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"But if things change with my job..."
February 19, 2007 — In a short interview today, Republican Selectman Len Holden, a champion of the "Townies," has said that he will not run for another term. "Getting up at 4 or 5:00 a.m. and then staying up until 10 or 11:00 p.m. is too much. I have to think of my job, my family and my health," he said. "I wish I could see what it would be like with Tony," Mr. Holden said, referring to being on the Board of Selectmen for a term with the newly hired (January 1, 2007) Town Manager, Anthony Troiano. The Town Manager's position pulled in a lot of duties of the Appropriations Committee, as well as some of the duties that the Selectmen took upon themselves to perform. "I'll still be active,": Mr. Holden said. He is Vice-President of the Hopkinton Athletic Association and Co-Chair of the Horribles Parade Committee. "I'd like to get on the Downtown Revitalization Committee, because I think this thing with Ron Roux is great. It encompasses everything we've talked about; off-street parking, residences, offices and retail. "And the stadium — that's only just begun! And we haven't even touched on the relationship with Marathon, Greece. "When I ran, people wanted me to keep things the way they were, but there's no way to stop growth — you just try to control it in the way you want it to go," he said. Mr. Holden did did leave the door open for the future saying, "But if things change with my job..." Although there are two slots open for Selectman this May, only Republican Brian Herr has taken out papers. Who else has taken out papers for an elected office? See our Election Calendar and check HopNews daily. |
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Today, February 19, 2007
6:58 am A caller reported that a motor vehicle was "all over the road" and was turning onto Walcott Street...
4:29 pm A caller, from 495, reported that a large chunk of ice came off of one vehicle and shattered the windshield of another vehicle...
12:52 am The Ashland Police Department requested assistance at the Ashland VFW for a large fight that was out of control... |
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Hopkinton Matters
February 19, 2007 — Above, David Sheahan gives a short video update on some Hopkinton matters. To promote your group or event on video, just email Editor@HopNews.com. We hope this can become a regular feature. |
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Hopkinton Townie, now in Australia, misses snow Editor, As an "old townie" it was great to hear from our friend Joe Pyne who was kind enough to give us your website. As I sit here in Australia in the hot February sun, it is wonderful to see the beautiful buildings of Hopkinton covered with snow. Haven't seen any white stuff for over 8 years since moving "down under" and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss it. It is always a treat to read HopNews and see all the changes that are happening, and especially to read of old friends still active in the community - hello Anne Click!!! Although Australia is now my home, Hopkinton will always be a part of my heart.
Mary (Harrall) Smith Bateman's Bay, NSW, Australia February 19, 2007 |
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Next East Hopkinton Master Plan Presentation Tuesday Tuesday, February 20th from 7 – 9 PM upstairs at the Fire Station Conference Room
The Civic Engagement Committee in partnership with the Planning Board will be hosting three more public information and input sessions to further explore the East Hopkinton Master Planning Process. These programs are designed for information sharing from Sasaki Associates as well as an opportunity to hear and share ideas from other stakeholders. The two hour forum will consist of a power point presentation, an update of the project to date and a question and answer period.
The forums will be held: Tuesday, February 20th from 7 – 9 PM upstairs at the Fire Station Conference Room. Thursday, March 8th from 7 – 9 PM at the Woodville Baptist Church. Thursday, March 15th from 7 – 9 PM downstairs at the Golden Pond Nursing Facility.
The forums are open to the public. All residents of Hopkinton are encouraged to attend these valuable sessions. To register or for more information please contact: Elaine Lazarus, Town Planner @ 508-497-9755. |
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Tanglewood Marionettes production of “The Fairy Circus”
