The McHenry County Board rescinded its support of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda and agreed to pay a union’s legal fees in order to settle a lawsuit that arose after the County Board met with the governor at the Woodstock Opera House last year. The 18-4 vote April 19 voided the County Board’s support of […]

The city of Woodstock and the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County are working to break local consumers of their plastic bag habits. The Bring Your Own Bag initiative aims to convince shoppers to use reusable bags at the checkout counter instead of depending on single-use plastic bags, part of an effort to cut pollution and […]

The Woodstock Police Department is investigating a case of animal cruelty after someone put a small puppy in a pillow case and abandoned him on Route 14 in Woodstock. Police Chief Robert Lowen said someone placed the puppy in a pillowcase, secured the case with duct tape and abandoned him April 20 in the 11500 […]

McHenry County Sheriff’s officials are investigating an accidental shooting that occurred Sunday, April 24, in the 3600 block of North Queen Anne Road where an assistant instructor allegedly shot his own hand.  Sheriff’s police and the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded to the scene at 1 p.m. where a 35-year-old Skokie man was injured.   The man was assisting with […]

Woodstock is known for many things – its picturesque Square, stately Opera House and Old  Courthouse. And, of course, there’s that groundhog movie.  But there’s another quirky, off-the-beaten path destination that has people kicking up their feet and tossing their shoes. The Woodstock Shoe Tree is listed as an attraction among 43 other such trees […]

Bull Valley officials are considering allowing video gambling in the village on a trial basis. The move comes in response to a request from representatives of Boone Creek Golf Club to permit gambling terminals in their restaurant, Village President Emily Berendt said. The majority of respondents to an email survey about video gambling in Bull Valley […]

Former Northwood Middle School Principal Jerome R. “Jake” Wakitsch is not eligible to receive pension payments from the Teacher Retirement Service now that he has been convicted of a felony crime. The status of his teaching license currently is unknown.  Wakitsch, 42, of Woodstock, pleaded guilty March 31 to forgery charges after stealing more than […]

Centegra Health System and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare are exploring the possibility of forming an affiliation. Centegra released a statement April 5 saying the McHenry County-based health provider and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare have signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore an affiliation over the next several months. Representatives from both organizations will begin discussions to […]

The Bull Valley Police Department no longer has a chief after the village’s Board of Trustees voted to eliminate the position April 5, citing financial concerns. Former Bull Valley Police Chief James Page was released from the department the next day. “This is strictly a budget decision,” Village President Emily Berendt said. “We parted on […]

Former Northwood Middle School Principal Jerome R. “Jake” Wakitsch pleaded guilty March 31 to forgery charges and stealing more than $26,000 from the school’s PTO fund and Fox Valley Junior High School Conference. Wakitsch, 42, of the 800 block of Robert Drive, Woodstock, appeared in McHenry County Court before Judge Sharon Prather where he entered his […]