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...
Featured: Features
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...
Photos: Morgan’s Harbor to Hill seafood market grand opening
Morgan's Harbor to Hill, a new seafood market on Lumber Street, held a grand opening ceremony on Thursday.
Give a hoot: Injured owl rescued, released
Former Hopkinton resident Clifford Kistner was driving near the Hopkinton/Upton line Jan. 3 when he saw something troubling. A vehicle ahead of him struck a bird, which then bounced off the windshield and landed, flopping and apparently disoriented, on the side of the...
Independent Thoughts: Pedroli turns grief into inspiration
After her husband passed away in a car accident in May 2016, Hopkinton resident Kristen Pedroli had to navigate some unfamiliar territory. Realizing she could use some help learning how to deal with the emotional turmoil — along with suddenly learning to be a single...
Lions Club gets creative to host Santa visit, speech competition
The ongoing pandemic has forced community groups and organizations to hit the pause button on a number of events and activities. However, after some detailed planning, members of the Hopkinton Lions Club were able to sponsor back-to-back events in December to bring...
Local events planned to recognize MLK Day
The Hopkinton Youth Commission, which normally puts together a service-themed program at Hopkinton Middle School and throughout the community each Martin Luther King Day, has adjusted its schedule this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission will continue to...
Independent Thoughts: Local business owner grateful for assistance
Like many small business owners, Hopkinton’s Anna Gammal, a massage therapist and owner of Body n’ Beyond Massage Therapy & Wellness, had a rough 2020. But it ended on a very positive note when she was named a recipient of financial support from a national...
Hopkinton Year in Review: 2020, you are muted!
The year 2020 started out innocently enough, with a mild January, but when it hit the terrible twos, it did so with ferocity. It was late in February when we first started hearing about the novel coronavirus, eventually to become better known as COVID-19. Then in...
Town Hall Q&A: Principal Planner John Gelcich
Anyone who has watched a Planning Board or Zoning Advisory Committee meeting likely is familiar with John Gelcich, who has been Hopkinton’s principal planner since April of 2019. During those meetings Gelcich is the go-to person for information and advice. Gelcich...
Independent Thoughts: Resident’s cancer battle inspires call for screening
When Diane Kelley learned she had breast cancer in 2018, she chose not to share the news outside her immediate circle. This fall, when it resurfaced, she elected to take a different approach. “The first time I went through cancer — I’m a pretty private person — I...
Resident chronicles historic Hopkinton event in new book
One day in 1919, Hopkinton High School teacher Ellen Duffey timidly waved her handkerchief at her boyfriend, who watched her from the town center. Little did she know, that gesture would turn out to become a key factor in her termination and the beginning of a protest...
Waldman ready for new challenge after 15 years at HCA
After a decade-and-a-half building Hopkinton Center for the Arts, Kris Waldman will step down as the nonprofit’s co-director at the end of this year. “I am ready for a fresh challenge in my life,” Waldman said. “I have been with the center for 15 years in various...
Freedom Team provides support, encouragement
The Hopkinton Freedom Team provides a safe place for those who have experienced abuse or violence based on characteristics like race, gender and sexual orientation, and seeks to educate the community on issues of bias. Formed this past June, the organization urges...