146 East Main Street, Hopkinton Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m.
The
Hopkinton Education Foundation (HEF)* proudly presents the
Tanglewood Marionettes In addition to the performances, a raffle with family-friendly prizes, including Red Sox tickets, will be sold during the performances. Raffle tickets cost $10 for 3 tickets. The proceeds from the event will help raise money for the Hopkinton Education Foundation’s grant program. For more information about the HEF and the Tanglewood Marionette performances, please visit www.hopkintonedfoundation.org. The Tanglewood Marionettes are a showcase for turn-of-the-century-style trick puppetry, featuring over twenty beautifully hand-crafted marionettes, who dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease. * Founded in 1992, The Hopkinton Education Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit corporation dedicated to providing grants to teachers that support the goals and curriculum of the Hopkinton public schools. Through fundraising events, and the generous donations of the Hopkinton community and local area businesses, the HEF continues to foster high-quality programs affecting all grade levels and all educational disciplines. To date, the HEF has funded more than 245 educational grants totaling more than $676,000. |
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9:00 am - 12:00 pm Ages Kindergarten and up $90 member/ $100 non member
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Scholarships The Hopkinton Garden Club has 2007 Scholarship Applications available to applicants maintaining legal residence in Hopkinton, Mass. for at lease one year. Scholarships are available for students interested in fields of Horticulture, Floriculture, Landscape Design, Forestry, Conservation, Environmental Sciences and related fields. Applications may be obtained from the Hopkinton High School and Keefe Tech. School Guidance Offices, the Hopkinton Public Library or by calling 508-435-5115. The application deadline date is April 13, 2007. |
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Who's at
the ESL Coffee House? The MacMillans, originally of Hopkinton, will be returning for a one night only performance at our studio on February 24th. Due to the demand the MacMillans along with Nik Chisolm will perform at 6pm and 8pm. Reserve your tickets early as they will surely sell out! Our coffeehouse series is really taking off! Check our site often to see who will be performing next! ~ ESL |
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February 18, 2007 — Taylor Farley #13 Tucker Wilde #23 get in the way of this line drive headed for goalie Mike Curtin during Thursday's win over Medfield. Contributed photo. |
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Donald R. Dowen, 85
Hopkinton - Donald R. Dowen, 85,
died Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 in Clayton, NC while visiting his
son.
He leaves his wife of 62 years, Anna (Coulter) Dowen, "The Love
of His Life". He was the son of the late Gerald and Lucy (Goettler)
Dowen. As a youth, Don was very creative as an amateur photographer who even fabricated his own camera and enlarger. After graduating from Maynard High, Don enlisted in the army. During WWII he was stationed in Germany. There, he served as a line man in the Army Signal Corps.ARRANGEMENTS |
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Michael J. O'Toole, 56 HOPKINTON - Michael J. O'Toole, 56, died Sunday, February 18, 2007 at his home after a courageous battle with prostate cancer. He was the husband of Sheila (Smith) O'Toole, to whom he was married for 23 years.
Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Edward and Mary (Hannigan) O'Toole. He was a graduate of Marian High School, 1968. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and an employee of EMC Corporation for 25 years.
In addition to his wife, he is also survived by his children, Megan and John M. O'Toole of Hopkinton and his sisters Mary Ellen Kenney and her husband Robert of Hopkinton and Catherine Brown and her husband Donald of Virginia. ARRANGEMENTS |
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COMMENTARY School Building Plans Move Forward Decommissioning of Center School Creates New Space Needs Former Building Committee to Be Reconstituted
By David Hamacher
February 18, 2007 — During a school district facilities planning meeting held on January 22nd members of the school committee, school administration, and Hopkinton Facilities Board, determined: that Center School will not be renovated as a school; it is still necessary to replace the single boiler at Center School; renovations will begin on Elmwood; and capital articles will be put on the warrant at the Annual Town Meeting in May for Middle School roof and wall repairs and the boiler replacement. The current plan calls for building a new PreK-Kindergarten Center on the grounds of Elmwood, renovating both Elmwood and Hopkins School to accommodate more classrooms as Hopkinton moves toward the school districting model planned several years ago. At that time, the plan for accommodating the expanding student population was to build the new elementary school and early childhood center on Fruit Street, and then convert both Elmwood and Hopkins to district schools so that all elementary schools taught grades 1-5. These plans were delayed due to the opposition vote for the $3.8 million override in May, 2003 which would have moved the design process forward. Instead, an override of 900K was approved in June, 2003, shelving construction plans for the new elementary school. Funding for necessary design plans for the new elementary school, early childhood center, and Elmwood renovations was approved for $3 million by voters in the May 2005 capital article. The former elementary school building committee then hired Construction Counsel and negotiated terms and conditions for Owner’s Project Manager under the revised state statutes for new school building construction (Chapter 149A). These efforts were then waylaid by the newly updated enrollment forecast in June, 2006 by NESDC (New England School Development Council). The abrupt and unexplained fluctuations in enrollment figures from NESDC (which had been respected as the leading authority in enrollment projections for Massachusetts for several years), has now led the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) to bring enrollment projections in-house for greater control. FULL STORY |
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Well, there it is, straight from the recipients. And although we did have a couple of people forward us emails they received, the top question got a surge of about 50 votes in an hour during which 65 readers logged on. Please vote once. |
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3 point shoot out
Above, Thaddeus Dlugolecki, who came in second place, finishes his follow-through and watches as his three point shot makes it through the net early on in the competition. He won placed first last year. February 17, 2007 — Hopkinton High School Athletic Center was the site of the Metrowest 3-point shoot-out today. Jeff Altimar from Medfield won the Boys 3 point shoot out with TJ Dlugolecki from Hopkinton finished second. Ashley Robidoux of Milford won the girls with Katy Howard of Medway finished second. |
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It's All About the Roses
The Senior girls and Senior boys basketball players had roses for their parent prior to the boy's game on Friday night.
