for seniors who need this service. You must schedule an appointment in order to see a Tax Counselor. You are required by the IRS to bring the following:
income tax returns from last year 1099’s and other relevant tax documents
income and asset documents
Social Security Card (a must)
2 forms of identification (one photo ID and another form of identification)
Appointments: Please call Julie Chouman for an appointment at 508-620-4819. Appointments may be limited this year and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Prescription Advantage
Medicare Wrap Program
Open Enrollment - March 15 through April 28, 2006

Prescription Advantage is a state sponsored prescription drug insurance plan that helps Medicare beneficiaries pay for the cost of their Medicare Part D plans. Prescription Advantage is for Massachusetts residents, age 65 and older with incomes under $47,851 (single) or $64,151 (married) and who are not enrolled in MassHealth. Younger individuals with disabilities, who meet certain income and employment guidelines, can also join. Prescription Advantage is now a secondary payer to Medicare Part D plans and can assist with some of the costs associated with Part D. The amount of assistance members receive is based on their gross annual household income.

Prescription Advantage will hold an Open Enrollment period from March 15 through April 28. Applications must be received at Prescription Advantage no later than April 28.

The SHINE program will be doing a presentation at the Framingham Council on Aging, the Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, on Thursday, March 9th at 9:30 AM to explain the Prescription Advantage program and how it coordinates with Medicare Part D plans. To reserve a spot, please call (508) 532-5980, as space is limited.

New applications for Prescription Advantage will be available at your local Council on Aging. For more information on Prescription Advantage and the Open Enrollment period, call 1-800-246-4636 (1-800-AGE-INFO) and press 1. For additional help, including assistance with filling out your application, call your local senior center for an appointment with a SHINE counselor.

SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders) offers free, confidential, health insurance counseling at your local Senior Center. Call the Senior Center for a SHINE appointment. You can reach SHINE regional staff by calling 1-800-AGE-INFO and pressing 2.
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The MetroWest SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders) Program is holding a spring volunteer counselor training. It is an intensive 10-day course, over a five-week period. It is scheduled to begin the last week in April and run through the entire month of May. It meets on Mondays and Thursdays, from 10AM 3PM, in Whitney Place at Natick. To find out more about becoming a SHINE volunteer counselor, call Dorene Nemeth, Associate Regional SHINE Director at (508) 532-5980 ext. 4109.

FREE - “Find a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: The Online Search Tool”

This step-by-step booklet gives you everything you need to know about going online to find a Medicare Part D plan that’s right for you, based on your medications. You (or your computer-savvy relative, friend, etc.) can use this booklet as a guide to self-help. We have copies at the Callahan Center to give away free. Come in and pick up a copy at the front lobby of the Callahan Center!!

“Shifting Gears” - A program on elder driver safety.
Presented by Michelle Ellicks of the MA Registry of Motor Vehicles on Thursday, March 2, 2006 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am at the Callahan Center. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 to reserve a seat!

Friends’ General Meeting - The next Friends’ meeting will be joint with AARP Chapter #3557 on Monday, March 13th at 1:30 pm. The entertainment will be with Gary Landgren. Refreshments will be served. Come and bring a friend!

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - Living Your Dreams, Leaving a Legacy is the theme of the second annual Dream Year 2006 Women’s Conference to be held March 24 (evening) and 25 (all day) in Framingham. Open to all women, this is an interactive gathering of women who are committed to making a difference in work and in life.
Presented by Cantor Consulting and the Dream Factory Community, the purpose of this conference is for women to:

• create a powerful Dream for themselves.
• receive insights and tools for Living their Dreams and Leaving a Legacy
• envision a world they want to live in, which they can confidently pass on to their children.
• expand the connection and support available within the Dream Factory, a community of women entrepreneurs.

The Conference will be held at the UCC Conference Center on Badger Road in Framingham. The event begins Friday evening (March 24) with a catered dinner and a celebration of every woman who attends. Participants will honor themselves and their achievements through humor, art, writings, poetry, music, and various form of self-expression. The contribution of women throughout history will be acknowledged.

Attendees may further connect during an optional overnight stay at the UCC facility with other participants. This offers a well-deserved break from daily routines and creates a retreat as well as a conference.

