Good morning, Hopkinton!

For those new to the site, this post is a daily update we call Hopkinton Today. We’ll have a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights for the coming day and a video or two to brighten your day.

The Select Board met last night and officially appointed Joseph Bennett as police chief. Then, after Town Manager Norman Khumalo warned of likely financial issues due to the pandemic, the board voted to institute a hiring freeze on town positions.

Gov. Charlie Baker extended Massachusetts’ stay at home advisory to May 18 as the COVID-19 deaths in the state continue to rise. The stats in Hopkinton reflect a similar trend, as the town’s COVID-19 dashboard page shows that Hopkinton now has had 92 confirmed cases of the disease, with 68 active cases, 18 recovered and six deaths.

Hopkinton was named Massachusetts’ safest city for the second year in a row by the independent review site SafeWise.

The Hopkinton Public Library and other town departments have started a project called “Show Us Your Heart, Hopkinton!” to show our connection while having to stay apart by displaying a heart at your house or business. Photos can be shared on social media with the #HeartHopkinton hashtag.

Video of the day: A dog in North Carolina was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Music video of the day: Here’s R.E.M. with “Stand.” Enjoy.