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Sleep tight
February 17, 2007 — Early Thursday morning the DPW made fast work of the snow downtown and moved it to an undisclosed location while the town slept. |
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LEWISTON -
Donald F. Miles, 76, a resident of 109 Summer St.,
Auburn died Friday at Central Maine Medical Center following a
lingering illness. |
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"Republican Dream Team"
Front, Selectman Ron Clark, Executive Secretary Ted Kozak, former Selectman Dick Gooding, former Selectman Eric Sonnett. Rear, Former Selectman Paul Nelson, and Selectman Len Holden. On Friday February 16, 2007, Hopkinton's Dream Team, past and present Selectmen, Ron Clark, Dick Gooding, Len Holden , Paul Nelson and Eric Sonnett bid adieu to Executive Secretary, Ted Kozak in a celebration at the Sole Proprietor In Worcester. Ted was presented with a fishing rod and reel and other gifts in appreciation of his over 17 years of dedicated service to the Town of Hopkinton. We all wish Ted good luck and best wishes in his new role as Town Manager in Northbridge. ~ Len Holden |
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Hiller Boys 58, Bellingham 49
February 16, 2007 — Mark Sanborn earns this basket as the scoreboard in the background shows the Hillers ahead. They kept their lead until the buzzer sounded and then finished 58-49. |
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Hiller Girls 56, Bellingham 26
February 16, 2007 — Alison Philbrook goes after a rebound. The Hiller Girls trounced the Bellingham Girls 56-26 this evening at the Athletic Center. |
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The poll results speak for themselves — well, sort of. In the poll on the left, of the 377 votes cast, there may be a few dozen more than we would expect in a 24-hour period, and in the poll on the right? Well, that was only a 12 hour period and it has nearly as many. What does it all mean? For a 12 hour period the total vote is far too high. We are going to continue to do polls, but readers should understand that they are unscientific. Why? Sneaky people can vote more than once, people can send emails to a specific group to pad the numbers on their side, and the sample is not large enough or generated in a way that is scientific. HopNews has never solicited poll participation by email, but we suspect other people have. Have you been solicited to vote in a poll by email? Please forward the email to: Editor@HopNews.com As people know, their communications are kept confidential. First, vote in the poll above. And remember, it's just for fun. |
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17 year-old Upton male seriously injured
Preliminary investigation by Trooper Segee indicates that the 17 year old Upton male operating a 1992 Volvo sedan, for some reason, lost control of the Volvo and veered off to the left striking the embankment. The Volvo bounced off the embankment and traveled onto the median where it struck a tree. Although severely injured the operator remained conscious at the scene and was transported by helicopter to the University Of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. He was wearing his safety belt at the time. The name of the operator will not be released due to his age.
