FRAMINGHAM — As far as members of Keep Framingham Beautiful are concerned, their city doesn't deserve to look like a missed shot at a waste basket. With co-founder Debra Caplan and others, Crocci started a movement in April 2020 called “Clean Up Framingham” to raise awareness of litter in the city. After a year of daily cleaning, the group in April participated in “The Great Framingham Cleanup,” where it accepted donations for T-shirts, grabbers and gloves. The added traction enabled the group to rebrand itself to “Keep Framingham Beautiful,” and become a chapter of the larger “Keep Massachusetts Beautiful,” according to Crocci. Keep Framingham Beautiful members say passersby often honk or shout "Thank you!"

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain sold 10 billion pounds of its first ‘green’ government bond on Tuesday after attracting over 100 billion pounds ($137 billion) of demand from investors, a record high that shows the clamour for assets that can be marketed as good for the planet. Tuesday’s launch of the new gilt maturing in July 2033 represents the largest single sale by a sovereign issuer, topping the previous 8.5 billion euro record set by Italy in March. Britain aims to raise around 15 billion pounds in total this year from Tuesday’s sale and a new 20- to 30-year maturity green gilt next month, a relatively small fraction of the 253 billion pounds in total gilt issuance that is planned. Foreign investors made up 17% of the demand, above the 10% that is more typical at a gilt syndication. The more than 100 billion pounds in orders for the gilt were the highest ever for a British bond syndication, topping a previous record of 82.6 billion pounds in May 2020.

AHMEDABAD (Reuters) – Indian officials said on Tuesday they had seized nearly three tonnes of heroin originating from Afghanistan worth an estimated 200 billion rupees ($2.72 billion) amid the chaos following last month’s takeover of the country by the Taliban. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), India’s top anti-smuggling agency, seized two containers at western Gujarat’s Mundra Port on Sept. 15 after receiving intelligence they contained narcotics, the official said. The containers had been imported by a firm in the southern coastal city of Vijayawada, the official added. “Investigation conducted so far has also revealed the involvement of Afghan nationals, who are under investigation.”DRI officials declined to comment. The containers had been declared as containing semi-processed talc stones from Afghanistan and had been shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Gujarat Mundra port, the Gujarat official said, adding that forensic tests confirmed the presence of heroin.

HOPKINTON — Hoping to give officers more mobility and to give them a better opportunity to connect with residents, the Hopkinton Police Department has brought back its bicycle patrol. It is the first time in about a decade that the bike patrol has been active, police Chief Joseph Bennett said. “A lot of the officers who were part of the bike patrol had retired,” he said. When staffing and weather allows, officers will bring their bikes out on patrol with them and will head to various neighborhoods. "It's a great tool that allows our officers to positively interact with and meet residents, especially kids in the community."

The last date to apply for these posts is 06th October 2021AdvertisementNEW DELHI, INDIA (Metro rail News): On Tuesday, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is notified vacancy for the recruitment of 226 technical engineering positions for operations and maintenance for (Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor). The last date to apply for these posts is 06th October 2021. Technician: ITI certificateAdvertisementAge Criteria:Maintenance Associates: 18-28 yearsProgramming Associates: 18-28 yearsTraffic Controller: 18-28 yearsTechnician: 18-25 yearsThe Application fee is Rs. 500 for unreserved candidates, and for SC/ST fee, relaxation is available. Interested candidates can apply from the official website of NCRTC, i.e., www.ncrtc.in

(Reuters) – Former players and coaches across sport have joined a campaign by British dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society to tackle the stigma around the neurodegenerative disease and support people affected by the condition on World Alzheimer’s Day on Tuesday. Sport United Against Dementia is fortunate to have household name talent getting behind our work for this crucial campaign,” SUAD chair Richard Thompson said. The campaign will fund research into the causes and risk factors of dementia, including a study with elite rugby players and an informal pilot study with top soccer players. Former England rugby internationals Ben Kay and Martin Bayfield are involved in the study, which will look at whether elite rugby players show early warning signs of dementia. Head injuries, concussions and their potential long-term health impact have been in the spotlight in rugby since former players filed a class-action lawsuit against governing bodies, including World Rugby, alleging a failure to minimise risks.

click to enlarge Screengrab from Kent County Health Department/YouTubeKent County Health Department director Dr. Adam London. After a woman attempted to run Kent County Health Department director Adam London off the road just hours after he issued a mask mandate for some schools last month, the health officer issued a plea to the Kent County Board of Commissioners. “I need help,” London wrote in an Aug. 22 email to the county commissioners, which Michigan Advance received today after filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Kent County Board of Commissioners last week. Despite this support, London and other members of the Kent County Health Department have received vitriolic criticism, as well as threats of violence, over the mandate. — recently threatened to pull funding from the Kent County Health Department if masks are mandated in schools.

