There are big moves looming for two local businesses: a change in ownership at Hopkinton Drug and the closing of Dynasty restaurant. Hopkinton Drug has been run by the Katz family since its opening in 1954. Dennis Katz took over from his father in 1980, two years...
Jerry Spar
Select Board roundup: Regional call center proposal spurs discussion; police chief seeks changes to rank structure; new police/fire hires introduced
With local emergency personnel speaking out against the proposal for a regional emergency communications center (RECC), plans were made for an information session before the Select Board makes a decision on whether or not to proceed. As part of the proposal, Hopkinton...
Hillers win T-Day football battle over Ashland
Seamus Murphy scored three touchdowns as the Hopkinton High School football team put the finishing touches on its impressive bounce-back season with a 32-14 victory over Ashland in the annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry game at Hughes Field. Brendan McGowan, Justin Sokol...
Independent Thoughts: Click tribute, Holiday Stroll, PJB holiday drive
In an appearance before the Select Board on Nov. 15, members of the organization Friends of Hopkinton started by sharing updates on past and present activities. But it quickly turned into a tribute to outgoing president Ann Click. The former town clerk, Click started...
Select Board roundup: Altaeros TIF moves forward; Friends’ Click recognized
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo presented the board with a draft of a tax increment financing agreement intended to encourage Altaeros Energies to relocate its headquarters to South Street. The board voted unanimously to move the TIF...
Independent Thoughts: Barriers long overdue to fix West Main issue
In case you missed it, the town last month announced plans to install barriers along West Main Street, between the two gas stations, in an effort to cut down on the number of accidents there — a section of roadway Police Chief Joseph Bennett previously noted is the...
Health Department hosts COVID vaccine clinics throughout November
The Hopkinton Health Department announced a series of COVID vaccine clinics in November. All clinics will be held at the Public Health Nurse's Office in Town Hall. The clinics, for ages 6 and older and using the Moderna bivalent booster, are scheduled on the following...
Select Board roundup: Marathon numbers distributed; MassDOT to pay for Main Street adjustment; new town employees welcomed
At Tuesday's meeting, the Select Board selected the local organizations and town departments that will receive a charity bib for the 2023 Boston Marathon. The town received 50 invitational entries from the Boston Athletic Association and previously set its policy for...
Select Board roundup: Altaeros Energies discusses possible move to South Street; HPS solar agreement moves forward
Representatives from Altaeros Energies presented to the Select Board on Tuesday about their company and discussed the possibility of relocating to South Street if it was able to receive support via a tax increment financing (TIF) agreement, special permits and other...
Independent Thoughts: Library of things lands in Hopkinton
Libraries are evolving, and Hopkinton Public Library is doing its part to keep up with the times. A popular venture now is a “library of things” — a collection of items not traditionally associated with libraries. Hopkinton debuted its library of things last month —...
Select Board roundup: Town addresses concerns about narrowing of Main Street; Marathon charity number policy set
Anyone who has driven on the newly redesigned section of Main Street just east of the Wood Street intersection can see that the area for vehicular traffic is more narrow than it was before this summer’s redesign, with sidewalks on both sides limiting driver’s options....
Independent Thoughts: Election harassment hits home for Degan
If you follow national politics, undoubtedly you have heard about the ongoing movement by Donald Trump-supporting conspiracy theorists to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election by going after local election officials. It wouldn’t seem likely to...
Select Board roundup: Regional emergency communications center studied
During a short Select Board meeting on Tuesday night, Town Manager Norman Khumalo shared information about a feasibility study for a potential regional emergency communications center that would include Hopkinton and neighboring towns. Hopkinton, Grafton, Hudson,...
Independent Thoughts: Family Day makes long-awaited return; Baypath rescues beagles from Virginia facility
There’s no better way for Hopkinton to announce its return to (mostly) normal times than for residents to get together at community events, and this Saturday provides multiple such opportunities. The headline event is Hopkinton Family Day, which makes its return after...
Anderson relishes opportunity to lead HHS baseball
Matt Anderson, a Hopkinton High School alumnus who served as the baseball team’s pitching coach since 2017, was named head coach. He takes over for Steve Simoes, who stepped down after the 2022 campaign. Anderson graduated HHS in 2001 and was a Tri-Valley League...
Select Board roundup: Main Street progresses, new employees introduced
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo indicated the Main Street Corridor Project continues to progress. “Substantial work has been completed,” Khumalo said. “We’re now focusing on doing the work that will help us wind down ahead of the...
Independent Thoughts: Grave encounter inspires Whalen’s restoration project
Mike Whalen’s goal is simple: “Fixing the cemeteries one stone at a time,” he said. A longtime volunteer and member of veterans committees in town, Whalen has been mending broken and crooked headstones at the town’s cemeteries for some time. As American Legion Post...
Hopkinton Little League 11U team captures state title
The Hopkinton Little League 11-and-under baseball team had an eventful summer, winning the state championship as well as the Tondorf Tournament — despite sometimes having to play in two tournaments on the same day. Hopkinton had not fielded a team in the 11U state...
Special Town Meeting supports Marathon School addition increase
Thursday’s Special Town Meeting was short and to the point, and an overwhelming majority of attendees supported allocating funds to cover the increase in construction costs for the addition to Marathon School. There was a strong turnout — at 276 residents, it was...
Independent Thoughts: Beavers broke barrier as female HHS AD
In a recent story on Hopkinton High School’s new athletic director, Kiely Murray, we referred to her as the second female AD in school history, after Dee King. We neglected to mention Sue Beavers, who served in the role for a few years in the mid-1990s. Beavers, now...