During the investigation and vehicle recovery the left two lanes of Route 495 were closed. All lanes had to be closed for 20 minutes while the helicopter landed and the victim was prepared for the flight. All lanes were opened by 10:00 a.m. |
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Car fire
February 16, 2007 — Hopkinton Firefighters responded to a call for a car fire on Curve Street around 1:30 pm today. The Police Department reported upon arrival that it was "fully involved." Above, Firefighters, who reported an engine fire upon arrival, wear protective gear and respirators, and struggle to open the vehicle's hood. |
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Center School Classrooms evacuated
Above, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Phelan arrives and speak with a custodian. February 16, 2007 — Center School classrooms were evacuated this morning, and the students brought to a secure area of the building when a member of the maintenance staff smelled the odor of natural gas in one of the classrooms. According to Firefighter Scott Jurasek, the cause was a kitchen gas burner with a delayed ignition that was not vented fully. The staff at the school will be correcting that situation. NStar determined there was no problem and the students returned to classes shortly after 11:00 am. |
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Bride, groom, children, beneficiaries
February 16, 2007 — Kristen Morgan and Joe Thompson tied the knot last night at 7:00 pm on the Gazebo at the Hopkinton common. Their children, from left, are Sadie, 8, Brighid, 10, and Melissa, 19. "We hoped it would snow, and we would only be standing there for less than 10 minutes," Mrs. Thompson said this morning. "We felt it would be historical, beautiful and special. "And because we live in town, we wanted to be able to drive by and remember we did it. "We invited a lot of friends, but because of the time and weather, most couldn't make it. The ones that did show up will be in our will. "We are tough New Englanders — we think snow is magical," she said. |
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE
School Budget Holds at 2.1% Increase Pending New Information Board of Selectmen and Appropriations Committee will Shape Final Allocations
Governor’s Budget Will Update School Funding Levels
By David Hamacher
Superintendent, Dr. John Phelan (Photo) remarked, “In my seven years here, it’s nice to see the impact that the various school councils are having for advocating for their schools.”
The theme of the presentation centered on Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum with challenging goals and effective feedback through parental and community involvement. Findings were grouped into school factors, teacher factors, and student factors into two goal areas: Implementing Key Curriculum Initiatives, and Evaluate school district’s foreign language program. Using the Understanding by Design (UbD) approach (instruction that promotes understanding and student engagement by looking at design from a ‘results’ orientation), teacher factors included developing instructional strategies, classroom management, and classroom curricular design which includes teachers keeping their autonomy and teaching within the same scope of content. Student factors included home environment, learned intelligence and background knowledge, and student motivation. FULL REPORT |
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Could I have this dance...
February 15, 2007 — John Guido of Downey Street kept the audience at the Senior Center satisfied and wanting more this evening with his broad range of standards, from contemporary to swing. |
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White Wedding
February 15, 2007 — Town Clerk Ann Click started this wedding ceremony on the Hopkinton Common this evening by telling everyone that they didn't need to be reminded that it was February. In fact, the ages of the couple's children weren't the only numbers in the single digits. |
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Happy Valentine had a snow day
February 15, 2007 — Alfreda and Fred White had a grand time this evening at the Senior Center dancing to old favorites during the Senior Center Valentine's Dance that was held a day late due to the storm yesterday. |
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State Police Offer Basic Winter Driving Tips
Before a winter storm hits, check that vehicle fluids, such as washer fluid and anti-freeze, are at adequate levels. In addition, make sure that your wiper blades adequately clear your windshield of snow, rain, sand and salt. Be sure that your car has plenty of gas to get you safely to your destination or to a gas station to re-fuel. Remember that during bad weather situations, your journey may take longer than normal – be sure to take that into consideration when assessing your fuel level.
If possible, do not travel, or keep travel to a minimum, so work crews will have additional time to clear the roadways. If you do drive, anticipate delays, especially during the rush-hour commute. Clear snow and ice from your vehicle, including your taillights, headlights and roof. As always, buckle up for safety. Allow extra space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Remember stopping distances also need to be increased. Adjust speeds as warranted by road conditions and reduced visibility. (Speed limits were set for optimal, dry conditions.) Watch for black ice and be aware that bridge surfaces tend to freeze more quickly and remain frozen longer than other road surfaces. Turn on headlights to increase your visibility. Consider keeping a fully charged cell phone with you while driving. In any weather condition, if you become disabled or encounter an emergency on the roadways, dial 911 to report your location and the nature of the emergency. Always be aware of your location as you travel along the road – noting the route you are on and the number of the exit you most recently passed.