As it marks the tenth anniversary of the repeal of the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that barred LGBTQ individuals from serving openly in the U.S. military, the Biden administration has announced that discharged veterans may soon be able to receive full benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which formally barred gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members from openly serving, helped move our nation closer to its foundational promise of equality, dignity, and opportunity for all. “On this day and every day, I am thankful for all of the LGBTQ+ service members and veterans who strengthen our military and our nation,” Biden said. With transgender service members taking that step just this year, for the second time, we know we’re not done and the chain isn’t complete. “On the ten year anniversary of the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ we honor LGBTQ service members who have long served with strength, dignity and pride.

Community ContentBOSTON — Moonbox Productions will present Richard O’Brien’s legendary cult classic “The Rocky Horror Show” in a pop-up theater located at 25 Brattle St. in Harvard Square. Directed by David Lucey, and music directed by Mindy Cimini, “The Rocky Horror Show” opens Oct.14 and will run through Oct. 31. The cast of Moonbox Productions’ presentation of The Rocky Horror Show features Peter Mill (Dr. Frank-n-Furter), Christina Jones (Janet Weiss), Ryan Norton (Brad Majors), Jack Manning (Rocky Horror) Kevin Hanley (Riff Raff/Usher), Lori L’Italien (Magenta/Usherette), Shalyn Grow (Columbia), Shonna Cirone (Eddie/Dr. “It feels perfect to be opening our first post-COVID season with a remount of The Rocky Horror Show,” producer Sharman Altshuler said. To purchase tickets to “The Rocky Horror Show,” visit http://ovationtix.com.

Massachusetts community colleges will reverse course and require that students, faculty and staff get the COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 22, according to a statement issued Monday by all of the state's 15 community college presidents. But MassBay Community College President David Podell said a recent increase in COVID-19 cases proved to be a tipping point. "The community college presidents collectively were watching the numbers rise: the numbers of individuals who were testing positive, hospitalized and the number of deaths," said Podell in an interview. MassBay, which has campuses in Framingham, Ashland and Wellesley, does not know how many of its students or staff are vaccinated, said Podell. In preparation for vaccinating its population, Massachusetts community colleges will continue to make vaccine clinics available on site, as participants in the White House's COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge.

LONDON (Reuters) – Kazakhstan-born pianist Alim Beisembayev began his musical career when he picked a miniature toy piano for his fifth birthday present. Now aged 23, he has scooped the career-making Leeds International Piano Competition, beating four other finalists. “I’m still coming down from cloud nine … it really is a wonderful feeling,” Beisembayev told Reuters on Monday. Beisembayev, who has most recently been studying for a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music in London, is the first pianist from Kazakhstan to win The Leeds. Beisembayev also scooped the audience prize, which is voted for by the public, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Prize for performance of a 20th/21st century work.

SOUTHBOROUGH — Police are searching for a motorist who crashed into a Route 9 motel, then drove away. The incident occurred at 11:58 p.m. Thursday at the Red Roof Inn on Turnpike Road, according to a press release. The driver, who has not been identified, jumped a curb in a parking spot and smashed into the front wall of a guest room at the motel. The crash damaged the exterior wall of the motel, as well as the wall of the room. At 6:08 a.m. Sunday, a Marlborough man lost control of his car and drove off the road and struck the side of 140 Marlborough Road, according to the release.

click to enlarge Jamie GeysbeekThe Verve Pipe will headline Saturday night at DIY Street Fair in Ferndale. Well, thanks to the return of Ferndale's DIY Street Fair, the time has come to DIY until we DIE, er, tie DYE. Since its founding in 2008, the community-centered, volunteer-run, free DIY Street Fair is returning for three days of shopping, eating, dancing, and drinking after taking a hiatus last year. This year's DIY Street Fair will take place Friday, Sept. 24-Sunday, Sept. 26. The Verve PipeSunday:4:45 p.m. Gold Crayon6 p.m. Mac Saturn7:30 p.m. Laith Al-SaadiStay connected with Detroit Metro Times.

The flow of molten rock will not reach the Atlantic Ocean on Monday evening as earlier estimated, an official said. Experts say that if and when it does, it could trigger more explosions and clouds of toxic gases. The volcano first erupted on Sunday, shooting lava hundreds of metres into the air, engulfing forests and sending molten rock towards the ocean over a sparsely populated area of La Palma, the northwesternmost island in the Canaries archipelago. A Reuters witness saw the flow of molten rock slowly tear its way through a house in the village of Los Campitos, igniting the interior and sending flames through the windows and onto the roof. Airspace around the Canaries has remained open with no visibility problems, the Enaire civil air authority said after a local airline cancelled four flights between islands.

click to enlarge Steve NeavlingTrees planted on vacant land as part of Hantz Farms. Nearly a decade ago, when Hantz Farms was asking the Detroit City Council for approval to buy more than 1,500 parcels of blighted land for an urban tree farm on the city’s lower east side, critics blasted the project as a land grab.At $350 per parcel, the deal was a virtual giveaway with no long-term guarantees. To temper criticism, John Hantz, the wealthy entrepreneur behind the project, insisted he did not plan to sell large chunks of land for profit, at least not in the short-term. Some of the trees are thriving, and others are not.Were the critics right? Only time will tell.