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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...
The Select Board's decision Tuesday to delay consideration of the promotion of two Hopkinton police officers until a departmental review is complete drew immediate criticism, and that continued Thursday with an open letter to the Select Board from police union vice...
The Select Board at its hybrid meeting Tuesday night reviewed questions for a survey created to solicit public feedback on the Upper Charles Trail Committee in response to the resounding but nonbinding Town Meeting vote last month calling for the UCTC to be disbanded...
At its meeting Tuesday night, the Select Board decided to suspend the activities of the Upper Charles Trail Committee in response to the non-binding vote at Annual Town Meeting earlier this month to disband the oft-criticized committee. The vote to suspend the UCTC...
During Tuesday's Select Board meeting, Fire Chief Bill Miller shared that his last day with the department will be June 11. After 22 years in Hopkinton, including the last two as chief, he has accepted a position as chief in Bellingham. “I don’t want to see you leave,...
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, board members discussed the future of the Upper Charles Trail Committee following the May 2 Town Meeting non-binding vote to disband the committee. Select Board chair Amy Ritterbusch said she felt a “need to take a major action” —...
During Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, representatives from the town’s emergency services and Eversource discussed plans for an emergency response test for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on Wilson Street. The test is scheduled for Thursday, May 4,...
During the Select Board’s discussion Tuesday about the May 1 Annual Town Meeting warrant, representatives from Marguerite Concrete presented their plan for development of a South Street property that would require rezoning. Marguerite Concrete, founded in 1989 by...
The town’s efforts to eliminate PFAS from the water supply continue to get more expensive, while questions about where the chemicals originated continue to surface without any concrete answers. At the 2022 Annual Town Meeting, voters approved $600,000 for the...
The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday voted to support an intermunicipal agreement with Southborough to purchase water for Hopkinton. While the water comes from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Hopkinton would purchase the water directly from...
The budget still has many moving parts, noted Town Manager Norman Khumalo during a joint meeting Thursday night with the School Committee. While he acknowledged that people want definitive answers and numbers, Khumalo said the immediate need is to continue...
