Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo and video of the day.

Hopkinton High School senior Kevin Gu’s way with words has taken him all the way to the national stage. Gu is one of only five high school poets to earn the designation of National Student Poet, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original work. He will hold the title for a year.

The family of Maria Torres-Purvis, a 29-year-old Hopkinton mother of four who worked at Muffin House Cafe on Main Street, has started a fundraiser following her death on Sept. 28. According to the GoFundMe page, Torres-Purvis’ sister, Tyechia James, indicated that Torres-Purvis was in a car accident on Sept. 25 and “sustained life-threatening injuries.”

The Biodiversity Research Institute’s Loon Translocation Project made two visits to Hopkinton’s Lake Whitehall this summer, tagging loons to track their migration and breeding patterns.

This week’s Police Log includes two arrests along with reports of a tree or pole falling on a car, a dog park dispute, and marathoners urinating on a resident’s lawn on their way to the start line.

Launching a business during a pandemic is apt to be a challenge, but for Morgan’s Harbor to Hill, “It was the right time,” Bill Morgan explains.

The Friends of Whitehall’s fall lake and trail cleanup will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. Participants will gather at the boat landing at Whitehall State Park on Wood Street and be assigned areas of trails and shoreline around the lake to clean up debris and refuse.

Town meetings tonight include the Hopkinton Historic District Commission (7).

Photo of the Day: This issue’s winner of the Hopkinton Independent/Bill’s Pizza photo contest is Julie Haines for this photo of a young bird awaiting a meal in a nest on School Street.

PHOTO/JULIE HAINES

Video of the Day:

https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1448173093797650435?s=20