Odds are that if you read newspaper editorials like this one, you’re a voter. Overwhelming odds. And readers of newspapers like The Independent trust their local publications to look out for the community’s good. Want proof? A survey of 1,000 adults from rural and urban communities across the U.S. was conducted last fall for the […]
By Cheryl Wormley Thirty-six years ago tomorrow Denise Graff Ponstein and I sat at desks in an office on the second floor of the building on the southeast corner of Van Buren and Dean streets. It was Denise’s 24th birthday and the very day we started The Woodstock Independent. I’ll have more on that in […]
Voters in the April 4 consolidated election will decide whether the village of Bull Valley becomes a Home Rule community. What is Home Rule? Illinois Home Rule is the constitutional grant of authority to local governments to self-govern, provided the General Assembly does not explicitly limit that authority or maintain the exclusive exercise of that […]
Downtown restaurants don’t need another tax I read in The Independent that Woodstock is going to charge restaurants for their use of public sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor dining. The city should support all their restaurants, not just the Public House. We need to help these folks, not tax them more. I have a […]
Let’s say that, at the least, the optics are bad. That is, it just doesn’t look good to be spending more than $100,000 a month on unforeseen expenses associated with the already costly remodeling of the 19th century Old Courthouse and Sheriff’s House. Especially after learning, 15 months ago, that the $8.4 million that had […]
By Cheryl Wormley This week, my husband, Jim, and I have been talking about the importance of people voting in local elections. He even suggested I write Declarations on the topic, so here we go. First, I’m willing to bet that I am, as is said, preaching to the choir. That is, I believe most […]
I had written a letter to the editor regarding my disappointment in the McHenry County Board’s decision to oppose the state law passed on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. As I was contemplating on sending it, I saw a segment on TV that had me realize how ignorant some our political leaders are when it […]
Don’t look now, but it’s March. Spring officially arrives in less than three weeks, on the 20th. And you know what season comes next? Yep, street construction season. For those of you dealing with PTSD – post-traumatic streets disorder – from 2022, rest assured this year won’t be that bad, probably. After all, we will […]
By Cheryl Wormley Those of us who stayed up past 10:30 p.m. between 1962 and 1992 probably watched the “Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson regularly or at least frequently. Laughing was such a good way to end a day. One of my favorite Carson sketches was Carnac the Magnificent. Carnac was a “mystic from the […]
Early in my career as a minister, I served a small church south of the Mason Dixon line. The board of trustees was mainly comprised of transplants from the north and decided it was a no-brainer to pass a policy banning firearms in church. It was in response to a recent church shooting only two […]
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.