On Saturday morning, participants will clarify their dreams and the legacy they want to leave by tapping into the greater wisdom of women and listening to themselves in a new way. Working in large and small groups with skilled
facilitators, attendees will engage in a process of discovery that empowers them to grow and dissolve any barriers to success.

Saturday afternoon will have participants creating a roadmap to help them get from where they are today to where they wish to go. Working in small groups, attendees will identify milestones and next steps. They will use their small groups to clarify resources needed to create their dreams and leave their legacies.

The Facilitators for the conference are:

• Nancy Cantor, Chief Dream Officer-Dream Factory Community
• Ani Colt, Touch Therapist and Community Builder
• Ursula Flaherty, M.S., Innovative Physical Therapy
• Linda Glazer, M.A., Speaker, Consultant, Playshop Leader
• Ann Layman, Presentation and Sales Trainer
• Carol Madsen, M.B.A.., International marketing, Urban planning
• Marie Patrice Masse, M.Ed., Spiritual counselor/healer
• Noemi Paciorek, M.A., LMHC Psychotherapist and life coach
• Toni Pinheiro, M.A., WakeUp! Artist-HR Specialist
• Francesca Radbill, Investor
• Ramsay Raymond, M.A., MHC Psychosynthesis Guide and Teacher, The Dreamwheel

Registration: Dream Factory Community member/nonmember price $179/$199 until February 28, then $199/$225 and $49 to stay over (space limited).

For information, contact Cantor Consulting at 508-231-0791 or go to: www.cantorconsulting.com

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - The Framingham Historical Society and Museum is pleased to announce the 6th Annual Framingham House Tour will be held on Sunday, May 21 from 12pm - 5pm.

Framingham’s popular, self-guided tour will feature nine locations, ranging from historical to contemporary styles. Some of the properties are considered Framingham’s most fascinating examples of adaptive re-use. One such example is a site that was once a thriving tavern, then a bakery, and now serves as a family home. Modern day Framingham is also represented on the tour in a stunning country dwelling with an interesting twist – a preserved historic barn that serves as the neighborhood’s drive-through exit. Tour-goers will be further delighted by a splendid array of magnificent grounds and gardens.

The featured locales on this year’s tour portray Framingham from many different eras, yet the sites are inexorably linked: each one has a story to tell about our town, our forbearers, and ultimately, ourselves. Don’t miss out on the 2006 Framingham House Tour. A Day to Remember. Learn. Discover.

The 2006 Framingham House Tour is proudly sponsored by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Citizens Bank, The Summit Montessori School and Patterson & Gerry CPAs.

Tickets can be purchased at the Framingham Historical Society & Museum on Vernon Street, or through the website www.framinghamhistory.org. Tickets are $20 through May 14, 2006. Thereafter (including the day of the event), tickets are $25.

Beginning April 1, 2006, tickets will also be available for purchase at Citizens Bank at 35 Edgell Road in Framingham.

For more information, contact Karen LaChance at (508)371-4051 or Susan Silver at ssilvercomcast.net

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FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is holding forums to get input for its long-range plan, JOURNEY to 2030. Interested individuals and representatives of groups are invited to share ideas about transportation issues.

Framingham will host one of four regional forums on February 28, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Building, 150 Concord St.

Attendees will share their views on the transportation needs and issues of each area and provide input to help identify visions for the region’s transportation network. Participants in these forums will be helping to shape the development of JOURNEY TO 2030, the long-range transportation plan of the Boston Region MPO.

If you are interested in attending one of the forums, please contact Jared Fijalkowski of the Boston Region MPO staff, by phone at (617) 973-7092 or by e-mail at j_fijalkowski@ctps.org. RSVP by February 21.

For additional information on "JOURNEY TO 2030", visit:  www.ctps.org

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MASSACHUSETTS - In an effort to encourage high school students to learn more about the contributions of John Adams and the Massachusetts Constitution to strengthening the rule of law, the Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Department of Education today announced the launch of the 2006 Supreme Judicial Court High School Essay Contest.

Massachusetts students in grades nine through twelve are eligible to enter the essay contest through their schools, in accordance with the contest rules. Letters and contest materials recently were sent to every public and private high school in the state, as well as to home school organizations.