Be prepared in the event that you may become disabled. Check emergency equipment: spare tire, jumper cables, shovel, flashlight, flares, ice scraper, brush and blanket. Travel with additional warm clothing, hat, coat, gloves, and warm footwear. If an emergency situation should arise that requires use of the breakdown lane, pull over as far to the right as possible in the breakdown lane and activate your car’s hazard lights. Use extreme care whenever exiting your vehicle – checking your mirrors for oncoming traffic before opening your door. |
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NOTES FROM AWAY The weather's fine in Oswego, New York
February 15, 2007 — Above is a photo from Avonda Sweely in Oswego, New York, whose family lived in Hopkinton from 1999 to 2006. They left a son in Hopkinton to finish high school this year. NOTE: Did you move away? Want to share?Editor@HopNews.com. |
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Is there a hydrant near you? The Water Department requests your assistance, in maintaining accessibility to the town's 600 fire hydrants, for the safety and protection of everyone. During the winter hydrants can become buried by snow during a storm. If you have a fire hydrant that that is near your home, please help us make it visible and accessible to the Fire Department for use in an emergency. Precious seconds can be lost searching for the hydrant or removing snow to gain access to it. Help make your neighborhood safe for everyone! Please be aware that it poses a major fire safety hazard to bury a fire hydrant by shoveling, plowing or snow blowing. It is also prohibited by Chapter 148 Section 27B of The Mass. General Law and can incur a fine of $100. The Water and Fire department would like to thank you for your cooperation in helping to maintain fire safety. |
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Peanut Butter recalled for salmonella. See Channel 7 report. |
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Corporate Sponsorships Reach Record Levels for the Hopkinton Education Foundation
February 14, 2007 – This year’s Hopkinton Education Foundation (HEF) Annual Winter Gala, held at the Sheraton Framingham raised over $34,000 which will be used to fund Hopkinton school program grants submitted by local teachers. The 14th Annual HEF Winter Gala was attended by 400 guests who enjoyed an elegant evening of dinner, dancing, and a game room featuring blackjack and Texas Hold’Em.
The fast-paced live auction raised the lion’s share of the funds with guests bidding on thirteen exciting deluxe packages including a weekend getaway to Jurys Hotel in Boston, a Cape Cod vacation break, and the opportunity to attend a live taping of Emeril Live! in New York. Heated competition developed around the three food and wine packages up for bid which included a catered wine dinner in the winner’s home by Tomasso Trattoria of Southborough and two guided wine-tasting parties. Sports remained an audience favorite with bidders rallying for the opportunity to have a private pre-game tour of Fenway and entrance onto the field for batting practice. Other popular items of the night were the Ultimate Bruins Experience with tickets in the NESN suite provided by the New England Sports Network and the opportunity for a private fishing trip guided by David Sloan of On the Hook TV. FULL STORY |
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Click here to make HopNews your default
homepage! <---works with Internet Explorer.
Len
Holden decides not to run
First
Congregational Church of Hopkinton
production of “The Fairy Circus” on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at
11:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m., at the First
Congregational Church. Advance tickets are $8.00 per person
and $10.00 at the door. Children under two may come free of
charge. To purchase tickets in advance, please contact Karen
Webb at
A
Mini February Vacation Arts Program
POLL RESULTS
Poll
Results
February
16, 2007 — Today, at approximately 9:02a.m., Trooper Keith
Segee, assigned to the State Police barracks in Leominster,
responded to a report of a single vehicle crash on Route 495
North, south of Route 111 in Boxborough which resulted in
one injury.
February
16, 2007 — During last night’s regular meeting School Committee
Chairwoman, Rebecca Robak (Photo) shared with the audience that
the committee had met for two hours earlier in the day to
discuss next steps in the budget process given the deadlines of
the new town charter. “We are grateful for all of the feedback
we’ve gotten from the public during this process. We’re going to
hold fees where they were at our preliminary submittal while we
wait for the Governor’s budget which is due out on February 28th.
This will tell us how much money we’ll get from the State. And
we also want to sit down with the Board of Selectmen and
Appropriations Committee before we determine what the final
allocation will be. There will be at least one more public
hearing.
Three members of the Curriculum Team: Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Mary Colombo (Photo), Director of Elementary Education
Sharon DeCarlo, and Director of Math/Science 7-12, Mr. Charles
Caliri, presented the Curriculum and Instruction Update along
with virtual input from Director of Humanities 7-12, Mr. Mark
Wilson. Their comprehensive presentation included visual slides
and verbal input from all team members. 
