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...
Jerry Spar
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...
Marathon Notebook: Kilduff latest to land on Start Line Marathoner IPA can
Tim Kilduff is widely recognized as Hopkinton’s can-do man when it comes to all things Boston Marathon. Hopkinton’s Start Line Brewing Company, recognizing Kilduff’s contributions to the race and the town, is making him its can man for 2022. Kilduff’s image will grace...
Casady takes break from cancer treatment for Boston challenge
Running the Boston Marathon after beating cancer is an impressive feat. James Casady, however, is an impatient man. The Hopkinton resident is going to run Boston this month while he’s still undergoing treatment. Casady was diagnosed in December 2020 with high-risk...
UCTC votes to recommend no action on its trail funding requests at Town Meeting
The Upper Charles Trail Committee, at a special meeting Wednesday morning, voted unanimously to recommend that no action be taken on its Community Preservation Committee funding requests at the May 2 Annual Town Meeting. The committee had requested CPC funding...
Select Board roundup: Town Meeting to be held at high school; pair of police cadets conditionally approved
Annual Town Meeting will be held at the Hopkinton High School Athletic Center, the Select Board decided at Tuesday’s meeting. Town Meeting normally is held at the Hopkinton Middle School auditorium, but the Health Department recommended the field house, which is...
Upper Charles Trail Committee calls meeting to discuss controversial Town Meeting funding request
The Upper Charles Trail Committee has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday at 11 a.m. to “consider and vote whether to proceed with the committee’s request to the Community Preservation Committee for funding at the Annual Town Meeting for Campus Connector Segments 5 and...
UCTC prepares for public forum as residents continue to criticize Hayden Rowe trail proposal
At Wednesday’s Upper Charles Trail Committee meeting, the committee talked about plans for next Wednesday’s public forum and continued to hear from residents opposed to running a section of the trail along Hayden Rowe Street. “Please, please don’t run the trail along...
Select Board roundup: Board approves new police officers, administrative assistant
At Tuesday night's meeting, the Select Board unanimously approved the hiring of two new police officers: Basit Dennis and Sean McKeon. Dennis got his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, where he played football for the Minutemen. He earned a...
Independent Thoughts: Local farm fundraiser set to benefit Ukraine
Like many people, Margaret Bower has been following the reports out of Ukraine, where neighboring Russia has embarked on a campaign to destroy much of the nation. Unlike most people, Bower decided she wanted to get personally involved. A retired FBI agent who was a...
Conservation Commission again discusses, continues hearing on Lake Maspenock weed management
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Conservation Commission again decided to continue its public hearing on the Hopkinton Department of Public Works’ request to have a “toolbox of options” to manage the invasive weed growth in Lake Maspenock. A request was made for more...
Independent Thoughts: Elmwood community answers call to help Ukrainian families in need
It’s been an emotionally challenging time for the Parkhomenko family — parents Maryna and Victor, 8-year-old Nikita and 6-year-old Robert — Ukrainians who have lived in Hopkinton for two years. But a gesture from the Elmwood School community — in the form of thousands...
Select Board roundup: No official show of support for Ukraine; law firm to be hired for PFAS
At its meeting Tuesday night, the Select Board considered a resident’s request for a town-sponsored display at Town Hall to show support for Ukraine, but members ultimately did not more forward after questions were raised about the town taking a political stance....
School Committee vacancies to be placed on this year’s ballot
At a special meeting Saturday morning, the Select Board voted unanimously to have the two new School Committee vacancies placed on the ballot for the May 16 Annual Town Election. Joe Markey and Meg Tyler submitted letters of resignation to the town clerk on Tuesday,...
School Committee officially announces vacancies in special meeting: ‘We will continue with the business of the schools’
The School Committee held a special meeting Friday to officially announce the two vacancies created when Joe Markey and Meg Tyler announced their resignations earlier this week. Chair Nancy Cavanaugh said she was notified by Town Clerk Connor Degan on Tuesday at about...
Independent Thoughts: Bully for pit bulls, or show caution?; local dancers perform at TD Garden
Last year, the Hopkinton Independent started partnering with Baypath Animal Society to promote an adoptable animal in each issue. Recently, the organization promoted a pair of pit bulls, which prompted some back-and-forth between residents via letters to the editor....