The essay question this year concerns the separation of powers among the three branches of government and was designed to be compatible with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework on which the History and Social Science Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is based.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall said, “I am delighted that students will have an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the fundamental principles of our constitutional democracy through their own creative expression. Learning about the separation of powers and the rule of law deepens one’s appreciation of our Massachusetts and federal constitutions and the genius of John Adams and the other framers.”

The essay contest question and rules can be found on the Court’s new Education Resource Center website. The website, designed for teachers and students, contains information on the Massachusetts court system, the Massachusetts Constitution, and the judicial branch of government. It also has an Electronic Resource Guide with useful links to numerous other law related education sites on various topics.

Massachusetts Department of Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said, “It is with great honor that we at the Department of Education co-sponsor this initiative with the Supreme Judicial Court. The importance of understanding the history of our legal and constitutional democracy and the contributions of people like John Adams who shaped it cannot be understated. These studies are also a major part of the learning standards in the Massachusetts History and Social Studies Curriculum Framework and this is a great opportunity for students in the Commonwealth to demonstrate their mastery of these standards.”

The panel of judges includes representatives from the Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, Social Law Library, and the Massachusetts Department of Education. Savings bond awards will be presented to the top three students with the winning essays. There will also be an honorable mention award. The first prize winner will also receive a visit to his or her classroom from a Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. Winning essays will be prominently displayed in the John Adams Courthouse. Electronic copies of the winning essays and other outstanding essays will be posted, with permission from the students and the schools, on the John Adams Courthouse Education Resource Center website. The winning essays will be announced on Law Day, May 1.

This is the second year that the Supreme Judicial Court has sponsored a High School Essay Contest, following the successful launch of the first essay contest held last year in connection with Law Day.

For more info, contact Joan Kenney/Charlotte Whiting, Tel: (617) 557-1114, joan.kenney@sjc.state.ma.us

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FRAMINGHAM, MA – Traffic slowed and snarled and parking was at a premium around the Framingham District Courthouse on Concord St. on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006 as media and curious onlookers descended upon Framingham for the arraignment of Neil Entwistle on charges of the double homicide of his wife and daughter. Entwistle appeared in the Framingham Court because the district court issued the search and arrest warrant.

Cameramen and their equipment had been camped out on the lawn, and TV satellite trucks staked out the parking lot in the days preceding the expected arrival of Entwistle from England.

The parents and family of his wife attended the afternoon proceedings, the women carrying flowers. Entwistle barely looked at them.

Framingham District Court Judge Robert Greco ordered Entwistle held without bail until his next day in court. Entwistle left the court in orange garb of a county jail inmate and faced the jeers of onlookers as well as a barrage of cameras and an International cadre of dozens of reporters as he left the courthouse for the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge.

Cameras and TV satellite trucks remained on the courthouse lawn and parking lot well into Thursday evening.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - Framingham Public Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 13, 2006 due to snow storm.

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - The final phase of drug or medical therapy testing usually involves "clinical trials" -- testing on human beings who volunteer to participate.

The U.S. National Institute of Health closely monitors these trials and publishes information about such programs on their www.ClinicalTrials.gov website.

Metrowest Medical Center, (the former "Framingham Union Hospital"), hosts several cancer related trials. A recent search of the site found several trials which are currently recruiting subjects for studies ranging from "observational" (no therapy or drug is administered, subjects are examined or monitored in hopes of discovering new information about a particular medical study), to clinical trials for as-yet (FDA) unapproved therapies or medicines.

If you are interested in participating, it is suggested that you first visit the www.ClinicalTrials.com website and review the criteria for participants, then consult your doctor before contacting the recruiter for a particular trial.

Below is a list of some of the trials which are currently recruiting in Framingham:

Radiation Therapy With or Without Optional
Tamoxifen in Treating Women With Ductal
Carcinoma in Situ
Contact: Teresa A. Van Buren, MD 508-383-1260
(Trial ID#: NCT00003857)

Radiation Therapy in Preventing CNS Metastases
in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Contact: Allison H. Sacher, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00048997)

Anastrozole Compared With Tamoxifen After
Lumpectomy in Treating Postmenopausal Women
With Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Contact: Madhavi L. Venigalla, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00053898)

Radiation Therapy With Either Capecitabine or
Fluorouracil Before Surgery in Treating Patients
With Resectable Rectal Cancer
Contact: Madhavi L. Venigalla, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00058474)

