Plans for an outdoor shooting range and paintball course just outside Woodstock city limits have been withdrawn after two meetings with the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals. The ZBA met April 26 to discuss the plan for the second time, but had ongoing concerns over the petitioners request for a special-use permit. Dominic […]
Woodstock expects to release a report that should help the City Council and Historic Preservation Commission members determine the next steps to take with the Old Courthouse building. At the annual State of the City luncheon, hosted by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mayor Brian Sager said Rockford-based Gary W. Anderson Architects […]
One never knows what his or her neighbors may be up to. If you happen to see your neighbor poking around in the snow or rain with odd tools, don’t automatically assume he or she has cracked up. Your neighbor may be a member of the weather observers of McHenry County, a group dedicated […]
At an annual community meeting, Bull Valley officials indicated that voters may be asked to approve a $5 million bond referendum to pay for roadwork. Officials explained that a loss in revenues due to the housing market collapse has prevented the village from keeping up with the costs to improve road conditions. That, combined […]
The Woodstock City Council decided to waive the bid process for the purchase and installation of two additional generators for sanitary sewer lift stations. In 2011, the city experienced storm damage that left a large portion of the community without electricity, some for five consecutive days. “During this time, many of the city’s sanitary […]
The Woodstock City Council approved a 2 percent increase to water/sewer rates at its April 17 meeting. The adjustment will increase a resident’s average quarterly bill from $104.28 to $106.26, representing an increase of $1.98 per quarter or $7.92 per year. “By ordinance, the city is required to review water and sewer rates on […]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed an environmental assessment evaluating the proposal to establish Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge in parts of northwestern Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin. While the study area encompassed about 350,000 acres of land, a preferred alternative is roughly 11,200 acres. “The bulk is in the center and west [of the […]
Hundreds of Woodstock School District 200 third- and fourth-graders took part in the McHenry County Farm Bureau’s Ag Expo last week. One of the largest events for the farm bureau, the expo is held every other year at the McHenry County Fairgrounds. The day features 20 topics explained by farmers and other experts. Students […]
The city of Woodstock is expected to have a balanced budget for fiscal year 2012-13 and has plans to abate a portion of residents’ property taxes. The city plans to forgo the 1.5 percent inflationary increases provided by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law but extend a levy to account for new growth. The total […]
As WoodstockSchool District 200 develops its budget for the 2012-13 school year, it faces the same challenges it has faced the past four years — declining revenue. Current projections show revenue for next year at about $2.67 million below expenses. Most of the shortfall is due to reduced state funding. For 2012-13, D-200 will […]
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.
