Longtime resident Karen Armstrong left her high-tech job last year and purchased LCI Paper, an e-commerce fine paper and printing company in Hudson. Purchasing any company during a pandemic might be considered risky, but there was good news on the horizon. Because so...
Jerry Spar
Town Election: Mannan, LaFreniere elected to Select Board; Cavanaugh, Morand, Devlin win School Committee seats
Shahidul Mannan was the top vote-getter for the two open Select Board seats in Monday’s Town Election, while incumbent Mary Jo LaFreniere finished second and will retain her position. In unofficial results released Monday night by Town Clerk Connor Degan, Mannan...
HPS Assistant Superintendent Parson lands superintendent job in Plainville
Hopkinton Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Parson will leave the district to take a job as superintendent in Plainville at the end of this school year. Plainville School Committee members chose Parson at a meeting Thursday after interviewing the three...
Khumalo appears unlikely to be offered position in Watertown
At its meeting Thursday night, the Watertown City Council again interviewed the three finalists for the city manager position, including Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo. At the conclusion of the meeting, during a general discussion, six of the nine council...
Khumalo lauds Watertown in public forum for city manager position
Town Manager Norman Khumalo took part in a public forum in Watertown on Monday as part of his application for the city manager position there. Khumalo, one of three finalists, did not address his reasoning for considering leaving Hopkinton after 13 years at Town Hall,...
Hopkinton hit with surge of COVID cases
The town is going through a surge of COVID cases, Hopkinton Health Director Shaun McAuliffe told the Board of Health on Monday. “All of our metrics are going upward,” McAuliffe said. “The state’s reporting that our positivity rate is above 8.4 [percent positive of...
Town Meeting Day 3 roundup: Lykan TIF approved after delayed start due to low attendance
Annual Town Meeting finally concluded Wednesday following yet another a delay due to the lack of a quorum. The highlight was the approval of a tax increment financing (TIF) agreement with Lykan Bioscience, which is planning to expand its footprint in town by...
Independent Thoughts: Town’s housing market remains ‘crazy’ situation; Grammy winner Collins to perform at HCA
The recently released 2020 U.S. Census data that showed Hopkinton was the 14th-wealthiest town in the state based on household income comes as no surprise, and based on the housing market, it seems likely the town will continue to climb that list. “The market has been...
Town Meeting Day 2 roundup: MWRA water connection passes, Frankland Road land-taking rejected before meeting halted again
At Tuesday’s continuation of Town Meeting, voters supported a plan to connect to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority water supply, approved new turf for the Fruit Street fields and rejected a proposal to take the forest behind 71 Frankland Road by eminent...
Town Meeting roundup: Budget passes before meeting halted due to low turnout
The town’s $104 million budget and other financial articles passed easily at Monday’s Annual Town Meeting at the Hopkinton High School Athletic Center, but the meeting was suspended due to lack of a quorum shortly after 10 p.m., just after debate on Articles 22 and...
Select Board candidates discuss job retention, budget at spirited HCAM debate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR0vRLDGe0I The three candidates for the two Select Board seats met Saturday for the HCAM Select Board debate, with town staff job retention — specifically the town manager and police — and the budget being the primary topics for...
Town Manager Khumalo finalist for position in Watertown
Norman Khumalo, who has served as Hopkinton's town manager since 2009, was announced as one of three finalists for the city manager position in Watertown. The other finalists are John Curran, who is Billerica's town manager, and George Proakis, who is the executive...
School Committee, Select Board hopefuls take spotlight at Meet the Candidates Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anY4Duazqos The School Committee candidates took center stage at the Hopkinton Women’s Club Meet the Candidates Night on Wednesday and shared their thoughts on how the return to in-person learning and masking during the COVID-19...
Concerns raised about screening at Wilson Street solar array
The Planning Board and neighbors of the recently installed commercial solar array at 17 Wilson Street expressed frustration with the developer’s screening implementation during Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting. “What was installed [is] very different than what was...
Conservation Commission votes to allow DPW option to use herbicides in Lake Maspenock
At its meeting Tuesday night, the Conservation Commission voted to approve the Department of Public Works’ notice of intent to be able use a variety of tools — including herbicides — to address the weed problem in Lake Maspenock. The motion passed unanimously, with...
Know Your Vote forum: Town Meeting moderator shares plan for Monday’s session at high school
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TycEjUmAXEU At Monday’s eHop Know Your Vote forum, representatives from the town discussed articles and issues that will come before Town Meeting voters next Monday (May 2). Town Meeting Moderator Ellen Rutter discussed the setup for...
Independent Thoughts: Friends of the Library honors staff, plans future
Friends of the Hopkinton Public Library’s appreciation breakfast on April 5 was designed to serve multiple purposes. The first was to ensure that library employees know they are valued. “We’re very conscious of what a great staff we have,” said Friends board member...
Select Board roundup: No support for former Liberty Mutual property acquisition; Tedstone bids farewell
The Select Board on Tuesday voted not to support a resident’s Town Meeting request to allocate $500,000 for the purchase of the wooded area behind the former Liberty Mutual property on Frankland Road that is targeted for a commercial solar array. Resident Ann...
Timlin Event returns live to Hopkinton in June
Like the Boston Marathon, the Sharon Timlin Memorial Event had to scale things down during the pandemic, switching to a virtual road race. The popular local event is back in person this year for its 19th edition, set to be held June 18 at Hopkinton High School. The...
Local Boston Marathon runners roundup: McCann runs to honor former teammate; Clancy supports Little League
Kayla McCann, a 2020 graduate of Hopkinton High School, is running this month for the Canty’s Underdog Scholarship Fund. A nursing student and Army ROTC cadet at Northeastern University, McCann ran the Boston Marathon virtual event in 2020. McCann was a swimming...