Woodstock is ready to celebrate the Fourth of July.   The Woodstock Fireworks Committee has been busy planning this year’s fireworks show, scheduled to begin at dusk Saturday, July 4, at Emricson Park, 900 W. South St. The committee estimates upwards of 7,000 people attend the annual event.   “We expect this to be about […]

Locally distilled Wondertucky corn whiskey will hit store shelves this week.  The whiskey is expected to arrive at area Binny’s Beverage Depot stores Friday, June 26, according to company officials. The Woodstock-based company’s “smooth whiskey” has already been available at the Benton Street Tap, 219 N. Benton St., Woodstock. A whiskey tasting is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. July […]

A Woodstock man was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft and using a weapon during an altercation that stemmed from an alleged drug debt, police said.   Charles E. Akerberg, 29, last known address 12316 Pleasant Valley Road, was arrested June 24, and charged with one count of theft from a person, a Class 3 […]

Councilman Dan Hart pleaded not guilty June 16 to charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. Hart, 35, was arrested July 14, 2014, following a minor car crash on Route 47.  Prosecutors allege Hart was intoxicated at the time of the crash and fled the scene following the incident. […]

Where in the world are the Cooper brothers? Many Woodstock residents may be wondering where hometown boys Aaron and Nathan Cooper, also known as the “Enduro Brothers,” are now that the two resumed their mission to drive from Chicago to the furthermost tip of Argentina – Tierra Del Fuego – on a pair of 15-year-old […]

A 20-year-old Woodstock man was killed June 20 in a head-on car collision north of Dixon.   Zachery T. Brokaw was pronounced dead at the scene of a head-on crash involving two vehicles on Highway 2 near Grand Detour Road, north of Dixon, according to Lee County Sheriff John Simonton.  Brokaw was a 2013 graduate […]

A transient Woodstock man has been charged with sexually abusing a teenage girl.   Erik M. Hildebrand, 38, was arrested Thursday, June 18, and charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The charges are Class 2 felonies.   Woodstock Police Chief Robert Lowen said officers began an investigation June 11, after someone alleged Hildebrand […]

After listening to proponents and opponents of the proposed artificial turf project for Larry Dale Field, the Woodstock School District 200 Board of Education will consider whether to approve the project Tuesday, June 16. The school board’s meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be held on the second floor of the Clay Professional […]

Kimberly Clunk said one of the reasons her husband, Jeff Clunk, purchased their ranch home at the corner of Fremont Street and Lawndale Avenue in 1982 was its natural setting across from Ryders Woods park. The 17 acres of tall trees and thick underbrush is home to a variety of birds including wrens and woodpeckers, […]