
Putting the garden to bed for the winter
A few of the steps to “put your garden to bed” for the winter include cutting back, protecting, and cleanup. It’s been the accepted custom for many years to get […]

A few of the steps to “put your garden to bed” for the winter include cutting back, protecting, and cleanup. It’s been the accepted custom for many years to get […]

This has been and continues to be a challenging year. It has affected the Environmental Defenders organization in various ways, including the shutdown of our two book stores and physical […]


“Autumn“ 3-year-old female Meet Autumn! Autumn is a domestic, medium-haired mix available for adoption at Helping Paws Animal Shelter. She is a social and friendly girl with a mellow temperament. […]

Shelli Chinlund: Joy in the Journey Sometimes it feels like it is almost impossible to find a topic on which we can all agree. However, I think few would argue […]


“Zorro“ 11-month-old male Meet Zorro! This adorable boy is a retriever mix who was rescued from a kill shelter in Kentucky along with his brother, Ranger. Zorro is the perfect […]

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” – Meryl Streep “When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and […]

Prior to 1833, the place we know as McHenry County was home to the Potawatomi, a nation of people who lived in this place for perhaps 500 years. For thousands […]

Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.