Concerning what the editor calls Florida ‘culture wars’ I found Larry Lough’s article (Opinion, Declarations) on May 24 to be of questionable journalistic integrity and objectionable ideology. To begin, Mr. Lough, TheIndependent’s editor, repeated a claim by a convicted killer that there are 14- and 15-year-olds serving life sentences in Florida’s prisons. Shouldn’t responsible journalism […]
Welcome back to Woodstock. Whether you’ve been away for a while, or maybe just took a long nap, things are changing pretty fast around here. Among other things, it appears we’ll be getting a cannabis dispensary along U.S. 47 south of Lake Avenue. An infusing operation – think cannabis-laced cookies and candies – already is […]
The past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself at a familiar juncture in my life. One of those tough but necessary rights of passage that parents are blessed to endure; watching your kids mature and find their path in life. Sometimes that path runs nearby, where it’s easy to intersect with it frequently, and sometimes it […]
Thirty-four years ago something completely unexpected occurred. I met the love of my life. First we were friends. Then, without looking for it, love showed up. Not the tepid take-each-other-for granted love. No, this was unlike any love I had ever known. Consuming, compelling, tinged with heat, built on profound respect, and charged with boundless […]
Not all agree Florida is a nice place to visit The “Declarations” column of May 24 about the editor’s vacation in Florida concluded with, “Florida is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” Indeed, the column did a good job summarizing Florida’s shift toward conservative (and MAGA) leanings. Several groups […]
Engineer and electrician. Welder and teacher. Chemist and construction manager. Physician and nurse. Those are some of the career goals of students named in today’s Guest Column by Woodstock North High School student Maxwell Parrish, who interviewed classmates as well as some Woodstock High students from across town. It comes just days after those schools […]
The message of Memorial Day is so heavy, and yet, it is often wrapped into celebrations of graduations, the end of the school-year celebrations, the kickoff to summer, and the like, thanks to the three-day weekend. Writing for The Woodstock Independent has changed the way I view the last Monday in May. After many years […]
Now that graduation’s over, many high school seniors have to consider what path they will take in life. I interviewed some graduating seniors at Woodstock and Woodstock North high schools with the question: “What do you plan to do after high school?” Frank Furu (WNHS) “I’m planning to go to the University of New Haven […]
Woodstock prides itself on being a progressive, inclusive community. That description doesn’t include everyone. As he was leaving office in 2021 after 16 years as mayor of Woodstock, Brian Sager said one of the biggest challenges of his tenure was fighting a resistance to making the city “a welcoming, open, and inclusive community” in terms […]
Jane and I spent time on the beach the first week of this month, our first vacation in a couple of years. We returned to the Pensacola Beach hotel we have visited frequently since 1987, back when our Amoco Motor Club membership got us a two-bed beachfront room on the fourth floor overlooking the Gulf […]
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.
