The Woodstock Police Department will begin issuing body cameras to most of its police officers with the help of a grant. The city of Woodstock received a $9,600 grant from the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus and ComEd that will go toward purchasing body cameras for police officers, according to Terry Willcockson, the city’s grant writer. The […]
Workers from the United States Census Bureau will begin counting residents in some Woodstock neighborhoods in early September, according to Paul Christensen, the city of Woodstock’s finance director and assistant city manager. Census Bureau employees overseeing a partial special census in Woodstock will arrive at City Hall the week of Monday, Aug. 29, he said. […]
Motorists traveling along Highway 14 may have noticed lane changes last week, a sign the two-year-long road construction project is nearing completion. One of Highway 14’s newly constructed eastbound lanes was opened to traffic, officially separating motorists who have been navigating cones, barricades and lane shifts since the fall of 2014. “The project is on […]
What better place to watch the production of “The Secret Garden” than in the scenic surroundings of the countryside? The Theatre on the Green company of young actors will present the play written by Francis Hodgson Burrett under a large tent at 15314 St. Patrick Road, just west of St. Patrick Church in rural Woodstock. […]
The 68th annual McHenry County Fair returns next week with plenty of animals, food, carnival rides and live entertainment. The fair will be held from Wednesday to Sunday, Aug. 3 to 7, at the McHenry County Fairgrounds, 11900 Country Club Road. Per tradition, the 2016 fair will host 4-H, open and junior open livestock shows. […]
Twenty years ago, Woodstock realtor Rick Bellairs told homebuyers to expect to pay about 2 to 2.5 percent of their house’s purchase price in property taxes. Today he sees his buyers paying roughly 4 percent. “People used to say, ‘How much is this house?’ Now their first question is, ‘What are the taxes?’” Bellairs said. […]
Property values may be down, but for many area property owners, tax bills are up. Woodstock School District 200 saw its property tax levy rise more than $4 million between 2010 and 2014. That trend was common among local governments in central McHenry County, according to data from the McHenry County Treasurer’s Office. Of 17 […]
After two summers filled with road and bridge construction, Franklinville Road recently was reopened to the public. The McHenry County Division of Transportation completed construction of the approximately $1.4 million bridge at the end of June, according to Jim Werner, construction manager for the county DOT. After the bridge work was done, the county resurfaced […]
A good Samaritan came to the rescue during a heavy thunderstorm July 21 when a motorist’s car became stuck on the railroad tracks on Church Street just minutes before a Metra train was going to pass through. Tom “Bubba” Aellig and his 15-year-old son, Jake, Woodstock, were traveling east on Church Street shortly before 8 […]
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a boat was set on fire and abandoned on a rural Woodstock road. The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded to the 1600 block of Secor Road at 1:42 a.m. July 20, where a motorboat, left sitting on its trailer that was not attached to a car, was […]
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.
