For the last 13 years, the First Presbyterian Church of Woodstock has been involved with Operation Christmas Child – a program where shoeboxes full of gifts are sent to needy children around the world. Co-leader of the Operation Christmas Child Ministry Team Lisa Given has been actively involved as a leader of the program for […]
With 50 seconds left on the clock, Woodstock Thunder Youth Football marches the ball down the field. In the final three seconds of the game, the Thunder crosses into the end zone for a touchdown, now trailing 6 to 7. The fate of the game rests in the hands of fifth-grade kicker Liam Tumminello. He […]
Downtown Company LLC will have another 18 months to begin construction on a four-story, 56-unit assisted-living facility in Woodstock, a project that was first approved in 2009. At its Oct. 15 meeting, the Woodstock City Council approved a second extension for the Woodstock assisted-living, special-use permit for the southwest corner of West Calhoun and Tryon […]
With a new location, massage therapists Ashley Ryan and Jen Freeman look forward to rejuvenating their massage business, ReEnergize. As a basement facility with ongoing construction on an upper-level office, their old location did not suit the calm and relaxing nature of their business. So in August, ReEnergize officially relocated from 666 W. Jackson St. […]
Marching to the beat of its own drums with a new practice schedule, the Woodstock North High School pep band is preparing for a future as a marching band. “It’s not a full-on marching band yet,” said band director Bill Simpson, who has been working with students to integrate marching band fundamentals into pep band […]
While Woodstock Water Works patrons were glad to see the water slides reopen for the last half of the summer, inspectors of the Illinois Department of Public Health were not as thrilled. After a state inspection in March identified a water intake grate at the pool noncompliant with the Virginia Graeme Baker Anti-Entrapment Act, the […]
At 2:14 p.m. Dec. 23, 2010, 46-year-old Sue Sauer learned she had breast cancer. “If you ever ask anyone, they can tell you the exact time, place, where they were … it’s crazy,” Sauer said. With a mastectomy followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Sauer’s cancer should have been relatively easy to cure. However, her […]
When Dave Piersall, owner of Crystal Lake Marine, moved his company from its namesake city to Woodstock — a city without a lake or river in sight — he said he got some funny looks. “Some people questioned my decision to move here,” Piersall said. “But I’ve always said that when I was a boater, […]
More than 6,000 people piled into the McHenry County Fairgrounds last October to see hundreds of classic hotrods, cool customs and vintage motorcycles at the inaugural Iron Invasion. The car show is rolling in for a second year, from 2 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, and 8 a.m. until close Saturday, Oct. 12. The […]
While dirt bike races have motocross fans revved up at the McHenry County Fairgrounds, some local residents are not as thrilled. In a statement to the McHenry County Planning and Zoning Board and the McHenry County Fair Board Oct. 1, Woodstock resident Lynn Jones brought the issue of noise disturbances to the boards’ attention. “Residential […]
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.