Suppression of Ovarian Function Plus Either Tamoxifen or
Exemestane Compared With Tamoxifen Alone in Treating
Premenopausal Women With Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer
Contact: Madhavi L. Venigalla, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00066690)

Comparison of Combination Chemotherapy Regimens
With or Without Cetuximab in Treating Patients Who
Have Undergone Surgery For Stage III Colon Cancer
Contact: Madhavi L. Venigalla, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00079274)

Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Women Who Have
Undergone Surgery for Node-Positive Breast Cancer
Contact: Madhavi L. Venigalla, MD 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00093795)

Docetaxel and Prednisone With or Without Bevacizumab
in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer That Did Not
Respond to Hormone Therapy
Contact: John G. Krikorian 508-383-1000
(Trial ID#: NCT00110214)

For more information visit: www.clinicaltrials.gov

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FRAMINGHAM, MA - A comprehensive genetic research study to identify genes underlying cardiovascular and other chronic diseases will be launched by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with the Boston University (BU) School of Medicine.

The new research effort, the Framingham Genetic Research Study, will be part of the NHLBI’s long-running Framingham Heart Study (FHS) and will involve up to 500,000 genetic analyses of the DNA of 9,000 study participants across three generations. The NIH National Center for Biotechnology Information, part of the National Library of Medicine, will help develop a study database that will be made available at no cost to investigators throughout the world. The database will provide opportunities for other experts to search for associations between genes and diseases.

“This important study will take genetic research in the Framingham study to the next level — accelerating discoveries on the causes, prevention, and treatment of major chronic diseases”, said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. “Using the latest technology, researchers will be able to obtain more information about the connection between unique genetic variations in DNA and cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as the genetic basis for heart attack, stroke, and other chronic diseases”.

Since 1948, the Framingham Heart Study has studied the health of many of the Massachusetts town’s residents. The study has been the source of key research findings regarding the contributions of hypertension, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and other risk factors to the development of cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the NHLBI and BU, including physicians, geneticists, statisticians and epidemiologists, have conducted this important research in partnership with the Framingham Heart Study for decades.

“This unique opportunity to increase our knowledge about health and disease is made possible by three generations of Framingham study participants who have donated their time to advance medical research”, said Karen Antman, M.D. Dean of Boston University School of Medicine and Provost of Boston University Medical Campus.

BU and the NHLBI have a longstanding commitment to protecting the confidentiality of Framingham Heart Study data and the privacy of the participants and their families. The Framingham Heart Study has obtained detailed informed consent from study participants for genetic research. An important priority of the new study is to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the medical information obtained. NHLBI and BU have reviewed the project along with several Framingham Heart Study oversight boards, including an ethics advisory board. Additional oversight will be provided by an executive committee, which will monitor the conduct of the study. This committee will include a participant from the Framingham Heart Study and the Chair of the Framingham Ethics Advisory Board.

The new study will take advantage of knowledge gained from the Human Genome Project’s sequencing and mapping of all human genes — together known as the genome — and from the recently completed HapMap Project, which charted the pattern of genetic variation in the human genome.

The HapMap Project showed that common but minute variations in human DNA occur about once in very 1,000 base pairs of DNA across the human genome, which contains about three billion base pairs. These variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), can be used to identify genetic contributions to common diseases. The Framingham Genetic Research Study will use recently developed technology that now allows rapid genotyping of about 500,000 of these SNPS in each individual.

Computer programs will then help scientists relate these alterations to many of the clinical and laboratory measurements made of study participants during their examinations, according to Christopher O’Donnell, M.D., associate director of the FHS and scientific director of the new project. “Then we hope to identify the genetic variations that are most strongly related to participant characteristics such as levels of cholesterol and systolic blood pressure,” O’Donnell said.

"In support of this project, BU and the NHLBI will apply teams of data managers, data base administrators and its extensive computing resources. The partnership between the Framingham investigators and study participants is an important one and they have made major contributions to the FHS. This new project will expand the research possibilities", said Philip Wolf, M.D. Principal Investigator of BU’s contract to administer the Framingham Heart Study.

“Ultimately we hope this research will lead to new treatments and better strategies to prevent cardiovascular and other diseases”, said Daniel Levy, M.D., director of the Framingham Heart Study.  Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH), www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2006/nhlbi-06.htm

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