Franklin kicks off five-day celebration

Angry that Greenpeace's Monday protest at Kimberly-Clark took him away from an emergency call and cost the town $1,000, firefighter and paramedic Jon Chalk sent the organization a blistering letter asking that it pay the tab.

Disguised as movers, four Greenpeace activists broke into the newly opened Kimberly-Clark office building with boxes of recycled toilet paper and a document demanding the company "stop destroying one of North America's wildest forests" to produce disposable products, according to Greenpeace "forest campaigner" Lindsey Allen.

As the new owner of the Grafton & Upton Railroad Co. scouts more land to buy, area residents met here yesterday to share their worries about increased freight traffic on the line. People's concerns included the safety, environmental and financial impacts a more active line will have. Several said during a forum hosted by the town's State House delegation they believe the potential costs for a revived railroad far outweigh the potential benefits.

Franklin's Fourth of July Coalition is excited about crowning the first-ever "Franklin Idol" - but they need 40 contestants, which is 40 more than are currently signed up, said coalition member Kristine Shanahan.