The McHenry County Fair Association recently purchased 11.36 acres of land on Sharon Drive, contiguous to the fairgrounds. The purchase price was $142,075. According to McHenry County Fair Association Board President Ken Bauman, the additional acreage basically squares up the fairground property, bringing the total acreage to about 80 acres. “We know there’s a need […]
Two traffic accidents in the same spot sent five people to the hospital over the course of several days. The intersection of Hartland Road and Highway 14 in rural Woodstock was the site of a rollover crash March 28 that injured three people, two of them critically. Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene […]
Incumbent Brian Sager was re-elected to his fourth term as Woodstock mayor, handily beating challengers Michael Rein and Gregg Hanson in the consolidated election April 4. Sager garnered 58.97 percent of the vote in the three-man race, or 1,834 votes, according to an unofficial tally from the McHenry County Clerk’s Office. Rein, currently a McHenry […]
The 10-person race for school board ended with one incumbent being re-elected, another being voted off and three newcomers joining the Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education. John Parisi, Carl Gilmore, Bruce Farris and Jacob Homuth won the four seats up for grabs in the April 4 consolidated election, which featured two candidates tying […]
A Woodstock resident said she was unable to vote for mayor or City Council today because the McHenry County Clerk’s Office mistakenly believes her house is not in the city. Carrie Wienke of Woodstock’s Savanna Grove neighborhood said she expected to vote in the municipal election and even attended a forum with mayoral and council […]
Candidates for Woodstock mayor and City Council disagree on whether the city should raise its sales tax rate. The proposal to add a home-rule sales tax in Woodstock was a key issue at a candidate forum March 23 at the Woodstock Public Library. Three people are running for mayor in the April 4 election: incumbent […]
The city of Woodstock will have slightly lower budgeted expenditures and slightly higher revenues in the next fiscal year if the City Council approves the budget presented to them March 21. In all, the proposed budget calls for the city to spend $32.04 million in the 2017-18 fiscal year, which begins May 1. In 2016-17, […]
Construction is slated to begin soon on a roundabout at Raffel and Charles roads, the first of its kind in the Woodstock area. The intersection just north of Woodstock North High School in unincorporated Greenwood Township will receive a single-lane roundabout. Bids for the project open this week, and construction will begin in early May […]
Voters in Woodstock School District 200 might find the ballot for the April 4 election to be something of a puzzle. It’s true — it’s possible for a person in the four-seat race to be elected to the board even if he or she doesn’t finish in the top four. The Board of Education’s rules […]
Consolidation and finances were big issues at a forum for Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education candidates held March 8 at Woodstock High School. A district committee has discussed consolidating some schools as a way to save money and use extra space, but no final proposals have been made — something current School Board […]
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.
