Groundhog Days is one of those events where The Woodstock Independent’s reporters and photographers share our hometown news with beat reporters from all over the area – and beyond. We spend those several days rubbing shoulders with journalists, photographers, news anchors, and camera people from local competitors to regional news affiliates. As a veteran reporter […]
More residential growth? Look northwest near WNHS I’ve been reading about this proposed development off Lucas Road, with all the opposition from local residents, as well as the sensitive environmental issues in this vicinity. I was of the impression that the “up and coming” area for development back in the early 2000s, prior to the […]
In case there was any question that 10-acre property on Clay Street north of the train station is a former industrial site, the city is still negotiating with developer Chicago Hubs Realty about an NFR – no further remediation – a designation by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for once-contaminated sites. CHR wants to make […]
Have you broken any laws lately? If you drive, you probably went a few miles over the speed limit, nothing that would cause your name to show up among Woodstock Police Department’s arrests in the Public Safety Log, published weekly in The Independent. Those of us who drive east on Calhoun Street toward Route 47 […]
Woodstock’s town square ‘perfect just the way it is’ I was raised in Woodstock, and after living abroad for over a dozen years, I chose Woodstock to once again call home. A large part of my joy and pride in this town is the Square. Its beauty and peacefulness is a rare and important […]
By Cheryl Wormley Woodstock has a tradition of residents volunteering to make things happen. Back in the ’60s, Woodstock was named an All-America city because of the efforts of a dozen or so residents. The Opera House was renovated in the ’70s through resident leadership. In the ’80s, students and adults rallied to raise funds […]
Support needed change in mental health funding The mental health needs of our community are growing, and funding through property taxes cannot keep pace with the demand. In December, the McHenry County Board passed a resolution – almost unanimously – to put the question to the voters to move the mental health funding from property […]
Finding and affording labor are among the top challenges Illinois farmers, suppliers and processors tell me they face in 2024. From locating qualified truck drivers to haul grain, to sourcing enough hands to pick vegetables or manage livestock, the shortage of links in the transportation and agricultural supply chains continues to undermine food access and […]
Plans for 320 single-family detached homes and duplexes on Woodstock’s east side have finally made an appearance on the tentative schedule for City Council meetings. Lennar, the nation’s second largest homebuilder, has eyes on 135 acres off Lucas Road, south and west of Northwestern Hospital, where detached homes are planned along with some duplexes. “Lennar […]
In keeping with the tenor of the times, some might suggest it was a conspiracy. It was all too convenient for veteran WGN weatherman Tom Skilling to be making his first appearance in Woodstock for Groundhog Day and Mother Nature following a bright and sunny Feb. 1 with an overcast Feb. 2 morning to prevent […]
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.
