Maybe in a few years, nobody will remember how much it cost and how long it took to restore and remodel the Old Courthouse and Sheriff’s House to create Old Courthouse Center. That’s a popular theory among the many folks who support restoration and reuse of the historic buildings on the Woodstock Square. On one […]
For downtown residents, Woodstock is two cities [On June 29] there was a shooting. Headlines like that hardly make waves these days. Where was it – another parade? Perhaps an outdoor concert or festival? It’s summertime, so not likely a school. … No, this one was just off the “Historic Woodstock Square.” Yes, that Square […]
How concerned should the residents of Woodstock be about two recent gun-related arrests that involved activities in the outside-dining area downtown along North Benton Street? City officials reacted by working with businesses in that block to limit outside dining to only two restaurants, D.C. Cobb’s and Oliver’s Bar and Grill. Obviously, no one believes the […]
By Morgen Neuhauser Working at The Woodstock Independent is a bit like jumping into the deep end of a pool: you better know how to swim. My first day here was a Tuesday, which means a weekly meeting to go over the story budget. On said story budget, I was given roughly eight stories, which […]
By Maxwell Parrish After an informal survey of 152 people, my friend Kevin Eismueller and I estimate that over half of all students at Woodstock North High School struggle with finding the motivation to complete necessary tasks, around a third of students struggle with maintaining “good grades,” and nearly a third of students struggle with […]
Ask not what your city can do for you; ask what you can do for your city. That concept, borrowed from a presidential inauguration speech more than 50 years ago, always struck us as odd. Citizens, after all, are their government, whether a nation or a city. Citizens get to elect their leaders, voice their […]
By Cheryl Wormley Paul Lockwood’s column in the June 28-July 4 edition of The Woodstock Independent tickled my funny bone and was music to my ears. If you missed “The obituary I’m dying to see,” stop by the office and buy another copy or go to thewoodstockindependent.com, click on Opinion and then on Guest Columns. […]
Open letter to the Illinois governor and members of the General Assembly: Do we really need a township government in the 21st century? Some opinions from Illinois news media: Chicago Daily-News 1973 – Townships, who needs them? Quad-City Times 1990 – Get rid of townships Chicago Sun Times – Time to end townships The […]
By Daniel Grant Farm Week The expanding drought and crop condition ratings continue to trend in opposite directions as many farmers nervously await what should be the pivotal corn pollination period. All 102 counties in Illinois are now fully engulfed in drought and abnormally dry conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly one-third […]
Addiction continually raises its dangerous head in McHenry County, reminding us that it lurks just beneath the surface of our communities. In late June, the McHenry County Department of Health reported what it called “a significant increase in suspected fatal overdoses” during a recent a four-week period. Although those deaths had not been confirmed as […]
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.
