Memorial Day, which is May 31 this year, is a time to look back, to honor those who lost their lives protecting this country. For Mike Whalen, who organizes the Hopkinton activities, he hopes it’s also a time to look ahead. “I’d like it to be almost a coming-out party...
Featured: Features
ALS 4K walk/run Sunday at Town Common
The nonprofit ALS One is hosting a 4K walk/run at the Town Common as well as virtual this Sunday. Hopkinton resident Becky Mourey recently was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) and will attend the event to help...
Powers recognized for COVID-19 testing contribution
John Powers and his wife, Ann, have always tried to teach their children to embrace the concept of service. “No matter how big or small the contribution, just contribute and be part of the solution,” John Powers said. Powers himself knows the concept of service quite...
Businesses band together for Restaurant Week May 14-23
With COVID restrictions starting to loosen, the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Restaurant Week, which runs May 14-23, comes at the right time for local dining establishments. “It’s special that the chamber is doing some marketing for the restaurants that...
Freedom Team’s bystander training seeks to help defuse issues
Freya Proudman is a Hopkinton High School alumna who moved to the United States as a child. Yet until she attended a recent training as a member of the Hopkinton Freedom Team, she said she hadn’t felt a true sense of belonging in the town. “I come from a cultural...
Kilduff reflects after alumni award
Tim Kilduff had been living in Hopkinton for several years when he attended a meeting of the first Boston Marathon committee ever formed in the town in 1979. Preparations were being made for the 1980 race, which became infamous for Rosie Ruiz, the fraudster who had...
Independent Thoughts: Grabbert makes fitness fun with energetic classes at HCA
Torsten Grabbert started his professional life as an electrical engineer in his home country of Germany. It didn’t take long before he decided he didn’t have the passion for that career. At age 23 he became a fitness instructor and never looked back. In 2017, Grabbert...
Video project seeks to welcome back marathoners with love
For the second straight year, Patriots’ Day will pass without throngs of runners lining up at the start line in Hopkinton and beginning the iconic 26.2 mile trek to Copley Square. But the Boston Marathon will return. If all goes well, it will be held this October. And...
Mental Health Collaborative reaches Hopkinton students
It’s been more than a year that the country has been dealing with the effects of COVID-19. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the pandemic has taken a toll on so many individuals’ mental health. With National Mental Health Awareness Month coming up in...
Independent Thoughts: Award-winning educator Beattie driven to help struggling students
A big emphasis has been placed on social emotional learning lately, with schools realizing the importance of developing more well-rounded children and addressing mental health concerns as early as possible. Hopkinton’s Jessica Beattie has been on the forefront of this...
Town Hall Q&A: Principal Assessor John Neas
John Neas became Hopkinton’s principal assessor in 2015, after serving in a similar role in Norfolk. A native of Framingham and an alumnus of Boston College, Neas resides in Franklin, where he previously served on the Board of Assessors. Neas is president of the...
Independent Thoughts: Town rallies around local restaurants
Perhaps no businesses have faced a bigger challenge during the pandemic than restaurants. Now, with restrictions loosening, restaurants are hoping to bounce back. And the community is doing its part to help. The Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce is organizing a Restaurant...
Inspired by mother, local teen organizes food drive
A high school student directed his first large-scale food drive this year in Hopkinton, and his group roughly doubled the amount of food collected for local families in need compared to last year. Shubhanjay Khanal, a Hopkinton High School junior, took over an event...
Wood if he could: Local furniture builder takes on challenging projects
John Foster had been taking things apart and putting them back together ever since he was a little boy, but it wasn’t until he stepped inside a woodworking shop at Boston University’s Program in Artisanry that he...
Baypath prepares for another virtual Fur Ball
A German shepherd suffering from chemical burns doesn’t know that much of the country has been shuttered for a year. A cat in labor needing an emergency C-section because of a blockage doesn’t recognize that rescue societies aren’t receiving their traditional...
Hopkinton Emergency Fund makes initial fundraising push
By David Rosner Contributing Writer Hopkinton has firmly established itself as an upper middle class town, with home prices soaring into seven figures. However, there are residents who struggle to make ends meet, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated that problem....
Independent Thoughts: Rec XC skiing program perfect fit for pandemic
Cross-country skiing has seen a boost in popularity during the pandemic, for obvious reasons. It’s an outdoor sport that naturally lends itself to social distancing. For Hopkinton Parks & Recreation, that made it a perfect addition to its lineup of winter...
Timlin race to be virtual again in ’21
Organizers of the Sharon Timlin Memorial Event, normally held outside Hopkinton High School, are planning for a virtual event again this June due to the ongoing pandemic. While last year the event committee had to scramble to transition the event online, this year the...
Independent Thoughts: Tennis an extreme sport for Hopkinton’s Sivaraman
Anyone who regularly watches the Hopkinton Planning Board meetings knows that board member Sundar Sivaraman plays a lot of tennis. It often comes up when the group plans a site walk for a Saturday morning, which is Sivaraman’s prime tennis time. It would be reasonable...
Independent Thoughts: Rare disease, pandemic can’t keep 3-year-old down
In retrospect, Hopkinton residents Jamas and Margot LaFreniere say, they are among the lucky ones — despite the fact that their 3-year-old daughter has an extremely rare and life-threatening genetic disease. They were able to discover that Sophie has glycogen storage...