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, […]
The Woodstock City Council refused to pass a state-mandated prevailing wage ordinance at its June 2 meeting, a vote that will likely prove to be symbolic. “We view this as a little bit of civil disobedience,” said Councilwoman Maureen Larson, one of five members of the council to vote against the ordinance. The vote came […]
When 91-year-old Walter “Wally” Thomas backed a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo through a garage door May 31 to fulfill his unusual bucket-list dream, none of the family and friends watching the stunt could have imagined how much publicity it would get. Wearing a helmet and accompanied by his grandson Andrew Thomas in the passenger seat, Wally […]
The end of this school year was somber for parents, students and teachers at the Special Education District of McHenry County Center School in Woodstock. Administrators and staff gathered by the front doors June 2 to bid farewell to the approximately 63 students who attended SEDOM Center School this year. The SEDOM program, which has […]
Nearly 50 people gathered June 4 at Brookdale Conservation Area on Highway 14 between Woodstock and Harvard for the dedication and grand opening of McHenry County Conservation District’s newest multipurpose trail, open to users including horseback riders. “I can assure you, people are chomping at the bit to ride this new trail,” said The Riding Club […]
Manuel Bonilla has worked as a chef for 30 years at restaurants in the Chicagoland area, but now Bonilla and his cousin, Elba Bonilla, are venturing out on their own in Woodstock. The Bonillas opened Restaurante El Sol last month at 201 E. Church St., adjacent to Wayne’s Lanes bowling alley and in the same building […]
The Woodstock City Council’s newest member was sworn in June 2, but not before approval of a set of changes to a pair of leases that had kept him from taking the oath of office for a month. Recently-elected businessman Dan Hart was installed as the seventh member of the City Council following weeks of […]
Woodstock High School’s building trades program has left an indelible mark on the city of Woodstock. As of this year, there are 40 student-built homes throughout the community. The newest building trades house, located at 631 Prairie Ridge Drive in Woodstock’s Country Ridge subdivision, was opened to the public May 15 and is now available […]
Woodstock City Council members have updated the city’s code to allow small home-kitchen businesses to sell goods at farmers markets and other off-site locations. The City Council updated its ordinances during its May 5 meeting to reflect recent changes in state laws regarding home-based kitchen operations. The revisions basically allow people to make homemade jams, […]
Hannah O’Hagan said she remembers the moment she decided to attend Marian Central Catholic High School. The future class of 2015 valedictorian was a middle-schooler watching a Hurricanes football game when she said she became “enthralled” with the school’s atmosphere — although she didn’t have an answer for her parents when they asked her the […]
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.
