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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3FsL6CptxI Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett and Lt. Scott van Raalten appeared before the Select Board Tuesday as van Raalten was appointed as the town’s new deputy police chief. Before the proceeding began, Select Board chair...
Select Board vice chair Mary Jo LaFreniere was arraigned Monday in Framingham District Court on a charge of driving under the influence. She was arrested after leaving TJ's Food and Spirits, a bar on the Hopkinton-Ashland line, Sunday night. "It happened," LaFreniere...
There are a number of articles on the warrant for Monday’s Special Town Meeting that span everything from tax exemptions to rezoning. The Independent recently sat down with town officials to understand each of the articles on the STM warrant and their impact on...
The Select Board at Tuesday's meeting voiced its unanimous support for the International Marathon Center project. At the meeting, members of the 26.2 Foundation and Scott Richardson, the project’s architect, presented updates to the center and its next steps. ...
While a district attorney review of an insufficiently redacted document involving the Hopkinton Police Department came back with a recommendation of no criminal charges, town counsel on Tuesday acknowledged that it was a devastatingly regrettable situation. The...
The Select Board will interview the four finalists for town manager at its meeting Tuesday as it moves closer to appointing a permanent replacement for Norman Khumalo. Elaine Lazarus, one of the candidates, was appointed as the interim town manager on April 16. She...
After some discussion, the Select Board on Tuesday unanimously approved the permit for the July 4 Horribles Parade, weighing the participants’ right to free speech against the potential for satirical floats to inflame divisions in town. Historically, before the...
The question of how involved the Select Board should be in the hiring of a new deputy fire chief was debated at Tuesday’s meeting. In receiving updates on the hiring process from Fire Chief Gary Daugherty, the board discussed whether members should be participating in...
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, town counsel walked members through different scenarios regarding the Tim Brennan situation. Brennan, who was terminated from the Hopkinton Police Department by the Select Board on Feb. 8, filed a grievance and is taking his case to...
Native Hopkintonian Joe Clark and former Select Board chair Brian Herr cruised to unofficial victory in Monday's Annual Town Election, easily besting contenders Kyla McSweeney and Peter Mimmo for the two open seats on the Select Board in a high-turnout contest. Clark...
In an uncharacteristic appearance during the public comment period at Tuesday's Select Board meeting, board vice chair Shahidul Mannan said he has been threatened as a person of color and targeted in racial profiling incidents. “I would like to address a grave concern...
During Brian Herr’s last meeting as a member of the Select Board, on May 18, 2021, it was the board's first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Herr was gifted an engraved wooden chair and sent off with effusive praise from his fellow members,...
With the town election on the horizon on May 20, two veteran Select Board members announced this week that they are not seeking reelection. Select Board chair Muriel Kramer said in an exclusive interview with the Independent on Feb. 10 that she has decided to run for...
The Select Board on Thursday voted to fire Sgt. Tim Brennan from the Hopkinton Police Department, following the continuation of the Loudermill hearing that began last month. Meeting for about three hours in executive session in Town Hall — closed to the public — the...
Tempers flared at Friday night's Loudermill hearing, with many audience members shouting their displeasure toward the Select Board and the Hopkinton police chief. The Loudermill hearing was convened to discuss the potential termination of Sgt. Tim Brennan. He was...
An emotional and contentious meeting Friday ended with the Select Board deciding to continue the Loudermill hearing regarding Sgt. Tim Brennan’s future with the Hopkinton Police Department in order to give the parties time to try to find an amicable solution. Prior to...
Select Board chair Muriel Kramer announced that she experienced a stroke Wednesday evening, which prevented her from engaging in community activities late last week. In an email to the Independent early Sunday afternoon, Kramer issued a public statement about what...
The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday approved a common victualer’s license for Domino’s Pizza to operate out of 70 Main Street. The building is the site of the former Old Town Liquors, and there are apartments above the first-floor business. “It’s always a great...
The Select Board on Tuesday heard preliminary data from Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh ahead of the budget process, outlining some expected needs and including information about special education in fiscal year 2025. Town Manager Norman Khumalo said the annual budget...
The police hiring controversy dominated much of Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, as members held a discussion with Chief Joseph Bennett about the department’s policy and how board members could become more involved. The controversy started at the Sept. 5 meeting, when...
